Ge Ecomagination Contest Shows Refreshing Ideas For Energy Conservation, Including Solar Ac

Ge Ecomagination Contest Shows Refreshing Ideas For Energy Conservation, Including Solar Ac

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Solar air conditioning

Space heating and space cooling, combined with hot tap water are the most energy consuming users. Best efficiency will be offered by solar water heating systems for space cooling and heating. The energy usage of "pure solar" AC systems is very low as they just require small pumps and fans. As a cheaper option for geothermal storage there is seasonal storage, that will further increase the efficiency of Solar A/C systems.

During the summer, all excess thermal capacity can be used to store hot water in well insulated storage tank(s). Even in autumn -before the heating season starts- excess capacity can be used to maintain the temperature of the water in the seasonal storage tank. This hot water can then be used for space heating when the heating season starts, either supplementaryto or as a replacement of the thermal capacity on the roof during less sunshine. After the seasonal storage tank's temperature has dropped below a useful level (typically during the middle of winter) the water can be cooled by circulating water from the seasonal storage tank to a heat exchanger underground outside. The temperature will then gradually go down to 1° C/34° F. During the cooling season the water can then be used to cool the residence by pumping it to wall or floor radiators or AC air handlers (must be water based). Alternatively, the hot or cold water can be sent to a fluid to air converter (compare to a car radiator where the water is circulating and a fan blows through it), which is the solution for central AC systems.

Limitations of solar A/C

During overcast winter days you may not be able to heat the house on solar alone. Seasonal storage as described above can greatly compensate this. Hence, if you plan building a new green home, integrate seasonal storage under the building. During hot days, the solar cooling system will work perfectly, but once the sun sets you can only rely on the storage capacity. Even if you have just one big tank (760 liter = 200 Gallon) you should be able to maintain the desired temperature during the evening (but only when the building is well insulated. During the night the efficiency of the solar A/C will slowly drop and the temperature will gradually increase. For many people however, this is not a problem as during your sleep you don't notice small changes in temperature. In heating mode the system works exactlythe other way around. Mission critical applications such as data centers will opt for a backup system.

Use the solar heated water for your washer and dishwasher. If they don't have separate connections for hot & cold water, connect the hot water to the standard input, but ensure that the piping can withstand the high temperature. Solar dryers are coming too and will have a good impact as dryers use a lot of energy. Now that solar water heating becomes more and more popular, companies will come with products. In Israel it is illegal to build a home without a solar water heater!. In China quite a bit houses have solar water heaters In Germany they are installed at 15% of houses and a far higher percentage in new construction but in North America they are not yet so common, but that will soon change quickly, now that people start to realize that we must work towards green homes that are carbon neutral. Another important consideration remains is to construct very well insulated homes.

Is a energy neutral house coming closer? Absolutely; and the prices go down. A energy neutral residence is the sum of energy conservation, good insulation and renewable energy. Look at the ECOmagination challenge site at the link hereunder; that will give you a good overview what is coming.

About the Author:
James Post is a Dutch technologist residing in Grenada. A strong conceptual designer, he is now a highly positioned participant at the General Electric Challenge and welcomes votes and comments from readers. Link to the Ecomagination website (signup required): http://tinyurl.com/smartsolar . He also owns a small ECO resort: http://www.paradisebayresort.net/html/eco.html ;the first hotel in the world that installed a utility class wind turbine.



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