Small-Scale Solar Powered Air Conditioning Is Here

For years we have been saying that solar powered air conditioning just makes sense- if you are boiling in Phoenix the sun is probably shining really hard. We have seen big units, evaporative units that won't work in humid climates, a few vaporware units and even home-made absorption chillers

Now it looks like a Spanish company, Rotartica, has put it all together, by combining evacuated tube thermal collectors with a water-heated absorption chiller, and sized it at 4.5Kw (1.28 tons) for residential use, all packaged in a neat little box.



From an operation point of view it is very simple: you put hot water in, you get cold water out, which you can run to a conventional fancoil. The hot water in can come from any source, but evacuated tube collectors, which used to be very expensive, are pretty affordable now. If you want to get more techie:

In an absorption chiller unit the evaporator and condenser are the same as in conventional systems but the function of the compressor is performed by a chemical absorbent (LiBr) and a
heat generator, with only a pump being required to provide the change in pressure. As there is
no compressor, electricity consumption is reduced significantly.



The diagram is a graphic representation of the Single Effect Absorption Cycle, which
functions as follows:

1. The refrigerant, together with the salt or absorbent in the Generator, evaporates due
to the heat provided by a burner or an external circuit leading to a heat exchanger.

2. The absorbent is conveyed to the Absorber as a solution with a low refrigerant content,
while the refrigerant that has evaporated in the Generator travels to the Condenser
where it is condensed and releases heat.

3. Due to the difference in pressure, the refrigerant flows to the Evaporator where, at a
low temperature and as a result of the low pressure, it evaporates and absorbs heat
from the circuit which subsequently goes on to cool the room.

4. Lastly, the evaporated refrigerant is attracted by the absorbent in the Absorber, where
the refrigerant-rich absorbent solution is created once more and is conveyed to the Generator where the whole cycle begins again.



We don't know the price, (probably expensive) but operating costs will be negligible and it runs when the sun is hottest and electricity the most in demand; once those smart meters become common this may be the only way to affordably cool on the hottest days. If you are worried about being cool at night, perhaps you can add an ice bear. . Available in the States from ::Schroder Zimmerly.

BEDZED: Beddington Zero Energy Development in London

Sustainability, both environmental and social, is fundamental to the Peabody Trust mission to fight poverty in London. The Trust works to develop desirable homes and build thriving communities with a long-term future.

The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is the UK's largest carbon-neutral eco-community - the first of its kind in this country. BedZED was developed by the Peabody Trust in partnership with Bill Dunster Architects and BioRegional Development Group, environmental consultants.

BedZED is a mixed-use, mixed-tenure development that incorporates innovative approaches to energy conservation and environmental sustainability. It is built on reclaimed land owned by the London Borough of Sutton, sold to Peabody at below market value due to the planned environmental initiatives.

Peabody Trust manages the housing at BedZED and BioRegional Development Group and Bill Dunster Architects are based close by.

Background
The BedZED design concept was driven by the desire to create a net 'zero fossil energy development', one that will produce at least as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes. Only energy from renewable sources is used to meet the energy needs of the development. BedZED is therefore a carbon neutral development - resulting in no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

What are the features of BedZED?
The design is to a very high standard and is used to enhance the environmental dimensions, with strong emphasis on roof gardens, sunlight, solar energy, reduction of energy consumption and waste water recycling.

BedZED provides 82 residential homes with a mixture of tenures, 34 for outright sale, 23 for shared ownership, 10 for key workers and 15 at affordable rent for social housing - with a further 14 galleried apartments for outright sale.

The homes are a mixture of sizes and the project also includes buildings for commercial use, an exhibition centre, a children's nursery and a show flat so that visitors may see what it is like to live at BedZED.

The buildings
Buildings are constructed from thermally massive materials that store heat during warm conditions and release heat at cooler times. In addition, all buildings are enclosed in a 300mm insulation jacket.

BedZED houses are arranged in south facing terraces to maximise heat gain from the sun, known as passive solar gain. Each terrace is backed by north facing offices, where minimal solar gain reduces the tendency to overheat and the need for energy hungry air conditioning.

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BedZED's architecture
BedZED has been designed to address environmental, social and economic needs. It brings together a number of proven methods - none of them particularly high tech - of reducing energy, water and car use. Crucially, it produces affordable, attractive and environmentally responsible housing and workspace.

Key features include:

Using renewable materials
Where possible, BedZED is built from natural, recycled or reclaimed materials. All the wood used has been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council or comparable internationally recognised environmental organisations, to ensure that it comes from a sustainable source.

Space heating
Through the innovative design and construction, heat from the sun and heat generated by occupants and every day activities such as cooking is sufficient to heat BedZED homes to a comfortable temperature. The need for space heating, which accounts for a significant part of the energy demand in conventional buildings, is therefore reduced or completely eliminated.

BedZED homes and offices are fitted with low energy lighting and energy efficient appliances to reduce electricity requirements.

To enable residents and workers to keep track of their heat and electricity use, meters are mounted in each home and office kitchen.

Combined heat and power plant
BedZED receives power from a small-scale combined heat and power plant (CHP). In conventional energy generation, the heat that is produced as a by-product of generating electricity is lost. With CHP technology, this heat can be harnessed and put to use.

At BedZED, the heat from the CHP provides hot water, which is distributed around the site via a district heating system of super-insulated pipes. Should residents or workers require a heating boost, each home or office has a domestic hot water tank that doubles as a radiator.

The CHP plant at BedZED is powered by off-cuts from tree surgery waste that would otherwise go to landfill. Wood is a carbon neutral fuel because the CO2 released when the wood is burned is equal to that absorbed by the tree as it grew.

http://www.peabody.org.uk/pages/GetPage.aspx?id=179

People power to warm new building in Stockholm: project leader

The body heat from hundreds of thousands of people who pass through the Stockholm Central Station each day will be used to heat a new office building nearby, the project leader said Wednesday.
"So many people go through the Central Station ... We want to harness some of the warmth they produce to help heat the new building," Karl Sundholm, of the Swedish state-held property administration company Jernhuset, told AFP.

Some 250,000 people pass through the station each day, rushing to catch trains and subways or simply visit the many shops and stores inside.

"All people produce heat, and that heat is in fact fairly difficult to get rid of. Instead of opening windows and letting all that heat go to waste we want to harness it through the ventilation system," Sundholm said.

He said the body heat would warm up water that in turn would be pumped through pipes over to the new office building, which will also house a small hotel and a few shops and is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2010.

"This is old technology, but used in a new way. It's just pipes, water and pumps, but we haven't heard of anyone else using this technology in this way before," he said, adding that Jernhuset expects the system to bring down heating costs in the building by up to 20 percent.

Installing the heating system is not expected to be complicated or very costly, Sundholm said, pointing out that laying the necessary pumps and underground pipes might cost a some 200,000 kronor (21,200 euros, 31,200 dollars).

"For a large building expected to cost several hundred million kronor to build, that's not that much," he said.

© 2008 AFP

http://www.physorg.com/news118498060.html

2008 Presidential Primaries Voter Guide

League of Conservation Voters
http://www.lcv.org/voterguide/

Five Innovation Initiatives for 2008

Five Innovation Initiatives for 2008
Getting the economics right can win lasting environmental solutions
Environmental Defense

How can we best implement environmental protections that last? One way is by getting the economics right.

Over the last two decades, we've worked with companies, policy makers, ranchers, fishermen and others to leverage market and business incentives to develop and promote lasting environmental goals, from species protections to cleaner air to healthier food choices and more.

Here are Five Innovation Initiatives for 2008 that adopt this powerful, innovative approach to environmental stewardship.


Initiative #1: Fighting Global Warming
Global warming is the most serious environmental threat of our time. But after years of debate, Congress still hasn't passed national climate legislation.

Luckily, 2007 was a year of incredible progress in the fight against global warming and set the perfect stage for a national climate bill to be passed in 2008.

Fighting global warming is our number one priority this year. We support a cap-and-trade approach, which sets a hard cap on America's global warming pollution and harnesses the forces of markets to achieve cost-effective emission reductions.

This approach provides economic incentives to inventors, businesses and entrepreneurs to invent and deploy new and existing technologies to reduce America's global warming pollution. The cap gives us the emission reductions we need, while the ability to trade pollution credits rewards innovation.

With staff on the ground across the country and a team of legislative experts on Capitol Hill, we will do everything we can to bring both House and Senate together in agreement on a national, economy-wide cap on global warming pollution.

Waiting a mere two years to pass legislation will double the annual rate at which the US must cut emissions in order to bring them down to where they need to be by 2020.

2008 is the year for the global warming action. We have no time to lose.


Initiative #2: Clean Cities
Traffic congestion is getting worse in nearly every major American city, and many of the smaller ones, too. People are spending more time on clogged roads, wasting fuel, polluting our air and contributing to global warming.

