Sunday 20 January 2013

Solar Air Conditioning Solutions for Australian Homes

Solar Air Conditioning Solutions for Australian Homes

Solar air conditioning units generate power from the sun instead of from fossil fuel sources.  Australians are keen to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint and solar air conditioning is growing into a viable solution to keep a home comfortable without the dependence on coal and petroleum power.  This article provides an overview on solar air conditioning solutions.
 
Solar solutions are rapidly becoming integrated into our home, travel and even office environments. Portable solar solutions are available for charging small electronic devices.  Larger backup solar power systems are available to provide power for larger appliances.  On a larger scale, there are residential and commercial solar power systems.  It also offers a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel energy.  However, solar air conditioning is a relatively young solution in the history of solar energy.
 
There are several different types of residential solar air conditioning systems.  One consists of photovoltaic panels mounted on a roof.  These panels capture solar energy and convert it to electricity which is then used to power the home air conditioning system.  This type of implementation is used to supplement the regular home cooling system.  A different solar implementation relies on solar thermal collectors. The collectors are used to directly heat or cool the home and are not used to convert the solar power into electrical power.
 
Another solution combines solar power collection with a heat pump to offer reliable and affordable heating and cooling. This solution combines solar capture with the functions of a heat pump to heat and cool a building as well as heat water for home or pool.
 
In this type of solution, solar panels are installed in blocks of one or more and then connected to a water storage tank.  One implementation uses an electrical heating element to maintain temperature in the tank. However, when these solar panels are combined with one of a heat pump system then the home enjoys the benefits of and reliable solar powered comfort.  A typical system consists of:
 

  • 1 or more solar panels mounted on the roof
  • solar controller module with integrated water pump and sensor package
  • a water storage tank is required either an electric element boosted storage tank or a heat pump

 
This type of solution provides the clean energy of solar power combined with the reliability of heat pumps.  These combination solar air conditioning heat pump systems may be eligible for rebates from the Australian State and Federal government.
 
James Allen is author of this article. To know more about space heater and solar air conditioning, please visit http://www.evoheat.com.au
 


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