A detailed article in the Guardian on the growth of A/C around the world and the dangers it poses (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/29/the-air-conditioning-trap-how-cold-air-is-heating-the-world)
Following the recent IEA report on the potential effects of the growing demand for cooling (see previous News post) Birmingham University have published a report entitled “A Cool World – Defining the Energy Conundrum of Cooling for All” (see https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2018/07/Global-quadrupling-cooling-appliances-14-billion-increase-energy-consumption.aspx). This report raises the prospect that the cooling sector will, on current trajectory, increase its overall…
In a recent report, https://www.iea.org/cooling/, the IEA state that “Growing demand for air conditioners is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate”. Global energy demand from air conditioners is expected to triple by 2050, requiring new electricity capacity the equivalent to the combined electricity capacity of the United States, the EU and…
Image courtesy of DLR Group DLR Group Architects (http://www.dlrgroup.com/home/) have incorporated Bio-PCM ENRG blankets into walls and ceilings of a classroom and its performance will be compared with a similar, non-PCM containing classroom (see http://schoolconstructionnews.com/2018/02/16/thermal-mass-2-0-reinventing-energy-design-user-experience/). The project is based at Canyon View High School in Waddell, Arizona. Both rooms will monitor HVAC energy, overall building energy…
Image courtesy of Roland Korner, Filmfabrik, Woessner The new apartment building in Vaduz, Liechtenstein has been designed as an active energy building. Details of the project can be found at http://www.architectour.net/opere/opera.php?id_opera=6869&nome_opera=Marxer%20Haus&architetto=Falkeis%C2%B2architects&language=1 and http://www.puretemp.com/pcmatters/inspired-by-nature-marxer-haus-takes-wing-in-liechtenstein. As well as many other sustainable features, the apartment block utilises movable “wings”. These climate wings contain 1.4 tonnes of Rubitherm PCMs enclosed in aluminium tubes. …
The US Department of Energy has issued a report in December 2017 (https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/12/f46/bto-DOE-Comm-HVAC-Report-12-21-17.pdf) entitled ENERGY SAVINGS POTENTIAL AND RD&D OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDING HVAC SYSTEMS. Amongst the high priority technology options listed are phase change materials. The report describes the potential as follows: B.10 Phase Change Materials Technology Description Phase change materials (PCMs) provide passive cooling…
On very hot days, the power grids in the USA are under considerable strain to maintain power to all the country’s air conditioners. A new start-up in Chicago, NETenergy, works on the premise “why store electricity to generate cold air when you could store cold instead” (see http://midwestenergynews.com/2017/03/22/chicago-startups-thermal-battery-is-adaptive-solution-to-spikes-in-electricity-demand/). A chemical engineering professor at the University of…
Image courtesy of NASA NASA has developed a phase change material heat exchanger — PCM HX for short — which stores energy by thawing a wax-based phase change material using hot coolant. That energy is later rejected by the spacecraft’s radiator, which then refreezes the wax and prepares it for the next heat load. This new type…