Smart prospects for solar-based cooling and heating systems in the Middle East and Turkey

Solar-based systems represent the focal interest field for most of the newest studies of renewable energy. Solar heating and cooling systems convert thermal energy coming from the sun into electricity or heat to provide residential, commercial, and industrial areas with hot water, or to retain a specific required temperature. These technologies replace the classical fossil energy sources that are characterized by their damaging environmental impacts as well as their expensive costs. In this paper, we look at the ambitious solar projects that are already established or will be constructed in different countries of the ME and Turkey. Then, we discuss in brief most of the available technologies that rely on solar-based approaches for heating and cooling purposes. To overcome some challenges that may affect the performance of solar plants like cloudy or night environments, smart management techniques for interconnected units, or the cross-border power units of neighbored countries, are presented here and clarified by a case study. Finally, we conclude with a summary describing the most important features of our paper.