But there are innovative new tools that can help. For example, New Yorkers and the environment celebrated a big win in 2007 when Mayor Bloomberg announced his visionary 'greenprint' for New York City.

A centerpiece of PlaNYC is congestion pricing - using traffic fees to reduce congestion and invest in public transportation throughout the city. And, congestion pricing would help reach Mayor Bloomberg's goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2030 in NYC.

This spring, the state legislature and city council will be making do-or-die decisions about congestion pricing. Green building incenitves and ways to encourage redevelopment of vacant induatrial lands --"brownfields" -- are on tap for policy changes in the next 18 months.

We are already working to promote changes like these in other major cities across the country. And we have been invited to advise on transportation reform in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Mexico City.

Economics-based tools like congestion pricing are critical to our efforts to make transportation more efficient and less polluting. As the planet becomes more and more urbanized, getting the price signals right is key to a healthy future.


Initiative #3: Sustainable Farming
The Farm Bill is the largest source of conservation funding in America. Passing a Farm Bill in 2008 that takes better care of farmers and the environment remains one of our top priorities.

The current House and Senate versions of the bill allow millionaire farmers to continue collecting unlimited subsidies and leave conservation, nutrition and rural development programs critically underfunded.

As the bill goes to conference, we will keep the pressure on, highlighting the weaknesses in both versions and the importance of equitable, common-sense reforms. We will also work to protect the nearly $5 billion in new conservation funding in these two versions of the bill -- not enough to meet farmer demand, but a critical step in the right direction.

Our Farm Bill legislative work goes hand-in-hand with our other Land, Water & Wildlife work using win-win incentives to encourage ranchers, farmers and other private landowners to restore and conserve endangered species habitat, wetlands and watersheds and reduce harmful runoff.

In 2008, we will continue to encourage and reward voluntary conservation practices with financial, technical and legal assurance incentives. Our team will maintain ongoing partnerships with landowners and private land interests across the country, while developing new incentive-based projects and working for increased use of voluntary incentive programs.


Initiative #4: Sustainable Seafood
Higher profits, less waste and safer fishing practices are desirable for any commercial fisherman. Environmental Defense found success in all three areas this year with the implementation of a precedent-setting catch share program for the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.

Just 12 months after the program began, preliminary data show that the fishing season has lengthened, the price of red snapper has increased and bycatch - the unintentional killing of fish - has declined by at least half.

Catch share programs allocate a share of the yearly catch to individual fishermen. This rewards conservation practices and allows fishermen to maximize their profit by buying and selling shares with others.

In 2008, while continuing to monitor and ensure the success of the red snapper program, Environmental Defense will work to increase active catch share programs across the country by at least 50 percent. Our Oceans team is working to secure approval for programs on the West Coast, in the South Atlantic and New England.

We will also work to create higher market demand for environmentally sustainable seafood in the coming year.


Initiative #5: Corporate Partnerships
We have a unique, market-based approach of working directly with companies to improve business practices and reduce their environmental footprints. We work to influence the buying power of large corporations to affect the way goods and services are produced. Changes along the supply chain will reach customers world-wide, resulting, over time, in significant environmental progress.

We are working with Wal-Mart to develop packaging reduction and greenhouse gas emissions goals for its major suppliers and to create market demand for renewable energy. With nearly 200 million customers each week, 61,000 suppliers and 5300 stores world-wide, the largest company in the world has an unprecedented capacity to affect major environmental change.

We are working with Wegmans Food Stores to bring healthier seafood choices to consumers. Together we've developed new purchasing standards for farmed salmon and farmed shrimp that will prevent fish farming from destroying eco-systems, using needless chemicals and antibiotics, and threatening wild fish populations. Wegmans stores are the first to stock eco-friendly farmed salmon and shrimp that meet these more stringent health and environmental standards. The next step is for major food suppliers to adopt these same standards.

Even in this increasingly online world, paper use continues to rise. Our Corporate Partnerships team recognized a need to help companies reduce paper use and costs. The result was an online Paper Calculator tool that allows companies large and small to calculate the environmental benefits of better paper choices. Each month, companies such as Random House, Staples, PepsiCo, and Starbucks use our Paper Calculator to assess their paper purchases.

In 2008, we will forge ahead with our existing partnerships and move towards cultivating partnerships with new corporations. In keeping with our market-based approach, company interests and environmental progress will remain our foremost priorities.

http://environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentID=7504