BAMAPHIN 22
08-07-2006, 09:24 PM
Can an ice-powered air conditioner take the edge off scorching summer electrical bills?
A young company called Ice Energy has developed an energy-storage system that uses a tank of water to cut down on the power required for air conditioning by 30 percent.
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Ice Energy's energy storage system (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) uses a standard centralized air conditioner (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) compressor to convert water to ice at night. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant needed to run the air-conditioning (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) unit, cutting overall energy consumption by about 30 percent.
Credit: Ice Energy.
The company's Ice Bear (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) units, roughly the size and shape of a squat refrigerator, are an adjunct to standard centralized air-conditioning units.
Rather than run AC compressors during the hottest time of the day, the Ice Bear cools water during the night, turning it to ice. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant as it passes through the tank, lowering the temperature inside.
This process of shifting the time that the AC unit works knocks electricity usage and costs down significantly, said Ice Energy CEO Frank Ramirez.
That's because the AC unit doesn't have to work as hard at night, making the overall system more energy-efficient, he said.
The company's first products, which have their roots in research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, are aimed at businesses, where an Ice Bear could be placed on the roof with other HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems. A residential system is also being tested.
Cutting down on energy demands during the hottest times of day is of great interest to utilities, Ramirez said.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
A young company called Ice Energy has developed an energy-storage system that uses a tank of water to cut down on the power required for air conditioning by 30 percent.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ice Energy's energy storage system (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) uses a standard centralized air conditioner (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) compressor to convert water to ice at night. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant needed to run the air-conditioning (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) unit, cutting overall energy consumption by about 30 percent.
Credit: Ice Energy.
The company's Ice Bear (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) units, roughly the size and shape of a squat refrigerator, are an adjunct to standard centralized air-conditioning units.
Rather than run AC compressors during the hottest time of the day, the Ice Bear cools water during the night, turning it to ice. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant as it passes through the tank, lowering the temperature inside.
This process of shifting the time that the AC unit works knocks electricity usage and costs down significantly, said Ice Energy CEO Frank Ramirez.
That's because the AC unit doesn't have to work as hard at night, making the overall system more energy-efficient, he said.
The company's first products, which have their roots in research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, are aimed at businesses, where an Ice Bear could be placed on the roof with other HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems. A residential system is also being tested.
Cutting down on energy demands during the hottest times of day is of great interest to utilities, Ramirez said.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.