What is a solar air conditioner and why is it necessary to buy?

Have you ever heard of a solar air conditioner? I also was not aware of this product in India unless I came across an advertisement. The advertisement claims that a 1 ton solar air conditioner consumes 40% less electricity by using solar energy and it is also environmental friendly. The users of air conditioners in homes and offices only feel the pinch when the get a huge electricity monthly bill. It is true that we can get a 1 ton AC as cheap as Rs.10,000 depending on the manufacturer and brand name. The starred air conditioners are costly depending on the number of stars they have. But once it comes to the consumption of electricity, it may be as high as Rs.1,800 per month (assuming an 8 hour use with 1.5 Kwh / hour at the rate of Rs.5 per Kwh. The rate may vary depending on the cost of electricity. Now some of the consumers may be comfortable with this cost of running an air conditioner. What we must look at is that these air conditioners are not environment friendly. They are the biggest pollution creators at the centre of production of electricity in the case of thermal production of electricity. It is pertinent to mention here that 70% of India's electricity is produced from coal, the polluting agent. For every 1500 W of energy used by the AC, nearly 3000 W is produced at power plants using coal. Moreover there are transmission losses of 30 to 40 per cent when use conventional resources of electricity. The use of air conditioners especially in the towns and cities result in overloading. The hike in the prices of coal and resultant increase in electricity costs puts a heavy burden on the consumers. Moreover our coal reserves cannot continue to exist for ever and that is another worry. Moreover the creation of greenhouse gases is another problem. So in such a situation, we have to look towards an alternative. If the alternative is environmental friendly solar air conditioner, then why should one not to avail such an opportunity?

The working principle of the typical air conditioner and the solar air conditioner

The typical air conditioner consumes electricity required to run the compressor for cooling. But the solar air conditioner will use the sun energy as the heat source to produce the energy to run the cooling process. The system of working of solar air conditioner is similar to that of working of a refrigerator. The cooling in the refrigeration takes place when the liquid evaporates with a very low boiling point. So when a liquid evaporates or boils, it takes some heat away with it. This process continues until all the liquid gets boiled or everything becomes cold. The difference between the two is in the change of gas back into a liquid so that it may be used again. A typical air conditioning system

makes use of compressor to increase the gas pressure, forcing the gas to become liquid again by the use of a condenser coil. However the solar air conditioner follows a different operation. The solar heat from the sun is used to superheat the refrigerant. This makes it possible for the refrigerant to begin changing state at the top two thirds of the condenser coil. In the conventional air conditioner there is only a portion of the gas change into a liquid which allows the refrigerant to enter into the metering device as a saturated vapour. The process involved in the solar air conditioner allows more of the refrigerant to change its state back to liquid faster and at the same allows the transformation of more liquid into the metering device.

What is the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) of an air conditioner

The Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) is the one important index to decide whether your air conditioner is energy efficient and how much energy efficient it is. EER is the regular rate of heat energy removal. This in fact means the cooling capacity of the air conditioner. So the efficiency of the air conditioner is measured by dividing is cooling capacity by the steady-state rate of energy input to the product measured in watts (cooling capacity w/ input power w). The higher the EER, the more efficient will be your air conditioner.

A 12,000 btu solar air conditioner for example has the cooling capacity of 3500W and input power of 920W. So, we get EER of about 3.8 by dividing cooling capacity of 3500W by input power of 920W. This means that a solar air conditioner with the EER 3.8 for cooling when compared to the normal air conditioner with EER of 2.5 saves 34% of electricity. The solar air conditioner will require 4 5 hours of sunshine to work for more than 15 hours.

How much money one can save on power by using solar air conditioner

The typical air conditioner of 1 ton capacity if used for 8 hours per day with an input power of 1500W will consume electricity at the rate of 12 KWH per day. In comparison, the solar air conditioner will use only 900W which is about 40% of electricity. This means 900W x 8 = 7.2 KWH and the saving will be 12 7.2 = 4.8 KWH per day and total saving in a month will be 4.8 x 30 = 144 KWH. Suppose the electricity rate is Rs.5 per KWH, then the total saving will be Rs.5x 144= Rs.720 per month. So the total amount saved for a period of 8 years will work out to be Rs.720x12x8 = Rs.69120/- which is the

approximate price of the solar air conditioner. Obviously the solar air conditioner can pay for itself in 8 years time.

Availability and installation of a solar air conditioner

The solar air conditioner can be bought online from some shopping websites like the Ebay India. The item will not be readily available and will take about 60 days time. So do not buy if you are not willing to wait. A local technician can help in installation. The method of installation of a solar air conditioner is similar to normal air conditioner. The standard distance between outdoor unit and indoor unit is 10-15 meters. The maximum is up to 30 meters. The standard distance between outdoor unit and solar panel is 1.5-3 meters. The panel does not need to be installed directly facing the sun. The detailed installation guide will be provided by the seller.

Life Cycle Cost comparison for 20 years period which is the life span of the solar air conditioner

Normal A/C - 1 Ton, Split AC Initial Cost - Rs 20,000 ( Including Taxes & Installation) ; Running Costs if used for 8 hours for 30 days - Rs 1,800 / month or Rs 21,600 / year or Rs 4,32,000 for 20 years.....Total : 20,000 + 4,32,000 = Rs 4,42,000 == Rs 4.5 Lakhs approx....(maintenance cost not included)

Solar A/C - 1 Ton, Split AC Initial cost - Rs 75,000 ( Including Taxes & Installation) ; Running Cost if used for 8 hours for 30 days - Rs 1,200 / month, Rs 14,400 / year or Rs 2,88,000 for 20 years....Total : 75,000 + 2,88,000 = Rs 3,63,000 == Rs 3.5 Lakhs approx.....(maintenance cost not included) There may be savings on inverters, stabilizers, batteries etc of about 1.5 lakh which are not included.

Specifications of the 1 ton capacity solar air conditioner

Capacity Cooling : 12000 Btu/h OR 3500 W Heating : 13000 Btu/h OR 3800 W

Power -

Input power Cooling : 920 W Heating : 930 W

Noise Indoor : 40 db (A) Outdoor: 50 db (A)

Air Circulation : 720 m/h Suitable Area : 15~25 m

EER : 3.8 w/w

Indoor Unit Size : 1010 x 325 x200 mm ; Weight - 15 Kgs Shipping : 1065 x 375 x 255 mm ; Weight - 18.5 Kgs

Outdoor Unit Net : 930 x 330 x 600 mm ; Weight - 51 Kgs Shipping : 995 x 390 x 650 mm ; Weight - 56 Kgs

Solar Panel Collector Dimensions : 1000 x 550 x 87 mm Weight : 14 Kgs

Observation by the author

The cost of the solar air conditioner seems to be quite high and unaffordable by ordinary households. So, I would advise the buyers to wait for such solar air conditioners to flood the market when their costs might come down. But those who have the finance and want to encourage the use of solar energy are welcome.