Performance evaluation of ceramic solar system for domestic space heating: A case study in Hebei, China

Ceramic solar collector is a relatively new technology that combines excellent thermal performance with exceptional durability. As domestic space heating causes massive carbon emissions, this study proposes a ceramic solar heating system to harness solar energy for clean heating. A 28-day experiment conducted in Hebei, along with a life cycle assessment, is carried out to evaluate the techno-economic and environmental performance of the system. On a typical day, solar energy can meet 77.7 % of the heating demand, with only 19.3 kWh of electricity consumed by an electric boiler meeting the remaining demand. Compared to two baseline systems including one using a natural gas water heater and the other using an electric heat pump, the ceramic solar system demonstrates the lowest operational cost of 193.8 RMB over the testing period, representing a cost reduction of 41.3 % and 63.7 %, respectively. In terms of environmental benefits, the global warming potential of the proposed ceramic solar system combined with PV power was only 135.32 kg CO₂-equivalent over 28 days of space heating, approximately one-third that of natural gas combustion. The ceramic solar system exhibits excellent techno-economic and environmental performance, making it a promising alternative for future domestic space heating. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd