IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v60y2016icp1351-1366.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A state-of-the-art review of solar air-conditioning systems

Author

Listed:
  • Nkwetta, Dan Nchelatebe
  • Sandercock, Jim

Abstract

To reduce greenhouse gas emission, solar cooling is an attractive and environmentally friendly application since there is a direct match with cooling demand and peak incident solar radiation. In addition, solar absorption refrigeration technologies are regarded as a promising way to meet the growing refrigeration needs related to thermal comfort, vaccines, conservation of foods and medicines as well as crop drying. Presently, two systems in common used are, the single and double effects absorption chillers with the difference between the two systems being the operating temperature range. This comprehensive review looks at the available methods (theoretical modeling/simulation and experimental) that have been used for the powering of single and double effects solar absorption chillers, other solar cooling systems and their merits, system integration, design optimization and cost effectiveness of each system.

Suggested Citation

  • Nkwetta, Dan Nchelatebe & Sandercock, Jim, 2016. "A state-of-the-art review of solar air-conditioning systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1351-1366.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:1351-1366
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.03.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116002458
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2016.03.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhai, X.Q. & Wang, R.Z., 2009. "A review for absorbtion and adsorbtion solar cooling systems in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1523-1531, August.
    2. García Casals, Xavier, 2006. "Solar absorption cooling in Spain: Perspectives and outcomes from the simulation of recent installations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(9), pages 1371-1389.
    3. Praene, Jean Philippe & Marc, Olivier & Lucas, Franck & Miranville, Frédéric, 2011. "Simulation and experimental investigation of solar absorption cooling system in Reunion Island," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 831-839, March.
    4. Florides, G. A. & Tassou, S. A. & Kalogirou, S. A. & Wrobel, L. C., 2002. "Review of solar and low energy cooling technologies for buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 557-572, December.
    5. Wang, D.C. & Li, Y.H. & Li, D. & Xia, Y.Z. & Zhang, J.P., 2010. "A review on adsorption refrigeration technology and adsorption deterioration in physical adsorption systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 344-353, January.
    6. Zeyghami, Mehdi & Goswami, D. Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2015. "A review of solar thermo-mechanical refrigeration and cooling methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1428-1445.
    7. Fernández-García, A. & Zarza, E. & Valenzuela, L. & Pérez, M., 2010. "Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 1695-1721, September.
    8. Tierney, M.J., 2007. "Options for solar-assisted refrigeration—Trough collectors and double-effect chillers," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 183-199.
    9. Mokhtar, Marwan & Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Bräuniger, Simon & Afshari, Afshin & Sgouridis, Sgouris & Armstrong, Peter & Chiesa, Matteo, 2010. "Systematic comprehensive techno-economic assessment of solar cooling technologies using location-specific climate data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(12), pages 3766-3778, December.
    10. Yeo, T.H.C. & Tan, I.A.W. & Abdullah, M.O., 2012. "Development of adsorption air-conditioning technology using modified activated carbon – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 3355-3363.
    11. Ullah, K.R. & Saidur, R. & Ping, H.W. & Akikur, R.K. & Shuvo, N.H., 2013. "A review of solar thermal refrigeration and cooling methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 499-513.
    12. Choudhury, Biplab & Saha, Bidyut Baran & Chatterjee, Pradip K. & Sarkar, Jyoti Prakas, 2013. "An overview of developments in adsorption refrigeration systems towards a sustainable way of cooling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 554-567.
    13. Wang, R.Z. & Xia, Z.Z. & Wang, L.W. & Lu, Z.S. & Li, S.L. & Li, T.X. & Wu, J.Y. & He, S., 2011. "Heat transfer design in adsorption refrigeration systems for efficient use of low-grade thermal energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 5425-5439.
    14. Andris Piebalgs, 2006. "Green paper: A European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 7(02), pages 8-20, July.
    15. Baniyounes, Ali M. & Ghadi, Yazeed Yasin & Rasul, M.G. & Khan, M.M.K., 2013. "An overview of solar assisted air conditioning in Queensland's subtropical regions, Australia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 781-804.
    16. Louajari, Mohamed & Mimet, Abdelaziz & Ouammi, Ahmed, 2011. "Study of the effect of finned tube adsorber on the performance of solar driven adsorption cooling machine using activated carbon-ammonia pair," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 690-698, March.
