Advances in Solar Heating and Cooling, 2nd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global energy consumption for air-conditioning, both heating and cooling, is increasing rapidly. An estimated 111 million AC units were sold this year for new installations and the replacement of waste equipment, and more than 918 million AC units are currently installed in buildings around the world. Conventional AC units typically have a high electricity consumption and use non-environmentally friendly refrigerants. In this context, the know-how that has been accumulated in OECD countries (Europe, US, Australia, etc.) in solar heating and cooling (thermal and PV) is already significant. However, very few efforts have been made to adapt and transfer this know-how to countries characterised by different operating conditions and markets (Africa, MENA, and Asian countries, which are all dynamic, emerging economies).

Therefore, the present Topic, entitled “Advances in Solar Heating and Cooling, 2nd Edition”, calls for papers to showcase ideas, research progresses, and innovations for affordable, safe, and environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems, based on solar energy (either thermal or PV), for regions across the world with favourable climates and growing economies.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Improvements in sorption technologies for heating and cooling;
• Adapted components for solar-assisted heating and cooling systems;
• Adapted systems for solar heating and cooling under harsh operating conditions;
• Exergy analysis for solar heating and cooling systems;
• Accurate dynamic simulation of solar heating and cooling systems in harsh climates;
• New materials for adsorption chillers;
• Hybrid chillers for PV/thermal solar heating and cooling systems;
• Retrofit of solar cooling systems in buildings for increased efficiency;
• Passive solar cooling systems;
• Passive solar heating systems;
• Ground-assisted solar heating and cooling systems;
• Improvements in solar energy harvesting for air-conditioning purposes;
• Modelling of solar-assisted AC systems for warm climate;
• New trends in sustainable heating and cooling.

Dr. Salvatore Vasta
Prof. Dr. Uli Jakob
Prof. Dr. Sotirios Karellas
Dr. Marina Bonomolo
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Buildings buildings	3.1	4.4	2011	15.1 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Energies energies	3.2	7.3	2008	16.8 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Processes processes	2.8	5.5	2013	14.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Solar solar	-	4.3	2021	19.8 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	7.7	2009	17.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Thermo thermo	2.3	3.9	2021	26.1 Days	CHF 1200	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Buildings Energies Solar Sustainability Processes Thermo

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26 pages, 4663 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Optical-Thermal Analysis of a Thermal Receiver with Second Optics for High-Temperature Gas Heating with Solar Tower System

by Cuitlahuac Iriarte-Cornejo, Resty L. Durán, Victor M. Maytorena, Jesús F. Hinojosa and Sául F. Moreno

Thermo 2026, 6(2), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo6020025 - 7 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Heating gases to high temperatures is essential for supplying energy to thermal and thermochemical processes. This study presents the optical–thermal design of a mini heliostat field coupled with a tubular solar receiver equipped with second optics, aiming to heat nitrogen to approximately 850 [...] Read more.

Heating gases to high temperatures is essential for supplying energy to thermal and thermochemical processes. This study presents the optical–thermal design of a mini heliostat field coupled with a tubular solar receiver equipped with second optics, aiming to heat nitrogen to approximately 850 K. The secondary optical system redistributed up to 40% of the incident solar flux from the front to the rear surface of the receiver, improving radial temperature uniformity and significantly reducing thermal gradients along the tube wall. An overall optical efficiency of 65.25% was achieved, accounting for atmospheric attenuation, shading, blocking, and the cosine effect. A coupled computational model was developed by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy, with the spatially resolved solar flux distribution obtained via ray tracing used as a thermal boundary condition. The simulation results, validated with an empirical correlation, include solar flux contours, nitrogen temperature distributions, surface temperatures, and heat transfer coefficients. The configuration with a 12 mm vertex spacing between secondary reflectors demonstrated the best thermal performance, reducing the maximum tube surface temperature by 11% and improving radial symmetry, while maintaining nitrogen outlet temperatures near the design target of 850 K. These results confirm the suitability of the system for high-temperature applications such as solar pyrolysis using nitrogen as the heat transfer fluid to deliver the required thermal energy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances in Solar Heating and Cooling, 2nd Edition)

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21 pages, 3891 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Energetic and Economic Assessment of a Solar Thermally Driven Innovative Tri-Generation Unit for Different Use Cases and Climates

by Uli Jakob, Michael Strobel and Luca Ziegele

Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 10924; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172410924 - 6 Dec 2025

Viewed by 524

Abstract

The energy sector is currently under enormous transition, moving from fossil fuels to renewable energies and integrating energy efficiency measures. This transition can hold opportunities for new and innovative energy systems. This study presents an energetic and economic assessment of an innovative tri-generation [...] Read more.

The energy sector is currently under enormous transition, moving from fossil fuels to renewable energies and integrating energy efficiency measures. This transition can hold opportunities for new and innovative energy systems. This study presents an energetic and economic assessment of an innovative tri-generation unit working with a two-phase thermodynamic cycle. The tri-generation unit is driven by heat and is capable of providing heat at lower level, cold, and electricity to end users. The use cases—residential, day-use offices, commercial retail, and manufacturing industry—are integrated in a dynamic simulation model, indicating the operation mode of the unit. The results show that the tri-generation unit is able to provide heat and cold with an Energy Utilization Factor of 35% to 68%, depending on the use case. Solar thermal has a limited to potential to supply the unit with heat, due to the high temperature of 180 °C and the required unit operation at nighttime. The economic comparison indicates that the driving heat must be as low as possible and that savings through self-consumption is most relevant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances in Solar Heating and Cooling, 2nd Edition)

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