Integrated Concentrating Solar Photovoltaic-Thermal and Pumped Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Canada’s Cold Climate
Project overview
The project aims to address the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amidst the rise in extreme weather events linked to climate change. By focusing on electrification using renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, the project identifies a critical pathway towards decreasing dependence on fossil fuels. Despite the potential of wind and solar energy to meet a substantial part of Canada’s energy demand, their intermittent nature calls for innovative energy storage solutions.
This research is a collaboration with a Calgary-based company to advance concentrating photovoltaic/thermal (CPV/T) systems optimized for cold climates and to explore the integration with pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) systems. These efforts are expected to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of solar energy conversion and storage, highlighting Canada’s significant potential for deploying concentrating solar thermal technology to meet and exceed its energy demands sustainably.
Key project details
| Principal investigator | Aggrey Mwesigye, assistant professor, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary |
Co-principal investigators |
Abdulmajeed Mohamad, professor, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary; Dominic Groulx, professor, Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University; Fuzhan Nasiri, associate Professor, Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University. |
Research collaborators |
Wahiba Yaici, research scientist, CanmetENERGY-Ottawa, Natural Resources Canada; Apostol Radev, SolarSteam Inc. |
| Non-academic collaborators | SolarSteam Inc., Natural Resources Canada |
| Research Keywords | Pumped thermal energy storage, concentrating solar thermal, thermal energy storage, cold climate, phase change material |
| Budget | Cash: $200,000 In-Kind: $40,000 |
Publications:
P. Adebayo, N. Fry, R. Shor, A. Mohamad, and A. Mwesigye, “Thermal analysis of a double U-loop vertical ground heat exchanger for a solar-assisted ground source heat pump,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, vol. 64, p. 103837, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2025.103837.
S. Bhadra and A. Mwesigye, “Influence of control strategy on the energetic performance of an air source heat pump coupled with a solar air collector for domestic hot water in a cold climate,” Renewable Energy, vol. 244, p. 122682, May 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122682.
Z. Said et al., “Sustainable Thermal Solutions: Enhancing Heat Transfer with Turbulators and Nanofluids,” Adv Energy and Sustain Res, vol. 6, no. 5, p. 2400335, May 2025, doi: 10.1002/aesr.202400335.
C. Beragama Jathunge, S. B. Dworkin, C. Wemhöner, and A. Mwesigye, “Performance investigation of a solar-assisted ground source heat pump system coupled with novel offset pipe energy piles and solar PVT collectors for cold climate applications,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 265, p. 125568, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.125568.
S. Davani, A. Darbandi, J. Gruenes, A. Hoxie, and A. Mwesigye, “Thermal performance of a solar-assisted slinky foundation heat exchanger coupled with a heat pump in a cold climate,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 261, p. 124986, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124986.
P. Adebayo, R. Shor, A. Mohamad, C. Wemhöner, and A. Mwesigye, “Performance analysis of a solar-assisted ground source heat pump with a single vertical U-tube ground heat exchanger,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 257, p. 124452, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124452.
N. Mazaheri and A. Mwesigye, “Novel high heat flux thermal management with combined supercritical CO2 and a microjet heat sink,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 256, p. 124143, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124143.
P. Adebayo et al., “Development, modeling, and optimization of ground source heat pump systems for cold climates: A comprehensive review,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 320, p. 114646, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.114646.
A. Mwesigye, “Thermodynamic Performance Investigation of Environmentally Friendly Working Fluids in a Geothermal Integrated Pumped Thermal Energy Storage System,” Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, vol. 146, no. 5, p. 051008, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1115/1.4065554.
N. Fry, P. Adebayo, R. Tian, R. Shor, and A. Mwesigye, “A review of district energy technology with subsurface thermal storage integration,” Geotherm Energy, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 29, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1186/s40517-024-00308-3.
T. Oketola and A. Mwesigye, “Numerical investigation of the overall thermal and thermodynamic performance of a high concentration ratio parabolic trough solar collector with a novel modified twisted tape insert using supercritical CO2 as the working fluid,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, vol. 51, p. 102592, June 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2024.102592.
B. Abbasi, S. Li, and A. Mwesigye, “Energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) analysis of SAHP water heaters in very cold climatic conditions,” Renewable Energy, vol. 226, p. 120391, May 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120391.
C. Beragama Jathunge, A. Darbandi, S. B. Dworkin, and A. Mwesigye, “Numerical investigation of the long-term thermal performance of a novel thermo-active foundation pile coupled with a ground source heat pump in a cold-climate,” Energy, vol. 292, p. 130497, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.130497.
Aggrey Mwesigye: Finalist ASTech Awards 2025 – Energy/CleanTech Innovation Category, ASTech Awards 2025, August 8, 2025.
Abdulmajeed Mohamad: 2025 APEGA Frank Spragins Technical Award, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), May 5, 2025.
Dominic Groulx: Fellow of ASME, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, May 1, 2025.
Aggrey Mwesigye: Early Career Research Excellence Award, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, February 18, 2025.
Fuzhan Nasiri: Research Innovation Fellow, Concordia University, Gina Cody School of Engineering, November 29, 2024.
Dominic Groulx: Fellow of ASME, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, November 1, 2024.
Research focus
Development and optimization of hybrid solar energy systems
This project aims to develop, model, test and optimize novel configurations of high-temperature concentrating photovoltaic/thermal (CPV/T) systems, especially designed for cold climates. This includes creating novel receivers for compound parabolic trough collectors (CPCs) and parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), enhancing the efficiency of solar energy conversion.
Comprehensive performance evaluation
Evaluate the energetic, exergetic, economic and environmental performance of integrated CPV/T and pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) systems under Canada's diverse climatic conditions. This holistic assessment ensures the viability and sustainability of the proposed solutions.
Material selection and testing for energy storage
Focus on selecting and testing suitable materials for medium-to-high temperature thermal energy storage within the PTES systems. This step is critical for ensuring the durability and efficiency of the energy storage solution.
Innovation in thermal energy storage systems
Develop, characterize, and optimize a novel high-energy density and high-temperature thermal energy storage system. This goal aims to advance the state of thermal energy storage technologies, enabling more efficient and longer-duration storage.
Real-world system performance characterization
Experimentally characterize the performance of the developed CPV/T systems under realistic operating conditions. This involves testing the systems' efficiencies and adaptability to actual environmental conditions, ensuring their practical applicability and performance reliability.
Efficiency and storage enhancements
This project seeks to achieve an overall efficiency (optical, electrical, and thermal) of 85 per cent for the CPV/T system and a power-to-power efficiency of over 80 per cent for the PTES systems. These ambitious targets represent a significant advancement over current technologies, highlighting the project's commitment to pushing the boundaries of solar energy conversion and storage efficiency.
Non-academic partners
Thank you to our non-academic partners for your support and trust.
Funding
Volt-Age is funded by a $123-million grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
