Recent advances, challenges, and prospects in solar dish collectors: Designs, applications, and optimization frameworks

The use of solar powered dish-Stirling engines to convert thermal energy into electricity is a promising and renewable alternative in reducing the fossil fuel consumption. However, insufficient experimental data regarding the operating parameters limit its characterization, modelling, design, optimization, and further utilization. Therefore, the first aim of this paper is to introduce a comprehensive review and systematic summary of state of the art on research and progress of the solar dish technology as a concentrated solar power technology. The efforts mainly include the recent advances, technological challenges, and optimization frameworks in solar dish collector research field. One of the most critical features of this study is discussing novel combinations of solar dish collectors with other power generation devices including PV cells, thermoelectric devices, and thermal collectors. The review sheds light also into recent thermodynamic cycles that can be powered by solar dish collector as well potential polygeneration applications that can be engineered. Further, the most relevant researches adopting Nanofluids and Phase Change Materials in solar dish collectors are reviewed. In the final part, future prospects and challenges that require further investigation are also discussed. It is expected that this review will serve as a brief guideline for the solar dish-technology enthusiast.