Solar Air Conditioning and its Benefits!

With the seasons growing longer and longer, we’re seeing Summer “begin” extra early and finish extra late, which means you’re going to have to use your air-conditioner more and more each and every day. But what if there was an alternative you could use? Instead of wasting all that money, what if you could harness that extra solar energy raining down across the sky and use it to save your wallet, as well as the environment? If you haven’t already read the title of this article, then I’m sure that you can figure out what we’re talking about.

About Solar Air Conditioning

The way solar air conditioning works is through a process commonly known as “Sorption”. This sorption is a thermo-chemical process in which a liquid or gaseous substance becomes attached to either a liquid/solid material (called “absorption”) or alternatively to a porous, solid material (called “adsorption”). What then happens is that the sorbent, which is typically silica gel, is heated by the solar heater and rapidly dehumidified. Once the material has become effectively “dry”, the process is repeated in reverse.

It’s a very different concept of air conditioning that can be hard to wrap around in comparison to the more traditional technology in place today, but it’s a very effective way to give yourself an energy saving way to cool you, your family and your home.

Since all the technical jargon that describes the process can get more than a little confusing, here’s a brief laymen’s explanation of how it all works. Solar air conditioning works by using the fans to pull any outside air through pipes and coils that are covered in the silica gel, that’s the sorbent material mentioned above. This silica gel strips off the heat energy and moisture from the air, absorbing it into itself, leaving only cool air that can then be channelled into the home.

Once that’s all over and done with, all the solar energy that has been absorbed by the gel covered coils and pipes is then drawn back out through moisture and the captured heat goes with it.

It’s rather simple really, the air goes through into the home and becomes stripped of any source of heat, and when it’s going back out, it takes the captured heat with it, and the cycle simply goes on and on.

The Benefits of Solar Air Conditioning

Solar air conditioning is an excellent choice for a lot of people, obviously it’s quite environmentally friendly, but if you don’t want to be stuck in your home in the dead heat, unwilling to turn on your air conditioner because of the electric bill, then this is a great alternative to look into. It’s really a cost effective solution which allows harnessing free energy to cool your home.

Take a look into the idea, see what you can find and if it’s the right sort of idea for you to use.

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