Photo voltaic Air con SAC - Guilt-Free Consolation for Summers

Early summers ordinarily?carrier furnace parts bring a pleasing aid from the bone chilling winters, but arrive April & May, the summer heat starts taking its toll, both physically as well as mentally. And when it's a tropical climate, as in most parts of India, the hot days can be all together stressful. The energy levels of individuals go down and so does their productivity.

This is when the modern day Air-con comes as a God Gift. A very large no. of Offices, laboratories, hotels, public buildings are nowadays fitted with air con systems. Centralized Air conditioning Systems ensure cooling in every nook and corner of the working space.

While this all sound hunky dory, its not. Extensive air conditioning is synonymous to heavy power consumption (and wastage) leading to not just heavy electricity bills but also the dreaded frequent power outages. The next step is - of course - DG sets, to bring the desired consolation indoors, while puffing out clouds of black smoke with terribly high levels of sound pollution for the outside world and the environment to endure.

In the midst of saving ourselves from your fury of the nature, we are inadvertently attacking the nature more and more, which keeps returning even more furiously every now and then. One of the biggest points of concern thus is the impending danger due to the rising world temperatures (Global warming!!). So what shall we do to survive and survive with ease and comfort?

Let's not forget we have an immense source of energy in the very Sun that we're shielding ourselves from. One answer is Generation of power using sun's energy. It's free of charge and for now we can safely assume, unlimited. Yes, photo voltaic energy can light up our homes and cook our food. But can it also cool our houses? The answer again is yes. Solar air conditioning, a revolutionary and upcoming technology, provides the answer.

Photo voltaic air conditioningrefers to any air-con (cooling) system that uses photo voltaic power. A liquid or a gaseous substance either accumulates on the surface of a solid, porous substance (adsorption) or is taken up by a liquid or a solid substance (absorption for providing the necessary cooling). In some processes supply air is directly conditioned, i.e. treated in terms of temperature and humidity

This thermally driven cooling and air-conditioning process is at the heart of every solar cooling system. The main principle of Sorption Assisted Air conditioning is shown in the graphic here. The photo voltaic energy is used to dehumidify the sorbent.

This is a 9 stage process. In Stage 1 to 2, Sorptive dehumidification of outside air takes place with simultaneous rise in temperature through the freed adsorption heat. Then the air is cooled in the heat reclamation rotor in the countercurrent to the exhaust air (stage 2 to 3). Air is further cooled (Stage 3 to 4) through evaporation-humidification; Thus the air inflow to the building has a lower temperature and less water vapor than the outside air. In Stage 4 to 5 Heating of the air takes place, and if necessary addition of water vapor. Then during Stage to 6 building's exhaust air temperature is lowered through evaporative cooling in the humidifier. This exhaust air is heated (Stage 6 to 7) in the countercurrent to the air inflow in the heat reclamation rotor. The exhaust air is further heated (Stage 7 to 8) through external heat sources (i.e. solar thermal system). Finally in Stage 8 to 9 Sorption Rotor is Regenerated through the desorption of the bound water.