Solar Water Heating Efficiency Enhancement through Latent Heat Storage: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Solar power has the ability to convert the sun's rays into heat instantly, which can be utilised to heat water for homes and businesses. This makes it a prospective sustainable energy source. Solar water heating (SWH) systems can reduce electricity usage by 1500 kWh y-1 when electric heaters are replaced with them. During times of high demand, this can aid in the control of energy use in electricity-intensive industries. Compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collectors have been in high demand as of late for their simplicity and dearth of complex tracking systems. Since they are able to efficiently gather both direct beam and some diffuse light, these collectors are perfect for medium-temperature applications. An imbalance between energy demand and supply, brought on by solar power's intermittent nature, could be addressed by phase change materials (PCM). Choosing the correct PCM is a very crucial step in achieving the target performance. Researchers searched the whole literature on CPC, TES systems, and stratification studies for the elusive piece of information. The purpose of this research is to design a novel SWH system that combines a CPC collector with the TES system (sensible and latent heat storage) to meet the immediate need for such systems and to evaluate their thermal performance in actual operating conditions.