Solar Cooling

There are many ways to achieve a cool summer home or office by using active or passive solar cooling. Perhaps the most efficient way to do this is to use a passive design that draws cool air form the Earth or blows fans over pipes with water that is circulated underground. The Earth is a constant 50F or so (about 10C) all year long, because it is, in essence, one giant thermal mass.

Water piping systems can snake through the yard, deep into the ground or out to a pond. What makes this a solar heating and cooling option is the use of active photovoltaic (PV) panels to move the air or water around on or through the pipes. Such a solar aircondition system of cooling and heating can be installed for less than central air conditioning and has few (if any) outside energy requirements.

Since a solar powered cooling system is not subject to power outages, the rolling blackouts caused by everyone turning their air conditioning on at once won’t apply to you. Generally solar powered coolers are absorptive, meaning they rely upon a physical principle of water vapour to work properly.

When water changes state, from a solid to a liquid to a gas, it either creates or absorbs heat. In the case of evaporation, heat is lost to the atmosphere, causing a cooling effect. This is the opposite effect that citrus growers use when they turn their sprinklers on in during a freeze. Also called swamp coolers, these air conditioners can be an important part of any solar, and thus, efficient heating and cooling systems

Those who are interested in a more complicated solar heating and cooling system, or are sensitive to the microorganisms and fungi that can live on the cooling pads, will want to look into adsorptive solar cooling. While somewhat more expensive, when used in conjunction with a solar panel array, heating and cooling is performed by blowing the warm air collected from the system outside while the cool air that’s returned is blown back into the building.

Among the sillier solar technologies out there are solar cooling hats – a simple baseball cap with a solar powered fan embedded on the bill. While many claim solar cooling caps work very well in the heat of summer, some people find the Taiwaneese manufactured solar powered cool cap and other seemingly undignified items far too complicated of a solution than is necessary.

Whichever you choose, you’re sure to save a ton on your summer cooling bill, even if you’re just taking the temperature down a few degrees.