State-of-the-art in solar water heating (SWH) systems for sustainable solar energy utilization: A comprehensive review

The solar water-heating (SWH) system is one of the most convenient applications of solar energy, which is considered an available, economical, and environmentally friendly energy source to fulfill the energy demands of the world. In this review, existing SWH systems and design aspects of major components e.g., solar thermal collector, storage tank, heat exchanger, heat transferring fluid, absorber plate, etc. were extensively studied. Recent research to further improve SWH systems and potential practical applications are critically reviewed. Moreover, a relatively new concept in SWH systems, which is using nanofluids in solar collectors as heat transfer fluid has been studied in terms of design criteria for the development of SWH systems. Stationary flat plate collector (FPC) and single-axis tracking compound parabolic…