Performance improvement of solar thermal systems integrated with phase change materials (PCM), a review

摘要

The present review is an extensive overview of the research progress obtained in the field of Phase Change Material (PCM) integrated with solar thermal applications. Solar energy has become an attractive method of using clean energy to eliminate the shortage and environmental drawbacks of fossil fuels but it needs energy storage to bridge the mismatch between times of energy demand and energy supply. Latent Heat Storage (LHS) in PCMs is the most suitable solution for thermal energy storage due to their high latent heat. In this review, special attention is given to recent publications in the field of PCM integrated with solar thermal applications along with the material problems and possible solutions. Finally, future directions on possible studies and applications are proposed.