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class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="small" href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/scienceandeducation/" style="float: left; ">SCIENCE AND EDUCATION</a> </div> <h2>Solar thermal collection system uses Sun's heat to keeps things cool</h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <p>By <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/" rel="author">Ben Coxworth</a></p> <p><em>10:08 October 4, 2011</em></p> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <p><img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/icons/splashyIcons/comments.png" alt=""/> <a href="#comments">10 Comments</a> </p> <p></p> </div> </div> <div id="hero_box" style="width: 530px;"> <a id="hero_link" href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/solar-collector-runs-air-conditioner/20029/picture/143873/"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/xcpc.jpg" title="Professor Roland Winston and his student team, with an array of External Compound Paraboli..." width="530" height="297" alt="Professor Roland Winston and his student team, with an array of External Compound Paraboli..." border="0"/></a><div class="pic_caption"> <p>Professor Roland Winston and his student team, with an array of External Compound Parabolic Concentrators </p> </div> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div class="article_body"> <div id="top_unit"></div> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script> <p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><p>Given that it typically gets hottest outside when the sunlight is most direct, it would make sense to have air conditioners that were powered by the thermal energy from solar rays. Unfortunately, collecting enough of that energy in a cost-effective manner can be challenging. Now, however, a team of University of California, Merced students have created a solar thermal collection system that is said to be significantly simpler, cheaper and more efficient than anything that's come before.</p> <p>The students were led by Professor Roland Winston, and their system uses what are known as External Compound Parabolic Concentrators (XCPCs). Each device concentrates sunlight onto a specially-designed collector tube, which converts that sunlight's energy into heat. The combined solar heat from an array of these XCPCs can be fed into a building's heating system, used to generate electricity, or to run an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator" target="_blank">absorption chiller</a>-style air conditioner - these generate cold air in a process that utilizes heat, as opposed to electricity created <em>from</em> heat.</p> <p>The UC Merced system is simpler than many other solar thermal collectors, in that it is stationary - other systems turn to track the Sun throughout the day, which requires complex mechanisms and a source of power, plus it limits the locations in which they can be installed.</p> <p>Because the system has such a wide field of view of the sky, it is also able to operate even on hazy days, scavenging sufficient heat even from indirect sunlight.</p> <p>In tests of the technology, the system was reportedly able to reach a solar thermal efficiency of 60 percent at temperatures up to 400F (204C). "The efficiency of 60 percent refers to 60 percent of the sun's irradiance being converted into 'thermal' energy" UC Merced's Ron Durbin explained to us. "This is quite different than a photovoltaic system that converts 15-20 percent of the sun's irradiance into electricity."</p> <p>Winston admits that many other scientists have doubted the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201/http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/researchers-unveil-innovative-solar-cooling-project" target="_blank">UC Merced</a> team's claims, which is why they set up a demonstration. They are currently using an array of 160 XCPCs in two parallel rows, to run a 6.5-ton (5.9-tonne) "double-effect" absorption chiller in a mobile office trailer.</p> <p>"We believe this is the first working system of its kind anywhere in the world," said Winston. "For any application that requires process heat, the XCPC system is potentially a very cost-effective way to reduce conventional fuel consumption and greenhouse gases."</p> <p>German research firm Fraunhofer has also experimented with solar-powered absorption chillers for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/solar-power-refrigeration/15000/" target="_blank">refrigerating perishable foodstuffs</a> in Tunisia and Morocco. </p></body></html></p>  <div id="bottom_unit"> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script> </div> </div>  <span class="title">Share</span> <div id="article_share" class="dotsontop"> <span class="as_button"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201/http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-via="gizmag">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> twttr.events.bind('tweet', function(event) { if (event) { var targetUrl; if (event.target && event.target.nodeName == 'IFRAME') { targetUrl = extractParamFromUri(event.target.src, 'url'); } _gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'twitter', 'tweet', targetUrl]); } }); twttr.events.bind('retweet', function(){ var targetUrl; if (event.target && event.target.nodeName == 'IFRAME') { targetUrl = extractParamFromUri(event.target.src, 'url'); } _gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'twitter', 'retweet', targetUrl]); }); function extractParamFromUri(uri, paramName){ if(!uri){ return; } var uri = uri.split('#')[0]; //remove anchor var parts = uri.split('?'); //check for query params if(parts.length == 1){ return; //no params } var query = decodeURI(parts[1]); //find the url param paramName += '='; var params = query.split('&'); for(var i = 0, param; param = params[i]; ++i){ if(param.indexOf(paramName) === 0){ return unescape(param.split('=')[1]); } } } </script> </span> <span class="as_button"><script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://www.stumbleupon.com/hostedbadge.php?s=1"></script></span> <span class="as_button"><g:plusone