A novel air-gap-lens-walled compound parabolic concentrator incorporated with photovoltaic/thermal system (ALCPC-PV/T) was proposed. The optical, electrical and thermal performances of the ALCPC-PV/T under the outdoor condition were analyzed for building integrated concentrating...

Energy crisis and environment deterioration are two major problems for 21st century. Thermoelectric device is a promising solution for those two problems. This review begins with the basic concepts of the thermoelectric and discusses its recent material researches about the figure of merit. It...

The receiver’s back surface radiative characteristics of a heat-pipe evacuated-tube solar collector (ETSC) may have a significant influence on its performance. This influence is generally related to the back surface emissivity and temperature; however it has been not studied previously. This...

This paper presents an experimental investigation of a novel multi-effect solar desalination based on humidification–dehumidification process. The main objective of this work is to determine the operational and performance characteristics of the system with use of packed porous plastic balls...

Solar energy and wind energy are two main renewable energy sources. Concentration of solar energy onto a smaller area may reduce the cost of PV modules and achieve high efficiency. On the other hand, wind augmentation allows lower trigger wind speed besides the reduced wind turbine size. For...

This paper presents theoretical investigations into a hybrid ejector and CO2 vapour compression (VC) system for road transport cooling. The purpose is to utilise the waste heat from exhaust gas and the VC sub-system to drive the ejector system, whose cooling effect will be employed to subcool...

Concentrating photovoltaic (PV) systems provide an effective way to reduce the cost of electricity production by reducing the amount of silicon required. The use of a Fresnel lens is one of the typical design options for the concentrating PV systems. Compared with a parabolic mirror, a Fresnel...

Design of an atrium aims to provide a good quality of daylighting. This paper deals with a parametric study of geometric effect on the daylighting performance of two typical types of atriums, enclosed and linear, in the subtropical climatic area. A case study of the daylighting of two existing...

Domestic CHP (combined heat and power) generation is one new application of the ORC (organic Rankine cycle). An environment temperature fluctuation of 40 °C through the year is common in many areas, where the consumer's demand on heat follows a seasonal cycle. In no demand periods the ORC...

The energetic and exergetic performance of an updated ORC (organic Rankine cycle) is investigated. The thermal efficiencies of the ORC at different heat source temperatures of about 100, 90, 80, and 70 °C are explored. The thermodynamic irreversibility that takes place in the evaporator,...