Australian solar-powered air con uses sun to beat the heat (12 times more energy efficient)

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http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2247989/australian-solar-powered-air

Australian solar-powered air con uses sun to beat the heat

Federal grant to help achieve commercial launch by 2011

Yvonne Chan in Hong Kong, BusinessGreen, 18 Aug 2009

An Australian company has said it is developing a solar-powered air conditioner that it claims is 12 times more energy efficient than conventional models.

Air Change, a Sydney-based maker of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, last month received an A$458,000 (US$377,800, £230,600) grant from the federal government to help put its solar-powered invention into commercial production by 2011.

The company says its Green Machine air con eliminates the need for compressors and ozone-depleting refrigerants. Instead of using an electrical compressor found in conventional models, Air Change's technology uses a solar-powered thermal compressor.

The compressor uses ejector cooling technology in which compressed air expands out of a jet that sucks refrigerant and air into a line. The jet then expels the air at a much cooler temperature. The refrigerant is recirculated and recompressed. Any form of refrigerant, including water, can be used.

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