size="medium" count="true" href="http://www.gizmag.com/solar-collector-runs-air-conditioner/20029/"></g:plusone></span> <span class="as_button"><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://platform.linkedin.com/in.js"></script><script type="in/share" data-counter="right"></script></span> <span class="as_button"><script type="text/javascript">reddit_newwindow='1'</script><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201js_/http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script></span> <fb:like href="http://www.gizmag.com/solar-collector-runs-air-conditioner/20029/" send="false" width="450" show_faces="false" font="" id="facebook_like"></fb:like><script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script> </div>   <div id="tags"> <span class="title">Tags</span> <div class="dotsontop"> <ul> <li>» <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/air+conditioner/" rel="tag">Air Conditioner</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/cooling/" rel="tag">Cooling</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/solar-powered/" rel="tag">Solar Powered</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/thermal/" rel="tag">Thermal</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111006132201/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/university-of-california/" rel="tag">University of California</a></li> <li class="clear_both"></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="bing_unit"></div>  <span class="title" id="comments">User Comments (10)</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="comment_dots">  <div id="comment-83623" class="a_comment"> <p>Keep up the work, and work on making it affordable for the general public. :) </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Luminosity</span> <span class="date">- October 4, 2011 @ 10:53 am PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83656" class="a_comment"> <p>They should insulate the top half of the collector tube. More energy will be leaving it than will be entering it by direct lighting. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">SamD</span> <span class="date">- October 4, 2011 @ 02:53 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83680" class="a_comment"> <p>Interesting. Doesn't a camper refrigerator/freezer use </p> <p>a propane flame to heat the ammonia refrigerant ?!? </p> <p></p> <p>If I remember this is called an absorption refrigerator. </p> <p>Same principle, different application of use. </p> <p></p> <p>Great for them if it finds a market and makes a profit. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">BombR76</span> <span class="date">- October 4, 2011 @ 04:53 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83740" class="a_comment"> <p>The question is will it provide cooling overnight as well, without the benefit of a alternate heat source? </p> <p></p> <p>I always thought that cars should use Absorption refrigeration powered by the engine's waste heat for their air conditioning. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Slowburn</span> <span class="date">- October 4, 2011 @ 10:46 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83869" class="a_comment"> <p>Camper refrigerators use the heat absorbed by liquid propane boiling off and expanding into a gas at room temperature to cool itself. The flame is just a pilot light to gradually burn off the escaping gas. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Michael Davis</span> <span class="date">- October 5, 2011 @ 10:39 am PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83929" class="a_comment"> <p>Brilliant! Bring it to market please! </p> <p>Good idea Slowburn. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">foghorn</span> <span class="date">- October 5, 2011 @ 03:05 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-83935" class="a_comment"> <p>It's too bad the article failed to mention the area necessary to drive the chiller. </p> <p>One more point, while I do not recall the name, there is a company (Japanese, but again, not sure) That does this already. I believe their smallest unit is 10 ton (120,000 btuh). </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Burnerjack</span> <span class="date">- October 5, 2011 @ 03:38 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-84007" class="a_comment"> <p>The benefit of living underground will be huge. We need to learn how to make it more practical and pleasant. </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Stewart Mitchell</span> <span class="date">- October 5, 2011 @ 08:54 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-84034" class="a_comment"> <p>re; Michael Davis - October 5, 2011 @ 10:39 am PDT </p> <p></p> <p>Not on any that I have seen. read this page. </p> <p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator</a> </p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Slowburn</span> <span class="date">- October 5, 2011 @ 10:56 pm PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-84073" class="a_comment"> <p>There was something like a sound-refrigerator some time ago...would love to hear if that is going anywhere soon? </p> <p></p> <p><br/><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="500" height="300" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006132201if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/u8x3ihZMs7o" frameborder="0"> </iframe><br/></p> <img src="/web/20111006132201im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Marcus Heavyweather</span> <span class="date">- October 6, 2011 @ 04:43 am PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> </div> <span class="title">Post a Comment</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="comment_form_div"> <div id="comment_form" data-article="20029"> <div id="comments_login"> <form action="" style="clear: both; padding-top: 0px;" name="login_form" id="login_form" onsubmit="return false;"> <p><strong>Login with your gizmag account:</strong></p> <p id="login_status"></p> <label for="email">Email</label><input type="text" class="text" name="email" id="email" value=""/><br/><br/> <label 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