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comment Coolerado Makes Solar Air Conditioning a Reality
One of the holy grails of air conditioning is to get the electricity consumption low enough that it’s practical to use photovoltaic (PV) panels to provide the power. After all, air-conditioning loads match solar energy availability very closely. Coolerado, the Denver-based manufacturer of advanced air conditioners that rely on the Maisotsenko cycle to achieve a remarkable energy efficiency rating (EER) of 40 in the Colorado climate—90 percent better than standard Rankine-cycle air conditioners—now offers a practical solar air-conditioning solution.
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The company’s (renamed) C60 uses 600 watts to deliver 6 tons of cooling and can be powered with just four 200-watt PV panels. Performance is improved by taking the chilled but water-saturated waste air stream from the Coolerado and circulating it behind the PV panels, cooling them and boosting their power output by 15 percent. The company’s website is www.coolerado.com.
Copyright 2009 by BuildingGreen, LLC
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