Solar Air Conditioning

That's right, you can cool your house or building with the heat of the sun!

There is an old cooling process that those in the RV industry use. It is the moving of gasses from one state to another by heating them. It is called adsoption or absorption.

Here is the part of the Wiki article, Solar Cooling, that discusses this process.

Solar Thermal Cooling

Main article: Absorption refrigerator

Active solar cooling wherein solar thermal collectors provide thermal energy to drive thermally-driven chillers (usually ADsorption or ABsorption chillers.)

There are multiple alternatives to compressor-based chillers that can reduce energy consumption by 80%, with less noise and vibration. Solar thermal energy can be used to efficiently cool in the summer, and also heat domestic hot water, and the building in the winter. The Audubon Environmental Center in Los Angeles is one example among many).^[5] Single, double or triple iterative absorption cooling cycles are used in different solar-thermal-cooling system designs. The more cycles, the more efficient they are.

In the late 1800s, the most common phase change refrigerant material for absorption cooling was a solution of ammonia and water. Today, the combination of lithium and bromide is also in common use. One end of the system of expansion / condensation pipes is heated, and the other end gets cold enough to make ice. Originally, natural gas was used as a heat source in the late 1800s. Today, propane is used in recreational vehicle absorption chiller refrigerators. Innovative hot water solar thermal energy collectors can also be used as the modern "free energy" heat source.

Efficient absorption chillers require water of at least 190 degrees F (88 degrees C). Common, inexpensive flat-plate solar thermal collectors only produce about 160 degree F (71 degree C) water, but several successful commercial projects in the US, Asia and Europe have shown that flat plate solar collectors specially developed for temperatures over 200 degrees F (featuring double glazing, increased backside insulation, etc.) can be effective and cost efficient.^[6] Evacuated-tube solar panels can be used as well. Concentrating solar collectors required for absorption chillers are less effective in hot humid, cloudy environments, especially where the overnight low temperature and relative humidity are uncomfortably high. Where water can be heated well above 190 degrees F (88+ degrees C), it can be stored and used when the sun is not shining.

For 150 years, absorption chillers have been used to make ice (before the electric light bulb was invented).^[7] This ice can be stored and used as an "ice battery" for cooling when the sun is not shining, as it was in the 1995 Hotel New Otani in Tokyo Japan.^[8] Mathematical models are available in the public domain for ice-based thermal energy storage performance calculations.^[9]

Coupled with zero energy building design, this could significantly reduce the buildings needs for electricity as all the cooling could be handled by the sun. When the demand load is greatest, during the hottest part of the Florida day, this system is at it's best!

Renewables in Lee County Florida

I start a new chapter in my blogging life. I started this blog to record my investigation into the alternate, renewable energy field. I live in Cape Coral, Florida and will concentrate my focus on local programs and reports.

I also will link to other sites outside our sunny state, that have good ideas applicable to our alternate energy development.

As far as I currently am aware, there are no forum or focus groups on my area that discuss and promote alternate energy.

Ray Judah, Lee County Commissioner who just won his bid for reelection, is involved with renewable energy programs and I have emailed him today to inquire about any forums in our area or to start one.

I found this report on the Lee County web site, Alternative_Energy_Proposal .

This is a hopeful step in the right direction. Part of my present concern is that with all the talk in political circles from the president elect on down to the local level, about alternate renewable energy production. There seems to be little taking place on the local level.

Here in Florida we have a solar insolation average of 5.62 in Miami. This means that we have an average of 5 solar hours a day available to all south Florida homes, and this carries about the same through out the state.

This alone is one renewable energy solution that could save our state billions of dollars that we now spend purchasing fuels from other states to energize our homes and businesses.

Solar water heating for water and building heating needs, and photovoltaics for electric production is a feasible solution for Florida.

There are at present a number of new solar plants in construction in Florida. I think these are part of our solution, but I see some limitations in these solutions. Each new solar plant built must also have a corresponding build up in the grid infrastructure to distribute these new energy producers. There are inherent power loses as this energy is distributed across the grid to the end consumers. If the grid goes down, as we have seen happen in many areas of the country in the last couple of decades, we lose this source of power.

I think the best solution utilizing solar is in consumer based energy production. Photovoltaics installed on the very buildings, (homes, schools, offices, stores, industrial), that use the electricity that is generated. This does not require any build up to the grid infrastructure, and enlists the consumer directly into this clean technology.

Present electrical generating utilities could operate programs that assists consumers in installing photovoltaic systems and thereby reduce the need for more electrical plants needing to be built. Either by directly funding photovoltaic installations, and/or purchasing the excess power generated by consumers' systems at retail prices.

I know that Lee County Electric Coop purchases its electric from Seminole Power generating utility. If this and other generating utilities in the state would use their capitol investment funds to fund consumer installed systems, it would benefit all in the short and long term.