    17. Nkwetta, Dan Nchelatebe & Smyth, Mervyn, 2012. "Comparative field performance study of concentrator augmented array with two system configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 800-808.
    18. Chidambaram, L.A. & Ramana, A.S. & Kamaraj, G. & Velraj, R., 2011. "Review of solar cooling methods and thermal storage options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3220-3228, August.
    19. Elsafty, A & Al-Daini, A.J, 2002. "Economical comparison between a solar-powered vapour absorption air-conditioning system and a vapour compression system in the Middle East," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 569-583.
    20. Buonomano, A. & Calise, F. & Palombo, A., 2013. "Solar heating and cooling systems by CPVT and ET solar collectors: A novel transient simulation model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 588-606.
    21. El Fadar, A. & Mimet, A. & Pérez-García, M., 2009. "Study of an adsorption refrigeration system powered by parabolic trough collector and coupled with a heat pipe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 2271-2279.
    22. Rosiek, S. & Batlles, F.J., 2009. "Integration of the solar thermal energy in the construction: Analysis of the solar-assisted air-conditioning system installed in CIESOL building," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1423-1431.
    23. Assilzadeh, F. & Kalogirou, S.A. & Ali, Y. & Sopian, K., 2005. "Simulation and optimization of a LiBr solar absorption cooling system with evacuated tube collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1143-1159.
    24. Papadopoulos, A. M. & Oxizidis, S. & Kyriakis, N., 2003. "Perspectives of solar cooling in view of the developments in the air-conditioning sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 419-438, October.
    25. N’Tsoukpoe, Kokouvi Edem & Yamegueu, Daniel & Bassole, Justin, 2014. "Solar sorption refrigeration in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 318-335.
    26. Pongtornkulpanich, A. & Thepa, S. & Amornkitbamrung, M. & Butcher, C., 2008. "Experience with fully operational solar-driven 10-ton LiBr/H2O single-effect absorption cooling system in Thailand," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 943-949.
    27. Mateus, Tiago & Oliveira, Armando C., 2009. "Energy and economic analysis of an integrated solar absorption cooling and heating system in different building types and climates," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(6), pages 949-957, June.
    28. Gebreslassie, Berhane H. & Guillén-Gosálbez, Gonzalo & Jiménez, Laureano & Boer, Dieter, 2010. "A systematic tool for the minimization of the life cycle impact of solar assisted absorption cooling systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 3849-3862.
    29. Kalkan, Naci & Young, E.A. & Celiktas, Ahmet, 2012. "Solar thermal air conditioning technology reducing the footprint of solar thermal air conditioning," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(8), pages 6352-6383.
    30. Abdullah, Mohammad Omar & Hieng, Tang Chung, 2010. "Comparative analysis of performance and techno-economics for a H2O-NH3-H2 absorption refrigerator driven by different energy sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(5), pages 1535-1545, May.
    31. Lucia, Umberto, 2013. "Adsorber efficiency in adsorbtion refrigeration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 570-575.
    32. Nkwetta, Dan Nchelatebe & Smyth, Mervyn & Zacharopoulos, Aggelos & Hyde, Trevor, 2012. "Optical evaluation and analysis of an internal low-concentrated evacuated tube heat pipe solar collector for powering solar air-conditioning systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 65-70.
    33. Gebreslassie, Berhane H. & Medrano, Marc & Boer, Dieter, 2010. "Exergy analysis of multi-effect water–LiBr absorption systems: From half to triple effect," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1773-1782.
    34. Ghaddar, N.K. & Shihab, M. & Bdeir, F., 1997. "Modeling and simulation of solar absorption system performance in Beirut," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 539-558.
    35. Desideri, Umberto & Proietti, Stefania & Sdringola, Paolo, 2009. "Solar-powered cooling systems: Technical and economic analysis on industrial refrigeration and air-conditioning applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(9), pages 1376-1386, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eduardo F. Camacho & Antonio J. Gallego & Juan M. Escaño & Adolfo J. Sánchez, 2019. "Hybrid Nonlinear MPC of a Solar Cooling Plant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-22, July.
    2. María Herrando & Alba Ramos, 2022. "Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) Systems for Combined Cooling, Heating and Power in Buildings: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-28, April.
    3. Wu, Xi & Xu, Shiming & Jiang, Mengnan, 2018. "Development of bubble absorption refrigeration technology: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3468-3482.
    4. Varga, Szabolcs & Oliveira, Armando C. & Palmero-Marrero, Anna & Vrba, Jakub, 2017. "Preliminary experimental results with a solar driven ejector air conditioner in Portugal," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 83-92.
