Cooling with the sun's heat? To most of us non-engineers, this sounds like an impossibility. However, with the right technology, and ingenuity, it can, and is being done.
Three Basic Approaches
There are three basis approached to solar cooling that can apply to your home.
- Passive Cooling
- Solar Thermal Cooling
- Photovoltaic Cooling
Passive Cooling
Passive cooling uses passive solar design principles to reduce or eliminate your home's need for mechanical cooling systems. By incorporating passive solar design principles into your home's design and landscaping, your home will be naturally comfortable and you will have lower energy bills.
These principles include...
- Orienting your home to minimize the amount of sunlight that hits it during the hot summer and to take advantage of the prevailing breezes
- Using landscape and structural elements for shading
- Creating pathways throughout the home for natural ventilation
- Insulating your home to maintain a comfortable temperature
Solar Thermal Cooling
Solar thermal cooling is primarily used in commercial settings, but it is becoming more common in residential applications. There are two applications suitable for residential settings where solar thermal energy is used to drive the cooling process.
- Solar Absorption Cooling uses solar-heated water to drive an air conditioner.
- Solar Desiccant Cooling doesn't really cool the air, it removes moisture from the air which decreases the relative humidity.
Photovoltaic Cooling
Photovoltaic cooling uses PV panels to generate solar electricity to power an electrical cooling device. Photovoltaic cooling can also be used to cool your attic by powering an attic fan (pictured above) to improve the ventilation. By cooling your attic you will reduce your home's overall cooling expenses.
