Solar Powered Air Conditioner

How to Buy a Solar Powered Air Conditioner

November 17, 2011 – 12:45 pm

To show how to buy a solar powered air conditioner, I’m going to show what components you’ll need, and what environmental conditions are necessary.  But let’s first begin with a comparison.  When I lived in Boston and was anticipating a hot summer in my apartment, I went out and bought a window unit air conditioner.  It was around $150 and the output was about 10,000 BTUs.  That’s a small one but it did a good job in my studio apartment, which was around 450 square feet.  Most people are looking to cool more than that, so let’s take a 1200 square foot area and see if it’s possible to cool it with a solar powered air conditioner.

According to a major appliance store’s website, one would need around 18,000 BTUs to cool a 1200 square foot space.  Well there’s something called the SplitCool solar powered air conditioner that has a capacity of 18000 BTUs, so let’s go with that.  Solar powered air conditioner websites don’t like to give prices so let’s just assume it’s wickedly expensive.  Anyhow, if you’re going the solar route you almost always are going to pay more than if you just bought a unit from Best Buy and plugged it in.

The solar powered air conditioner system requires a set of deep cycle batteries, a solar charge controller and of course an array of solar panels.  Deep cycle solar batteries are an absolute must, because only deep cycle variety can handle the ups and downs of solar charges that come with a solar powered air conditioner setup.

The solar charge controller is used to deliver the correct amount of voltage to the batteries as the amount fluctuates due to environmental conditions.  It will make sure the batteries are getting the right voltage by monitoring your solar panels and the battery condition at all times.  Without the solar charge controller, you will have to replace your solar batteries much much sooner because they will die faster.

Finally, you will need an array of solar panels.  The photovoltaic (PV) panels are where the real expense comes in.  Your solar powered air conditioner is really just a way of  maximizing the energy derived from the panels.  Some people will use a regular, grid AC unit with their PV panels but the solar powered air conditioner will be way more efficient.  The highest watt solar panel is about 280 watts.  You’ll need at least four of these to power your 18,000 BTU solar powered air conditioner, since it takes a minimum of 800 watts.  Now if you live in an area that’s less than totally sunny all day long, add a few more solar panels.  Now you’re ready to harness the sun’s energy to cool your home with a solar powered air conditioner.

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Solar Powered Air Conditioner

LG’s Hybrid Solar Powered Air Conditioner

November 16, 2011 – 9:52 pm

LG’s hybrid solar powered air conditioner was a great idea but for homeowners that’s all it is, just an idea.  The unit only produces 70 watts of power and must be placed on the south side of your home in order to maximize efficiency.  Doesn’t that mean the unit itself will heat up faster and need to be cooled, thus requiring more energy?

A solar powered air conditioner that only produces 70 watts isn’t going to pay for itself anytime soon, either.  A little internet research will show that even the smallest window AC unit uses ten times more than that!  It’s written somewhere that LG’s hybrid  solar powered air conditioner generates enough power from solar panels on top to power the fan that cools the unit.  Well it’s definitely a nice idea and nobody likes to criticize good intentions but sheesh… who would buy this?

Perhaps that’s the real question, and the answer might surprise you: maybe nobody is supposed to buy LG’s solar powered air conditioner.  It’s a science experiment, made for other scientists and solar power professionals.  Also, they hybrid in hybrid solar powered air conditioner might increase its load with every prototype.  Maybe someday all that will be needed from the grid will be 70 watts to generate the cooling fan.

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Solar Powered Air Conditioner

Why DC Solar Powered Air Conditioner is Better

October 19, 2011 – 11:44 am

To understand the beauty of this particular dc solar powered air conditioner, you have to understand a little bit about electricity. This brand uses direct current (DC) electricity, as opposed to alternating current (AC).  DC makes it solar ready.  What does direct current mean and why is DC better for a solar powered air conditioner?

Well it was at one time a fierce debate, whether AC or DC was better for the national grid system.  There are pros and cons of each style.  AC won in the end because it’s better at carrying power over a long distance.  The way our power system was set up, it made sense because we had central power plants that served communities far away.  It also made sense because there weren’t many semi conductors around at that time.  More on that later.

If you don’t need to run power over long distances, however, then Direct Current is the way to go.  And with a solar powered air conditioner, where you’re making your own power from the sun, your energy doesn’t have to go far at all.

Semi conductors use DC power, and over the past half century they have proliferated.  They are found in almost all major appliances (TVs) and have to convert the power from AC to DC.  That loses energy.  The heat from the back of tv set, etc is wasted energy from converting ac to dc.  A solar powered air conditioner has a similar problem in energy loss due to power type conversion, but in reverse.

A solar powered air conditioner usually has to convert DC to AC.  That’s because solar panels make DC energy.  Most air conditioning units use AC power.  The solar powered air conditioner pictured here uses DC, so no energy is lost in converting from one type of current to the other.  It will save 10 to 40% over a solar powered air conditioner that uses AC power.  And that’s what it’s all about…saving energy and money!

 

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Solar Powered Air Conditioner

DIY Solar Powered Air Conditioner – Is it Legal?

October 15, 2011 – 3:47 pm

solar powered air conditionerDuring the day when the sun is up, a solar powered air conditioner will draw power from panels located outside the home.  As far as cooling solutions go, a DIY solar air conditioner is relatively low cost and works well with little investment, too.   There are many DIY systems out there (just check out youtube) but they are not legal unless you go through a solar technician for selection and installation of your solar powered air conditioner.

The DIY solar air conditioner units are put together using a portable in-window air conditioner, solar panels, and an inverter.  This type of unit  will run as long as the sun is shining.

There are also commercial solar powered air conditioner systems available, which have the bonus feature of being up to code and legal.  Usually the DIY solar air conditioner systems are not legal in most states. There are strict laws regulating electricity in the home, since faulty wiring can pose a very strong fire hazard.

A solar powered air conditioner system that’s installed by a solar professional and is up to code and legal can pay for itself in as little as two years.  This will depend on local electricity cost, incentive given by each particular state (some are much better than others), and how large an area is to be cooled.

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