COOL AIR/ ICE
Hectare Chiller
Understand that a Focused Sun installation can be sized to the chiller requirements. That is, the size of the array can be matched to the chiller. For example, one Focused Sun prospect in southeast USA has contacted “big box” stores. He reported that many wanted to augment their electric driven air-conditioning with solar driven chillers. But where to find enough space for the solar array? The parking lot periphery was 1 km long (0.62 mi), enough for 110 Microgrid units. An economic solution was to use Microgrid units with storage and collectors but WITHOUT their steam turbine. Heat from the 110 Microgrids can be combined with chillers to reduce the A/C load.
Another way the Microgrid can be used for air cooling is to power electric air conditioners from the unit’s generator. A Microgrid generates 15 kW of heat that can generate 2 kW of electricity. That 2 kW can power a small room air conditioner that can produce nearly as much cool air as an absorption chiller. With a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of about 4, a small A/C unit can move 8 kW of heat from inside to outside -- cooling the inside. At 0.15 kW/m2 floor area, a Microgrid could cool 20 m2 (215 ft2) – enough to cool a few rooms in a small house.
For very small cooling needs such as vaccine refrigeration for village clinics, RV (Recreation Vehicle) refrigerators operate on dual energy sources, heat and electricity. Companies like Dometic (www.dometic.com, Stockholm, SW) have been making small units for a century. Another reputable manufacturer is Norcold (www.norcold.com, Sidney, Ohio, USA). These refrigerators run off heat when it is available but have a backup electrical source as well.
Ice is another large application for Focused Sun in the developing world. There, many rural farmers find their produce rots significantly on the way to market in the cities. Local ice making gets produce to market with little loss. Focused Sun won a contract from the American State Dept. (USAID) to begin an ice-making Microgrid in Yemen. Unfortunately, the Yemen War prevented the effort from ever starting.
“Cold Chain” is a set of rules and procedures that ensure the proper storage and distribution of vaccines to health services from the national to the local level. The cold chain is interconnected with refrigeration equipment that keeps vaccines at a safe temperature to maintain their potency.
Cold Chain methods are now being used for transporting perishable food products to market with ice. These cold chains operate at temperatures just above freezing (2C to 8C, 36F to 40F) where ice is the coolant. Microgrids can provide the ice needed to make a cold chain for foods. Coffee beans from the Yemen highlands can be brought to Sanaa to sell. Many developing countries already use ice to transport perishable goods to market.
Another way the Microgrid can be used for air cooling is to power electric air conditioners from the unit’s generator. A Microgrid generates 15 kW of heat that can generate 2 kW of electricity. That 2 kW can power a small room air conditioner that can produce nearly as much cool air as an absorption chiller. With a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of about 4, a small A/C unit can move 8 kW of heat from inside to outside -- cooling the inside. At 0.15 kW/m2 floor area, a Microgrid could cool 20 m2 (215 ft2) – enough to cool a few rooms in a small house.
For very small cooling needs such as vaccine refrigeration for village clinics, RV (Recreation Vehicle) refrigerators operate on dual energy sources, heat and electricity. Companies like Dometic (www.dometic.com, Stockholm, SW) have been making small units for a century. Another reputable manufacturer is Norcold (www.norcold.com, Sidney, Ohio, USA). These refrigerators run off heat when it is available but have a backup electrical source as well.
Ice is another large application for Focused Sun in the developing world. There, many rural farmers find their produce rots significantly on the way to market in the cities. Local ice making gets produce to market with little loss. Focused Sun won a contract from the American State Dept. (USAID) to begin an ice-making Microgrid in Yemen. Unfortunately, the Yemen War prevented the effort from ever starting.
“Cold Chain” is a set of rules and procedures that ensure the proper storage and distribution of vaccines to health services from the national to the local level. The cold chain is interconnected with refrigeration equipment that keeps vaccines at a safe temperature to maintain their potency.
Cold Chain methods are now being used for transporting perishable food products to market with ice. These cold chains operate at temperatures just above freezing (2C to 8C, 36F to 40F) where ice is the coolant. Microgrids can provide the ice needed to make a cold chain for foods. Coffee beans from the Yemen highlands can be brought to Sanaa to sell. Many developing countries already use ice to transport perishable goods to market.