Latest advances on solar thermal collectors: A comprehensive review

The need to put in place alternative energy policies stems from the awareness that fossil fuels are exhaustible and harmful to the environment. For this reason, during the last decades the scientific world has focused on systems able to use and convert renewable energy sources, particularly solar radiation. Nowadays, solar thermal collectors use solar energy to distribute low-cost domestic and industrial heating. In this review a comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed journals and relevant papers on solar thermal collectors is provided. Descriptions of the different types of solar collectors are provided. Theoretical analyses, latest developments related to the functional elements, and hybrid systems have been considered throughout this analysis. Performance test methods for solar thermal collectors and standards are discussed. This cross-review aims to assist researchers, engineers and manufacturers in keeping them abreast of latest developments in the field of solar thermal collectors.