We love the idea of harnessing the power of the sun to cool our homes- it just seems so fitting! This design concept is intended to reduce dependency on conventional air conditioning units by replacing standard outlet electricity with solar power...
Wisconsin designer Philip Stankard envisions a unit where the solar power panel gathers electricity during daylight and stores the energy to spin the fans later. The Frost relies on a cold pack that is stored in the freezer; the freezer pack is popped into the unit in front of the fans to convert the hot air into a cold breeze.
We would love to know more about how this unit compares in terms of energy use to more conventional air conditioners, information likely to emerge if this unit ever goes to production. As lifelong apartment dwellers in a building dating back to the 1920s, we would certainly welcome options that are greener and yet equally effective at cooling our home.
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Comments (6)
The mechanical process used by a window AC unit is exactly the same as that used by your freezer. The solar panel for the fans save maybe 5 watts while in use. Factor in some loss of energy efficiency for the freezing of the cold pack and it's probably a wash as far as energy efficiency goes.
The unit could be cheaper than an actual AC unit though, so maybe there's some bonus there.
It's a clever idea, I'll give it that, but greenwashing is getting old. Not everything has to have a *forced* environmental benefit.
I think you are missing the point - the freezer would be running already anyway, so instead of running AC and a freezer, you are only running the freezer.
@titchard, the freezer runs longer because it has to freeze the cold pack.
what does that mean? when is a freezer turned off? it's part of the fridge. if you don't put something in the freezer, the food in the fridge will freeze. (maybe that's just my old, landlord-provided fridge)
The freezer (and refrigerator) remove heat from the air in the freezer and push it outside, cooling whatever is inside. This process is controlled by a thermometer. Newer refrigerators have a thermometer in both the refrigerated section and the freezer section. Older ones may just have one thermometer that splits the difference. Either way, by putting warm things in the freezer (or refrigerator), you are warming the air inside which causes the refrigerator to run until it reaches the set point, the temperature at which it is set to turn off. It will stay off until the temperature goes well enough under the set point to turn back on again.
So, the more warm stuff you put in there, the longer the refrigerator has to run to reach its set point. This is why you should always let hot foods cool to room temp before putting them in the fridge. It's just more work (and more energy) for your fridge. It's also why my dad always yelled at me for standing in front of the fridge with the door open too long. It comes on when it gets too warm inside and goes off when it reaches the set temperature.
No offense folks, but this is exactly why greenwashing works. People just aren't very familiar with the technical underpinnings of their lives, and consequently don't notice when someone performs a sleight-of-hand and calls it "green".