Combination of solar with organic Rankine cycle as a potential solution for clean energy production

Abstract

The increasing requirement for energy, severe environmental problems, and the paucity of traditional sources of energy were among the most pressing global challenges which needed addressing immediately. Hence, the utilization of solar energy was such a vital tool for confronting critical issues including global warming, the depletion of fossil fuels as well as rising energy consumption owing to new lifestyle tendencies. More importantly, the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) was demonstrated to be a dependable technology capable of efficiently transforming low-to-medium-level heat sources into usable uses. Because of the great compatibility between the solar thermal-based collector technologies' working temperatures and the cycle’s required temperatures, using solar irradiation to drive an ORC was a viable technique based on renewable energy. The key significance of this review lies in summarizing the utilization of solar-driven ORC and its potential for the applications like water desalination, water pumping, and power generation. The key features like working fluid consideration and component selection are highlighted. Also, the challenges in the sector and the scope for further studies are discussed in detail. The final remarks show that solar ORC can be considered a promising avenue for the development of sustainable energy systems in a broader view.