Types Of Solar Air Conditioning Systems

Many home owners are spending a lot of money on conventional air conditioners as a means of cooling their homes. The use of conventional cooling systems increases carbon dioxide content in the environmental leading to climate change. In order to reduce carbon dioxide emission to the environment, using solar air conditioning system is the best option. This is a technology that utilizes direct energy from the sun in order to provide a cooling effect in an environment within a structure.

There are different ways of using solar energy to provide a cooling effect and this includes using adsorption heat pumps as well as thermal cycling by use of desiccants. Each of these methods makes use of different ways to be able to cool down air by using heat energy from the sun. For instance Photovoltaic systems may be employed to generate electricity to power any traditional kind of air conditioning system.

One major way of using the energy from the sun to cool a structure is by employing solar thermal cooling. This is a system that utilizes energy from the sun to warm water or a different liquid which then passes via a pipe system under solar collectors. The hot liquid may then be utilized to remove heat present within a structure by using an adsorption or absorption chiller device called heat pump. The liquid may then be allowed to circulate again via the system up to the solar collectors, then heated back up and finally returned back in the chiller.

Another way of achieving solar air conditioning is by using desiccants for instance silica gel. In this type of system the silica gel is employed to absorb moisture from the air within a structure initiating a cooling effect and this in turn leads to lower ambient temperatures inside the structure. Heat from the sun may then be employed to dry out the desiccant materials by warming them out and the desiccants can then be used again to extract more moisture from the environment thus continuing the cooling process.

Solar air conditioning may also be achieved by using photovoltaic panels which are normally employed to generate electricity. The electricity can then be utilized to directly operate conventional cooling units thereby providing a cooling effect inside a structure. Although air conditioning units with compressors are likely to be less efficient as compared to other available designs, you can be able to save costs by using photovoltaic to power them as this will help to reduce the energy consumed from other sources.

All conventional air conditioners during peak usage tend to increase power grid demands and this often results to outrages. Therefore, solar air conditioning systems are advantageous to use for home cooling as they provide environmental benefits because they do not emit any carbon dioxide to the environment. Additionally, solar air conditioners also help to lower grid demand as well as load shifting for the period of peak usage, have off-the-grid capabilities, have fewer power outrages; they reduce electricity costs and also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.