How Solar Cooling Works

Design

Solar Cooling systems are comprised of several key components/stages:

Firstly, the Sun's heat is obtained through the use of solar collectors, before being converted into cold using a “sorption” cooling process. The resulting cold must then be delivered to the application using a heat transfer medium which is typically chilled water or dry cool air. Thermal storage of the collected solar heat (or that of the produced cold) is often used to extend the operational hours of the solar cooling system. A number of alternative component technology options are available for each of these steps.

Component options for each stage include (note: not all listed options are compatible):

Each of the variants have advantages and disadvantages, and no one technology combination has yet been shown to be the optimum.  For example, low cost collector technologies tend to only provide a low temperature source of heat which often requires a more costly or less efficient cooling process.  Furthermore, application requirements or customer preferences may determine a delivery method which has a resultant impact on the selection of the cooling process and solar collectors.