UC Merced team tackles solar energy as cooling sources - Solar A/C within the next several years

[Kadie]

Monday, Sep. 14, 2009
UC Merced team tackles solar energy as cooling sources
By Mark Grossi

Someday, you might unplug your air conditioner and cool your house on a 110- degree afternoon by cranking up the heat from the sun.

In his laboratory at the University of California at Merced, physicist Roland Winston says he is nearing a breakthrough that could make that scenario happen in the next several years.

Winston, an innovator in amplifying sunlight for energy, is putting the finishing touches on a solar-concentration array that heats oil to 400 degrees. The oil's heat will be used to power a chilling unit that produces cold water for air conditioners.

He expects to announce a collaboration with a private company within the next several months to produce a solar air-conditioning unit.

"We want to make it economic and practical," said Winston, who heads a research team at UC Merced. "The key is collecting solar energy no matter where the sun is in the sky. The San Joaquin Valley is the perfect place to do it."

more...
http://www.modbee.com/featured/story/853524.html#none

[BlooInBloo]

1. The new Prius has some kind of solar cooling/ventilation, I believe.

[Sebastian Doyle]

2. Using the sun to beat the sun sounds like a Hell of an idea.

The fact that it apparently burns oil kinda sucks though.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. Oil is used to store solar heat...

...it's circulated in the system, not burned -- like the water in your car radiator. The greater the difference in temperature between two things, the more energy you can extract by letting them equalize again, and that's where the power for the a/c comes from. Oil can be heated to a higher temperature than water (that's why it's used in fryolaters) without the technical problems caused by trying to move steam around.

[Kadie]

5. Interesting.

thanks for posting.

:hi:

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. No, the oil is simply used in a contained system to carry heat

Maxwell strikes again!