Nanomaterials аnd Nanofluids – New Materials For Building Integrated Solar Thermal Systems

Abstract

Solar energy has a significant impact on the environment, so the development of new technologies in this field is very important for many reasons. With the great development of technology in the last decades of the XX century, there has been an appearance of numerous new materials suitable for use in building integrated solar thermal systems (BISTS). The nanotechnology has brought new opportunities for the development of nanoelectronic devices for solar cell applications. Nanomaterials and nanofluids have shown many interesting properties which have been reported in the past decades. The distinctive features of these materials offer unprecedented potential for many applications, including application in BISTS. Nanotechnology or sometimes referred as ‘‘third generation PV’’ is used in order to help increase conversion efficiency of solar cell. Nanomaterials are very effective in PV applications, while nanofluids have a great potential for solar thermal applications, especially because of their specific heat and thermal conductivity increasing. This paper reviews some latest publications on the use of new materials in buildings - nanomaterials and nanofluids, current building applications and their thermal performance analyses.