The impact of solar technology has affected our lives in various aspects. It is a revolutionary technology that allows solar energy to be converted to electrical energy, thereby reducing the carbon footprint in the world. Added to this is the advantage that solar energy is a renewable energy source and thereby it reduces our reliance on non renewable energy sources. The application of solar technology has now spread from boilers to operating air conditioners.
Solar air conditioners are growing extremely popular considering the impact of global warming. For most Indians, air conditioner has evolved from a luxury to a necessity. Most regular air conditioners that are operated on fossil fuels add up to the increased carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere. This greenhouse gas further causes depletion of the ozone layer thereby accelerating the process of Global warming. Hence using a renewable energy source to run air conditioner is a preferred alternative. The novel technology of using solar energy to power air conditioner has made its impact in India successfully. The correlation between brightness of the sun and its utilization to run a cooling device, air conditioner goes in perfect harmony.
The solar air conditioner has many advantages to include the reduced utility bill because it runs the technology on solar power and it also provides higher efficiency than the conventional air conditioners.
The hybrid system solar air conditioner can use the electrical energy produced from the PV cells when the sun is out but however can also function at night through a battery backup that could be charged when the sun is out. Hence it is a reliable system and requires no supervision. Then there is also the solar powered absorption chiller which however requires a water tank to operate. This technical issue however makes hybrid system a reliable choice over the latter.
In India the price of a solar air conditioner can range anywhere between $3000 to $5000 which in Indian rupees can cost between Rs.183000 to Rs 5,50,000/-
The Solar air conditioner however requires a high initial investment. A solar air conditioner from Kintec can cost up to as high as $2895 tentatively which is a little over Rs.176000. It however provides a cooling capacity of 16000 BTU, which is 4.7Kw of cooling capacity. It only requires 850W power consumption for its fan and motors. However this initial investment will be compensated through reduced utility bill over the year which is definitely a return on your investment. Added to it is the advantage of the reduction of the harmful CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) gases into the atmosphere. However it should not be confused that the solar PV cells are embedded into the air conditioner. This is because the PV needs to exposed to ample sunlight to increase its delivery performance but air conditioners on the other hand cannot be located on the roof of the building with the PV cells.
There is also an option to solar power your conventional air conditioner with a separate unit of PV cells but added to the system will require auxiliaries such as the purchase of a separate inverter and battery. The assembly cost will accelerate the total investment on your new purchase. This however remains a possible option for householders that already have the solar technology installed in your houses.
There are so many well known air conditioner manufacturers in India to include a few are:
Arka technologies, PROSUN Energy Pvt. Ltd, Maharishi Solar Technology Ltd., VSM Solar Pvt. Ltd, SLT Energy Ltd , Sharada Inventions, Mani Solar Pvt. Ltd, Bharat Solar energy etc.
However, we will have look on few of these companies that extended its line of product to include solar air conditioner in this article.
Arka Technologies: The philosophy of Arka includes working towards green and pollution free society and offer sustainable solutions to the community. Its line of products includes energy efficient lighting, solar emergency lantern, street lighting, solar home lighting and solar water pumps. Its solar air conditioner attractive product features include: no CFC, therefore making it environmentally friendly, it has no moving parts, therefore zero noise pollution and it can provide a range of capacities from 60TR to 600TR.
Prosun Energy Pvt. Ltd: The Company has managed to build its reputation amongst some influential clients to include: Bharat petroleum, Hyundai, Wartsila and many more.
Maharishi Solar Technology Ltd.: The company’s motto is to “Improve the quality of life” by harnessing solar energy. Its effort is evident in its line of product that includes: solar modules, solar lighting, solar water heating, solar fridge, solar fan, solar cooler and solar TV. It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company.
There are many other Indian companies that strive towards improving the quality of life its local residents through innovation in solar and other renewable technologies. We definitely thank them for their sincere effort and hope they persistently work towards building a better tomorrow.