Air conditioning is actually a strange concept when you think about it. Some of the most popular air conditioners create a cold feeling by pulling the heat out of hot air as opposed to simply producing cold air. The results are still the same: refreshing cool air. This method of air conditioning actually uses less electricity than other methods, so making it solar powered makes it the perfect eco-friendly system.



The way that heat ends up producing cold air is because these air conditioners use hot water as their means of energy. This energy is then transferred into the cold air that comes out of the system. Typically the type of heat that an AC uses comes from gas boilers or the leftover heat from generators, but with the advances in solar technology the heat can now come directly from the sun. This means that the electricity used to power the heating source before no longer becomes necessary at all.

Trapping the heat from the sun is a simple process with the right tools. Solar panels absorb the heat from the sun in the form of thermal energy. That thermal energy is then delivered into the heart of the air conditioner where a 'chiller' is set up to cool off the air. There are different kinds of solar cooling systems and while they all basically work the same way they each have unique attributes that may make them more appropriate in different settings.

So what does this new technology mean for the environment? For one thing, it means that there will be less dangerous chemicals released into the air. All solar powered air conditioners and cooling systems run on chilling solutions that are made with limited amounts of hazardous chemicals such as Freon and other toxic materials. It also means less gases and pollutants getting into the air because energy is being conserved. The less energy that is used overall, the less energy power plants need to produce. On top of that, most of these cooling systems are very careful to create these systems with durable materials that won't corrode over time.

When it comes to how the consumer is affected, being able to use a solar air cooling system means saving money. The initial installation costs can be over a thousand dollars, but over the years the energy it saves will return the investment and then be nothing but extra money. This is especially true for the solar cooling systems that can also be used for heating in the winter.

Using solar power to run an air conditioner was a great idea because the time when people are using their ACs is the time when the sun produces the most heat. These new systems kill two birds with one stone by cooling off homes and doing so in a much more natural way than conventional air conditioning systems. It's another step towards creating zero energy homes and self-sustaining energy systems. This is a great example of how people can produce things that save the environment when they really try.