Harnessing and storing solar thermal energy using phase change material (PCM) in a small flat plate collector

Abstract

Recently, the initiative to bring down the continuous increase in the level of greenhouse gas emissions has widely spread in many countries not only because of the stringent emission norms but also the rising fuel prices which have led to utilize renewable energy sources, more. When it comes to the different forms of renewable energy available, solar energy is considered to be the best option due to its abundant availability in nature. Still, there are a few hurdles to first get over when dealing with solar energy. For instance, the lack of effective technology has caused solar energy to be a costly endeavor and there are issues involved in the process of conversion of solar energy into useful forms of energy. Due to the recent developments in technology, the application of phase change materials (PCM) has become an attractive method to store solar energy. Among various sugar alcohols, Erythritol is the one which is higher in latent heat, more thermally stable, non-toxic, inexpensive, and easily available. In this paper, the phase change material, Erythritol (C4H8O4) is utilized to harness the solar energy and a novel method of transporting the solar energy from the location it was harnessed to a location where it can be utilized is also shown. The variation in the rate at which the solar energy is harnessed is also shown on five different days when the direct solar radiation was high and low on the location of experiment. Keywords: solar radiation, phase change material (PCM), solar energy.