Solar absorption systems with integrated absorption energy storage–A review

Solar driven absorption systems are becoming more tractive and common in air conditioning industry. However, the issue of intermittency of the solar energy remains the critical concern in real applications. Hence, energy storage is inevitable to bridge the energy demand and intermittency gap. Among the existing thermal energy storage options, sensible heat storage is the most widely adopted in solar thermal applications. Research interest on absorption energy storage is increasing recently owing to low heat loss and high-energy storage capability. This paper presents a specific review on solar absorption energy storage and its integration with conventional absorption chillers. Specific future research directions on the subject are highlighted in the paper. These include economic viability of the absorption energy storage, improved design of heat exchangers and considering the concept of absorption energy storage as an option for shifting solar thermal energy collected during the peak day-hours to the off peak night-hours for air conditioning, among others.