The Very Hot Sun Can Provide A Cooling Solution
by: fast company, 2011-09-22 19:26:06 UTC

In places where power is scarce and refrigerators are scarcer, scientists have found ways to power the ice box with the heat of the sun.

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees. But despite its intense heat, it's being used to do something paradoxical: provide refrigeration (apologies to They Might Be Giants). A winery in Tunisia and a dairy in Morocco are among the sites using a technology deployed by EU scientists to cool food and other sensitive goods by harnessing the power of the sun.

The solar cooling concept absorbs solar radiation to heat water above 200 degrees F, then uses the heat to drive a compressor that lowers the temperature of a refrigerant, explains Tomas Núñez, a scientist at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. It's a process similar to that used for propane refrigerators, but the sun--not gas or fossil fuels--is the heat source.

"Our method is ideal for countries which have many days of sunshine and in remote areas where there are no conventional means of refrigeration owing to a lack of water and non-existent or unreliable energy sources," says Núñez . "It is environmentally friendly and reduces the use of expensive electricity for conventional refrigerators to a minimum. Refrigeration is always available when the sun shines, which means that it is produced at the times when demand is at its highest."

The MEDISCO project (short for Mediterranean food and agriculture industry applications of solar cooling technologies) has built several of these solar refrigeration plants in Mediterranean countries with plenty of sunshine, but not much infrastructure. Engineers are using concentrating collectors to direct the sunlight onto an absorber that heats water.

Although the concept of using a heat source to cool is not novel, MEDISCO is recombining solar and cooling technologies in a new way that could change development decisions in remote areas unlikely to receive electricity, or affordable fossil energy, anytime soon. MEDISCO says it is "aiming at the best compromise towards innovative technologies use, primary energy savings and economic issues."

[Image: Flickr user Daquella manera]

Reach Michael J. Coren via Twitter or email.

veev: eel self-heating bench at seat, san francisco
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-09-22 19:00:00 UTC

featuring colours and lighting that shift in response to environmental conditions, the sculpture in fort mason detects when visitors approach nearby, generating heat on its surface for comfortable sitting.

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Toyota Unveils the Plug-In Prius
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2011-09-19 17:46:58 UTC

Toyota has unveiled a new plug-in version of its hybrid Prius for the 2012 model year. Although the aftermarket has been offering conversion kits to allow it, and Toyota's competitors have come out with a variety of plug-in electric vehicles and hybrids, only now is Toyota producing a hybrid vehicle that can be recharged by plugging it in.

Almost since it was first released, Toyota has been working on numerous new versions of its iconic Prius, but it has taken until recently for any of these to reach the public. We've seen concepts for other Prius options, and Toyota is now bringing these to the market. In addition to the new plug-in version, there is also the original Prius, and the larger Prius v.  Also, Toyota will also be bringing out another version called the Prius c in 2012.

The plug-in Prius now uses lithium ion batteries, rather than the nickel metal-hydride batteries in earlier models. The 4.4 kWh battery will give the new Prius a range of 15 miles at 62 miles per hour (about 24 km at 100 kph) in electric-only drive*. The car "is expected to achieve a manufacturer-estimated 87 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) in combined driving and 49 MPG in hybrid mode."

hat tip to: @JaymiHeimbuch

[* edited to clarify range is for electric drive]

How to Build a Rocket Stove Water Heater (Video)
by: TreeHugger Science, 2011-09-22 17:28:21 UTC
Image credit: Ecofilms Australia If you like this ingenious low-work chicken tunnel garden system, then you'll most likely dig this footage from the same folks of a DIY water heater using rocket stove principles. Burning scraps of wood and tree prunings efficiently, this low tech design provides on-demand hot water with low emissions using basic craftsmanship and reclaimed materials. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Method Debuts New Wave Bottle Made from Plastic Ocean Trash
by: Greener Design, 2011-09-15 21:30:09 UTC

Method, the company that used green chemistry to turn age-old concepts for making and marketing soap on their head, has come up with another innovation that explodes a long-held idea -- that the trash trapped in the North Pacific Gyre is unredeemable.

How Sustainability Leaders Can Get a Grip on Their Utility Data
by: Greener Design, 2011-09-20 11:45:14 UTC

Despite being critically important to measuring, implementing and reporting sustainability efforts, getting hard data on facility energy use is often difficult without the help of third-party software. Here's what you need to know about this growing market.

The 5 Growth Areas for Sustainability Spending in 2012
by: Greener Design, 2011-09-20 22:56:12 UTC

As many businesses wrap up their budget-planning for next year, our research into 20 different industries shows how five key sustainabliity priorities are going to define spending in 2012.

2011 Climate Corps Fellows Show How Energy Efficiency Can Pay Off
by: Greener Design, 2011-09-21 18:31:18 UTC

The potential energy savings being identified by EDF Climate Corps fellows continues to climb: $650 million this year alone.

korean design at london design week 2011
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-09-17 12:21:00 UTC

the exhibition brings forth themes of nature and sustainability, traditional craft and modern technology, design and art, in consideration with form.

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thomas de lussac: surf air inflatable surfboards
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-09-19 10:38:00 UTC

within 2 minutes, one can inflate 'surf air' in which it becomes as solid and as stable as a conventional surfboard.

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