Page 37 - Climate Control News Magazine October 2018

Residential Air Conditioning Feature
Hot solar technology trends
THERE ARE A number of innovative solar prod- ucts that are changing the heating and cooling landscape in Australia. CCN picks a few provid- ing households with greater self-sufficiency.
Endless Solar has developed technology that can heat water and provide heating and cooling at the same time.
Cool Solar technology is an air conditioning system that uses solar-heated water to pro- duce cool air.
The technology replaces conventional air conditioners with solar-powered thermal compressors.
Basically, the hot water injection system pumps hot water at an extremely high velocity causing both cold and hot water to be produced as valuable by-products – making the system an ideal substitute for residential users that rely on power-hungry air conditioning, gas or electrical heating systems.
Solar air conditioning relies on sunlight heat- ing water. Endless Solar has replaced the electri- cal compressor in a conventional air conditioner with a solar-powered thermal compressor, oth- erwise known as an “ejector”.
The power is provided in the form of heat, rather than electricity from Australian de- veloped evacuated tube solar water heater collectors. It means far fewer moving parts,
Solahart is an Australian innovation designed, developed and built here.
lower running costs and decreased mainte- nance schedules.
Meanwhile, Aussie firm Solahart has launched a solar-smart electric water heater that does a lot more than heat your water.
Known as the Solahart PowerStore it is de- signed to work with your solar power system, providing a more cost-effective storage solution than a battery.
The Solahart PowerStore system monitors
your solar power production and identifies when excess solar energy is available. It then diverts this energy to heat water, rather than allowing it to be fed back into the grid.
It's basically a battery that delivers hot water when required. Upfront costs are much lower than a solar battery making energy storage more affordable.
Moreover, its an Australian innovation that is designed, developed and built here. ✺
Solar powered air conditioning project
Renewable energy sources are driving domestic appliances.
TAFE NSW IS set to release the findings of a test which examined the feasibility of op- erating stand-alone solar powered air con- ditioning systems in a domestic setting.
The results of the test, which was funded by a $20,000 grant, will be re- leased this month.
The grant was provided by the ARBS Education and Research Foundation with equipment donated by companies cover- ing all sections of the industry.
CCN understands suppliers and manu- facturers were particularly generous.
A test site was established at the TAFE campus in Ultimo, Sydney with students from the TAFE Institute and higher education sector involved in the setup of the facility.
Students also monitored the perfor-
mance of the equipment over the four sea- sons of the year.
ARBS Foundation executive director, David Eynon, said the project provided a highly valuable learning experience for all of the students.
Moreover, he said the research findings make a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge on the use of renewable en- ergy sources driving domestic appliances.
“As the cost of energy continues to rise along with community expectations about reducing emissions the use of re- newable energy to drive domestic appli- ances will expand,” Eynon said. “The Foundation was very pleased with the out- come of the project. It proved to be an ex- cellent example of collaboration between industry and the education sector.” ✺
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS OCTOBER 2018
37