Zeolite Utilization in Solar Energy Storage and Heat Exchange

Solar energy, the power derived from the rays of the sun, is considered to be one, if not the most environmentally friendly source of energy that can be used on earth. The energy storage is one of the critical problems of present solar energy application research. Due to their structure, zeolites are able to store solar energy and to be showed off due to their propriety of adsorbing/desorbing water without damage the structure. The great advantage of thermal energy storage methods based on adsorption/desorption processes consists in the possibility of storing thermal energy, even for long time. Zeolites answer both to requirements of large availability and low cost.

Keywords: Solar energy, environmentally friendly, energy storage, adsorption/desorption processes, thermal energy storage, sunray collectors, solar panels, natural zeolite, refrigeration/heat storage, zeolite heat pumps.