The Sun has been a reliable energy source since the birth of mankind. Humans have utilized solar energy for many purposes across the globe. With the advancement in technology, the solar energy being a renewable energy form is harnessed in a more scientific way with the help of solar panels for a wide range of purposes. The electricity generated by the solar panels can be used to power our household appliances. Being a clean energy source you can rely on the Sun as much as you want without troubling the environment.
Nowadays, solar energy finds its application in air conditioning. Solar air conditioners work utilizing solar energy. This will save you money and will have minimal environmental impact too.
Why Solar Air Conditioning?
The Solar Air Conditioning utilizes solar energy and hence there is less environmental impact. Even though it is a big investment to be put on, you can save much on your monthly bills so as to cover the initial costs. Air Conditioner is a peak load in your home. So now with this peak load being run on solar energy, there is a reduction in the overall energy demand. There is also less green house emissions associated with the system.
However, the cost associated with the system is somewhat high. It depends on the number of air conditioners to be powered, the number of solar panels and the cost of additionals. However, as we are moving towards clean and reliable energy sources the investment will not go in vain. It will indeed turn out to be a benefit.
How Solar Air Conditioning Works?
Solar Panel Air Conditioning
Solar Air Conditioning may sound pretty strange. But the working of the system is simple without any complications. They depend on solar energy to power our Air Conditioner.
The Solar Panels used in the system will capture energy from the Sun. The output from the solar panel will be electrical energy in DC (Direct Current) form. This energy can be used directly to power the Air Conditioner. It can also be stored in battery bank for future use. The solar powered air conditioner can harness this energy as such or can get it converted into AC (Alternating Current) depending on the type of the device. You can have more in depth knowledge of the types of solar powered air conditioners shortly in the coming section.
Types Of Solar Air Conditioners
Based on the type of power that the air conditioner is receiving, there are three main types of solar air conditioners. They are: AC powered Solar Air Conditioners, DC powered Solar Air Conditioner and Hybrid powered Solar Air Conditioner.
AC powered Solar Air Conditioner
The energy generated by the solar panel is Direct Current. Normally, household appliances run on Alternating Current. So in case of AC powered Solar Air Conditioner you need an additional inverter which can serve the purpose of the conversion which can also lead to loss in efficiency. However, there are also some advantages associated with such a system. Being AC powered, these can also run on grid power as standard air conditioner without the need for additional equipments to be added. So you can make the air conditioner run either on grid power or else on the energy from the solar panel after conversion into suitable form.
DC powered Solar Air Conditioner
These are what we call conventional solar-powered air conditioners. Unlike the AC powered Solar Air Conditioner, these can run on Direct Current (DC). So the DC power from the solar panels can be utilized by these Air Conditioners. They run fully in off grid mode as they are powered by the batteries charged by the solar power. These can be considered as the best means of utilizing solar energy for air conditioning. They have advantages as there is no additional cost on extra devices for conversion as is the case with the AC powered counterparts. These are also much easier to install and maintenance cost associated will be less. However, if you need to point out the disadvantage, then that would be the big battery bank associated with the system on which the Air Conditioner will depend during night time operation.
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Hybrid Powered Solar Air Conditioners
Hybrid solar-powered air conditioners allow seamless operation on both DC and AC power at the same time. So they have connections to the solar panel or the battery bank and the power grid. Based on the load requirements and whether it is day/ night time, the unit uses the appropriate power (AC/DC). They allow smooth switching operation between solar energy and grid power with added flexibility and reliability whatever be the season or the time of the day. And in order to achieve this, they also need not have to include additional devices be it for conversion or any other purposes making them the best option to have installed in your home. There will be issue only if the batteries are not properly charged for night time operation.
Best Solar Air Conditioners
- SOLAIR WORLD having Hybrid AC/DC Solar Air Conditioner models and 100% 0ffgrid models to choose from.
Link: https://www.solairworld.com/solar-hybrid-air-conditioner
- Lennox offers efficient solar ready AC systems from the Dave Lennox Signature collection, which can be easily integrated with the solar modules.
Link: https://www.lennox.com/buyers-guide/why-buy-lennox/solar-solutions
- HotSpot Energy offers DC solar powered Air Conditioners for off grid use. There are also a few hybrid solar powered AC units which can also provide grid usage.
Link: https://www.hotspotenergy.com/
- Event Horizon Solar and Wind Inc. has been in the business for over 19 years. They offer both DC version for complete off grid usage and the hybrid version in case you want to have the option of grid usage too.
Link: http://www.eventhorizonsolar.com/Solar_Air_Conditioning.html
- LEZETi offers Hybrid Solar Powered Air Conditioners, using which you can save a lot on your electricity bills.
Link: http://thomasedisonsolar.com/lezeti-hybrid-solar/
- Solar Fit offers Solar Powered ductless air conditioning systems eliminating the duct work and thereby saving about 20% energy losses.