Solar Air-Conditioning: Design for a Compressor-Less System using Peltier Effect

Abstract

Air-conditioning is one of the major consumers of electrical energy in many parts of the world today and already today air-conditioning causes energy shortage in for example China. The demand can be expected to increase because of changing working times, increased comfort expectations and global warming. Air-conditioning systems in use are most often built around a vapour compression system driven by grid-electricity. However, most ways of generating the electricity today, as well as the refrigerants being used in traditional vapour compression systems, have negative impact on the environment. Solar air-conditioning might be a way to reduce the demand for electricity. In addition many solar air-conditioning systems are constructed in ways that eliminate the need for CFC, HCFC or HFC refrigerants. This research work is based on the Peltier effect with which we can cool a specific area without using compressor which take a huge consumption of electricity. And this system is driven by solar energy using solar plates, battery, transformer peltier module and heat sink. This paper deals with a wide range of components, from room air-conditioners to solar.Conventional compressor run cooling devices have many drawbacks pertaining to energy efficiency and the use of CFC refrigerants. Both these factors indirectly point to the impending scenario of global warming. As most of the electricity generation relies on the coal power plants, which add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is the major cause of global warming. Although researches are going on, better alternatives for the CFC refrigerants is still on the hunt. So instead of using conventional air conditioning systems, other products which can efficiently cool a person are to be devised. By using other efficient cooling mechanisms we can save the electricity bills and also control the greenhouse gases that are currently released into the atmosphere .Air-conditioning is one of the major. Collectors, which can be used as subcomponents in a solar air-conditioning system. However, most of the components and subsystems covered are not only suitable for solar air-conditioning. Some components are used for electrically, mechanically or heat driven air-conditioning. And of course other sources of mechanical energy or heat could be used for powering these components. Other components are used for solar energy collection and storage, which can be used in solar energy system with other purposes than just driving a solar air-conditioning system. In this research work the idea was to build an alternative for AC and to provide Air conditioning effect. The research aims to design and build a miniature prototype of thermoelectric cooling system for a conventional air conditioned to provide air conditioning to reduce the consumption of electricity and to reduce the pollution.