A review of solar parabolic trough collector

Solar energy is one among the freely available clean forms of renewable energy. Many technologies have been developed in India for extracting energy from assorted renewable energies, but the maximum extraction of thermal energy from solar energy is the most promising challenge. This paper focuses on the performance and efficiency of solar parabolic trough collector. It also reviews the pertinent applications of solar energy such as air heating system, desalination, refrigeration, industrial heating purposes and power plants. This paper will be useful for researchers concentrating on solar energy using parabolic trough collector. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.