Emergent Technologies For Cheaply Cooling Buildings In Remote Areas
Technology is really marching forward when it comes to slashing energy costs while still keeping your house as cool as ever. Here are a few new technologies that allow you to be eco-friendly, keep your house cool in remote areas away from the grid, and keep your energy bill down at the same time.
Salt-powered Air Conditioning
A company in Massachusetts is close to putting out their first prototype for an air conditioner that will be able to cut energy costs by as much as 75 percent for cooling. Most air conditioners use something called a condenser in order to work by taking moisture out of the air which has the side effect of cooling it.
The idea with this new technology is to use salt to aid in the process of drawing water out of the air. This will use the same principle as refrigeration condensers but for far less energy since condensers require large amounts of electricity. The mechanism works through plates with multiple layers that have a special membrane over them. Water flows through each plate and then this water is sprayed with a special salty solution.
The salty solution pulls in water vapor, cooling the warm air nearby. Then, the water goes over a hot plate which burns off some of the water, and then the process is repeated, continually cooling the air with a minimum amount of energy expended.
Thermoelectric Solids
Most air conditioners use fluids like chlorofluorocarbons in the form of fluids or gas to absorb heat and then expel it outside of the building being cooled. The problem is that this process is often energy intensive and it tends to release dangerous chemicals into the surrounding atmosphere.
Instead, the idea is to use solids like bismuth telluride in order to absorb heat since this is more energy efficient. In fact, this bismuth can trap a thousand times more heat than carbon dioxide. The new approach uses electricity to convert a thermoelectric solid like the bismuth into something effective at bringing in heat that could then be expelled. The advantage is that the device is cheaper than air conditioners or other refrigerant devices.
Overall, you can use these technologies even in remote areas in order to keep your buildings cool even when access to electricity is in short supply since the thermoelectric solid approach doesn't require much electricity. The salt approach also only requires some heat which is easier to come by the large amounts of electricity.
For further assistance, contact local HVAC professionals, such as those from Enright and Sons.
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