Experimental study of the energy and exergy performance of a solar parabolic dish concentrator integrated with thermal energy storage

Concentrating solar power is rapidly becoming a mainstay of solar energy systems, with the parabolic dish concentrator being a common and high-performing option for medium-temperature applications. This study investigates the thermal performance of a parabolic dish concentrator integrated with phase change material based thermal energy storage. Energy and exergy efficiencies are compared for a water-based storage tank in thermosyphon circulation mode, both with and without phase change materials encapsulation. Various phase change materials capsules were strategically positioned within the tank in a certain position, which satisfies the melting temperature of the studied phase change materials. Steam generation was also measured and correlated with solar irradiation intensity. This study aims to address the changes in energy and exergy efficiencies for the system integrated with latent heat storage encapsulation. Results show the highest overall energy efficiency 46.7% was achieved with copper cylindrical capsules, while the base case without phase change materials yielded the highest overall exergy efficiency 5.23%, closely followed by the copper cylindrical capsule 4.94%. Peak energy and exergy efficiencies reached 79.37% and 11.12%, respectively. The copper cylindrical capsules provided the optimal balance between thermal and storage performance without compromising efficiency.