    5. Inayat, Abrar & Raza, Mohsin, 2019. "District cooling system via renewable energy sources: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 360-373.
    6. Aliane, A. & Abboudi, S. & Seladji, C. & Guendouz, B., 2016. "An illustrated review on solar absorption cooling experimental studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 443-458.
    7. Herez, Amal & Ramadan, Mohamad & Khaled, Mahmoud, 2018. "Review on solar cooker systems: Economic and environmental study for different Lebanese scenarios," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 421-432.
    8. Lin Zheng & Wei Zhang & Fei Liang & Shuang Lin & Xiangyu Jin, 2017. "Experimental Studies of Phase Change and Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials in a Cold Storage/Transportation System with Solar Driven Cooling Cycle," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-11, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chidambaram, L.A. & Ramana, A.S. & Kamaraj, G. & Velraj, R., 2011. "Review of solar cooling methods and thermal storage options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3220-3228, August.
    2. Leonzio, Grazia, 2017. "Solar systems integrated with absorption heat pumps and thermal energy storages: state of art," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 492-505.
    3. Ullah, K.R. & Saidur, R. & Ping, H.W. & Akikur, R.K. & Shuvo, N.H., 2013. "A review of solar thermal refrigeration and cooling methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 499-513.
    4. Khan, Mohammed Mumtaz A. & Saidur, R. & Al-Sulaiman, Fahad A., 2017. "A review for phase change materials (PCMs) in solar absorption refrigeration systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 105-137.
    5. Cabrera, F.J. & Fernández-García, A. & Silva, R.M.P. & Pérez-García, M., 2013. "Use of parabolic trough solar collectors for solar refrigeration and air-conditioning applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 103-118.
    6. Cabeza, Luisa F. & Solé, Aran & Barreneche, Camila, 2017. "Review on sorption materials and technologies for heat pumps and thermal energy storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 3-39.
    7. Zhai, X.Q. & Qu, M. & Li, Yue. & Wang, R.Z., 2011. "A review for research and new design options of solar absorption cooling systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4416-4423.
    8. Shirazi, Ali & Taylor, Robert A. & White, Stephen D. & Morrison, Graham L., 2016. "Transient simulation and parametric study of solar-assisted heating and cooling absorption systems: An energetic, economic and environmental (3E) assessment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 955-971.
    9. Balghouthi, M. & Chahbani, M.H. & Guizani, A., 2012. "Investigation of a solar cooling installation in Tunisia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 138-148.
    10. Aliane, A. & Abboudi, S. & Seladji, C. & Guendouz, B., 2016. "An illustrated review on solar absorption cooling experimental studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 443-458.
    11. Goyal, Parash & Baredar, Prashant & Mittal, Arvind & Siddiqui, Ameenur. R., 2016. "Adsorption refrigeration technology – An overview of theory and its solar energy applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1389-1410.
    12. Fernandes, M.S. & Brites, G.J.V.N. & Costa, J.J. & Gaspar, A.R. & Costa, V.A.F., 2014. "Review and future trends of solar adsorption refrigeration systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 102-123.
    13. Ghafoor, Abdul & Munir, Anjum, 2015. "Worldwide overview of solar thermal cooling technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 763-774.
    14. Praene, Jean Philippe & Marc, Olivier & Lucas, Franck & Miranville, Frédéric, 2011. "Simulation and experimental investigation of solar absorption cooling system in Reunion Island," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 831-839, March.
    15. Hassan, H.Z. & Mohamad, A.A., 2012. "A review on solar cold production through absorption technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 5331-5348.
    16. Gupta, A. & Anand, Y. & Tyagi, S.K. & Anand, S., 2016. "Economic and thermodynamic study of different cooling options: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 164-194.
    17. Zeyghami, Mehdi & Goswami, D. Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2015. "A review of solar thermo-mechanical refrigeration and cooling methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1428-1445.
    18. Hang, Yin & Du, Lili & Qu, Ming & Peeta, Srinivas, 2013. "Multi-objective optimization of integrated solar absorption cooling and heating systems for medium-sized office buildings," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 67-78.
    19. Alobaid, Mohammad & Hughes, Ben & Calautit, John Kaiser & O’Connor, Dominic & Heyes, Andrew, 2017. "A review of solar driven absorption cooling with photovoltaic thermal systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 728-742.
    20. Alahmer, Ali & Ajib, Salman & Wang, Xiaolin, 2019. "Comprehensive strategies for performance improvement of adsorption air conditioning systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 138-158.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:1351-1366. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.