A review of solar thermal refrigeration and cooling methods

Energy is the lifeblood of the modern world. Because of the negative environmental impacts and limited sources of fossil fuels, researchers are increasingly focusing on renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy due to its cleanliness and natural availability. Along with photovoltaic systems, solar thermal energy has been used over the last few decades to meet the refrigeration needs for both domestic and industrial purposes. This study presents a review of different solar thermal refrigeration systems, with a specific focus on solar absorption refrigeration systems and solar adsorption refrigeration systems within various working fluids. The different working pairs are illustrated by considering their coefficients of performance, specific cooling power, cooling capacity and minimum and maximum working temperatures. By considering cooling efficiency and other problems, such as swelling and agglomeration, the study also explores solar thermal hybrid cooling systems with heterogeneous composite pairs. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.