This article reviews selected solar energy systems that utilize solar energy for heat generation and storage. Particular attention is given to research on individual components of these systems, aimed at improving their efficiency and performance. It focuses on an analysis of the literature concerning the design of thermal storage units, with an emphasis on the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a research tool. Conclusions from scientists’ research regarding the impact of tank shape, thermal insulation, flow parameters, and the use of stratification partitions on heat storage efficiency have been presented. The literature review indicates that thermal storage units play a key role in the efficiency of solar systems, and thermal stratification within them can significantly improve their performance. The methodology was based on an analysis of journals, primarily from after 2008, focusing on articles related to the application of CFD methodology in the study of solar systems and heat storage.

The article reviews selected solar systems that utilize solar energy for cooling production. Particular attention is given to research on individual components of these systems, aimed at improving their efficiency and performance. The article focuses on the analysis of literature concerning the design of thermal storage units, with an emphasis on the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a research tool. Conclusions from scientists’ research regarding the impact of tank shape, thermal insulation, flow parameters, and the use of stratification partitions on heat storage efficiency have been presented. The literature review indicates that thermal storage units play a key role in the efficiency of solar systems, and thermal stratification within them can significantly improve their performance.

The paper presents the concept of a turbine-based energy harvester designed to recover kinetic energy from airflow generated by a moving vehicle and integrated with a roadside acoustic barrier. The proposed solutions employ a vertical-axis aerodynamic turbine positioned within a cavity in the barrier and various airflow guiding structures intended to enhance the efficiency of energy transfer from turbulent airflow to the turbine rotor. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed concepts, two-dimensional CFD simulations were conducted in the ANSYS Fluent environment using the k–ε turbulence model. Three airflow deflector geometries and one reference configuration without a deflector were analyzed. The performance of each configuration was assessed based on the maximum instantaneous power and the average power generated by the turbine during a single vehicle pass-by event. The results demonstrated a significant influence of the airflow guide geometry on system performance. The most effective configuration achieved an average power output of approximately 7 W during a single vehicle pass-by event, whereas the configuration without an airflow guide exhibited significantly lower energy recovery efficiency. The obtained findings confirm the potential of the analyzed technology as a power source for autonomous low-power roadside infrastructure systems.