A review of solar thermal cooling technologies in selected Middle East and North African countries

Cooling loads are a substantial part of the total electricity demands of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Fortunately, because of its warm and sunny climate, the MENA region is naturally suited to solar cooling technologies. This article summarizes the most recent research and developments in solar thermal cooling technologies. The working principles and a general literature survey of solar thermal cooling technologies including absorption, adsorption, and desiccant is presented. This is followed by a summary of the literature specific to the MENA region, along with a survey of the prototypes and commercial installation of solar cooling across the MENA region. Based on this review, pilot solar cooling projects in the region are around 1180 kWc, which are split between space conditioning and industrial refrigeration applications. Most of the pilot projects are of absorption cooling type using an ammonia-water binary cycle and parabolic trough solar collectors. However, a few adsorption cooling systems are employed with a water-silica working pair and flat plate collectors. Finally, desiccant cooling systems are still in their infancy, as research and experimental systems in educational institutes.