Why Use Solar-Powered Air Conditioning?
With Al Gore’s very controversial broadcast of “An Inconvenient Truth”, the issue and discussion of global warming has unbelievably escalated to unprecedented heights. Nowadays, almost all consumers at least have an idea of what global warming is, and with the media’s campaign to “Go-green”, more and more consumers are now turning their awareness into what they call as constructive lifestyle changes. Of course, when we say lifestyle, we cannot take away air-conditioning units from the list, and because more and more people are changing their lifestyle constructively, more and more people have been thinking of changing their current air conditioning units to solar-powered air conditioning units. Now, if this is new to you; read through and know why you should start using solar-powered air conditioning.
A solar-powered air conditioning unit is such an interesting invention. If you can imagine, you are actually using the sun to make your air conditioner work, and in turn, you contribute less to environmental problems, particularly global warming. Basically, the idea here is that you use the sun to keep things cool. Because of this, a few companies around the world have been working on developing and trying to create solar-powered air conditioning units that would place a lower demand for energy supplies and of course, are eco-friendly.
GreenCore Air, an American company, released a type of solar-powered air conditioning that is powered by a solar panel of 170 watts. This unit can actually cool a big room, and run off its battery tank when the sun is not shining. The company also released the portable version of this eco-friendly air conditioning unit. This portable AC comes on wheels so it can be moved around the house easily.
GreenCore Air’s venture was followed by a Spanish company called Rotartica. This company developed a small-scale solar air conditioner similar to GreenCore Air’s. The difference is that Rotartica used a special technology to combine water-heated absorption chiller with evacuated tube thermal collectors. This solar-powered air conditioning unit absorbs solar-heated water to release cool air. Unfortunately, Rotartica’s unit cannot run at nigh but it can greatly cool a room even on a very hot day without tapping into strained electrical supplies on hot days.
Solcool Millenium, another American invention, is capable of running on solar panels, batteries, or even on wall sockets. Even if these units make use of electricity powered by coal, they are still considered as energy efficient. The latest units from the company also have water purification attachments.
The development and invention of solar-powered air conditioning units indeed has been on process for a while. Of course, many companies are trying to do their best to give us a device that will not only be safe for the environment but also to do its supreme and ultimate purpose – to give us comfort and coolness especially in warm and hot seasons. If solar powered is finally developed effectively, it can be used for all cooling and heating systems in both businesses and homes, and the cost would be eventually cut to something that we can all afford.