Latent Heat Storage for Energy-Efficient Buildings and Zero-Carbon Communities

Latent Heat Storage for Energy-Efficient Buildings and Zero-Carbon Communities serves as an up-to-date reference guide on the rapid progress the field is experiencing while keeping up with the much-required transformative initiatives to improve buildings' energy performance worldwide. To lay the foundations, the book opens with coverage of the fundamentals of phase-change materials, including their thermo-physical properties, nanoscale thermal transport mechanisms, encapsulation techniques, and heat transfer enhancement methods. It goes on to explore the integration of latent heat storage solutions in building envelopes or solar photovoltaics and heating/cooling systems, using mathematical models and performance analysis to discuss thermal management aspects for net-zero energy buildings and zero-carbon community concepts. The volume then delves into practical application of the most advanced, artificial intelligence-powered tools for system modeling and simulation, demand-side management control strategies, and metaheuristic optimization approaches. It finally concludes with an overview of technical challenges and emerging research areas which evidence academic and industry communities' persistent interest in the future directions of topics interconnected with the sustainable development of the built environment.