Utilization of small solar ORC integrated with phase change material in Indonesia condition

The Indonesian government is attempting to boost the use of the renewable energy, with a target around 25 GW in 2025 and 149 GW in 2050. Specifically, in the solar energy usage sector, Indonesia has a daily total of around 3.6 to 6.5 kWh/m2 and annually total around 1314 to 2191 kWh/m2. It makes a proper location for building a solar energy employing an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). In this study, the author examines how much power and efficiency solar collectors produce using energy, exergy, and environmental analysis with different working fluids (R245fa, R134a, Propane, R32, R410a) by taking advantage of the weather in Bandung, Indonesia to provide backup electricity during high-load hours. Because solar heat is the only heat source in this study, the selection, sizing, and methods of thermal energy storage (TES) with various phase change materials (PCM) were analysed. The study found that in July 2021, R134a produced the highest power around 685 W.h/day and R245fa is produced the highest efficiency of 7.45 %. Meanwhile, to store the heat that will be used, inorganic PCM was chosen as the TES-evaporator material for low melting temperature (~313 K) and high volumetric heating (~389 MJ/m3) with capacity of 300 L, which can store heat optimally and can running the ORC for about 500 W. •Design and simulation of solar organic Rankine cycle using different working fluids.•Feasibility analysis of solar organic Rankine cycle in Indonesia region•Energy, exergy, environmental and parameter analysis of solar Organic Rankine cycle using different working fluids.•Sizing and selection of phase change materials as thermal energy storage•Method operation of phase change material under solar ORC in daily operation