Solar cooling is the latest trend in the Solar business as demand and supply of energy coincide.
The demand for air-conditioning has been increased through the last decade due to improved comfort and occurring higher temperatures. And with the higher demand come several problems: the extensive use of electrically driven cooling is leading to capacity straining power demand peaks in the summer and increase
of green house emissions – either through leakage of cooling fluids or use of non-sustainable energy.
Solar cooling is an eminently smart technology because solar radiation is abundantly available especially in the summer
time, where the need for air-conditioning
is the highest. And solar air-conditioning technologies have proved, some during more than ten years, their efficiency and reliability. These technologies use
harmless cooling fluids (water generally), and much less primary energy than the conventional systems. Therefore it is about
time to start using solar energy for the purpose of keeping indoor conditions during the summer comfortable.
Closed cycle systems
Closed cycle systems are equipped with thermally driven chillers, which provide chilled water that is either used in air handling units to supply cooled and dehumidified air or that is distributed via a chilled network to decentralized room installations such as fan coils or chilled ceilings. Available thermally driven chillers
on the market are absorption chillers, which are most common, and adsorption chillers, offered currently by few manufacturers only. A component, necessary in all chilled water systems, is a heat rejection system.
Open cycle systems
Open cycle systems allow complete air-conditioning by supplying cooled and dehumidified air. The “refrigerant” is always water, which is brought into direct contact with the atmosphere. The most common open systems are desiccant cooling systems with a rotating dehumidification wheel and a solid sorbent.
More on Solar Cooling: custom@carbon2efficiency.com