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Old 01-20-2011, 09:26 AM   #1
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

Short on details but interesting. I bet they will be expensive...I also wonder if they will do what it says on the box.

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Old 01-20-2011, 12:06 PM   #2
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

wrong time of year for me,should have made a heater!A combo would be nice
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Old 01-20-2011, 01:19 PM   #3
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

Wonder how it works and if it only works in mild climates.
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Old 01-20-2011, 02:03 PM   #4
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

I wonder if they are simply making a solar powered swamp cooler? Or maybe an absorption-based solar A/C? Either way they aren't the first. I would lean towards the absorption AC as it can be used all over not just in dry climates.

http://www.solarpanelsplus.com/solar-air-conditioning/
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Old 01-20-2011, 03:31 PM   #5
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

“Huang said the second-generation of the model will begin production in January 2011 and that it will be 100-percent solar-powered”… I guess you could derive from that the first generation is not 100 % solar power? The company claims that the system mainly makes use of renewable solar energy and only uses grid electricity when solar power is inadequate. Maybe 2nd generation will not require grid electricity but only as a option.

They (the China Gree) look like small Inverter wall split type air conditioners.

United Solar® is the pioneer in the field of Solar Hybrid Air-Conditioner and has made one (I think may be similar - but not sure). Note the Cassette Type Solar AC for RV’s.

http://unitedsolarpowercorp.com/custom/ ... ducts.html

Or you could just make your own swamp cooler…



I’d love to see the cost of the 2nd generation Gree….$$.

When it becomes available in China will the Chinese drywall still corrode the copper and metal surfaces in air conditioning evaporator coils? Maybe they should RD another model just for the drywall problems.
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Old 01-20-2011, 04:09 PM   #6
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

I think it is more along the lines of who could better afford to spend the money on the first units built so the factory can keep running rather then some notorious plot. They could also be being built by a western owned conglomerate of some type. I dunno but I would lean more towards an economic reason then anything sinister. I remember when they had us all (Americans) scared of Russia, now its China. China's economy would utterly collapse without our (the U.S.) buying power. A fair import tax of Chinese goods would pay off our deficit in a few years if we could get an administration in Washington that put good business practices ahead of greed. I don't think there is any need to fear China other then hype.
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Old 01-22-2011, 08:51 AM   #7
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Re: China turns out first solar-powered A/C

Converting the sun's rays to electricity to power a compressor refrigerator would be inefficient. Today's solar cells and PV panels fail to convert 80% to 90% of the energy hitting them into usable power. Collecting the sun's heat is at least twice as efficient.

I would think absorption using solar heating would work - Factory RVs and hunting camps have long had absorption refrigerator/freezers that use heat from a propane flame to keep their food cold. Focusing the sun onto the point where the flame would be on an absorption system, or using fluid to transfer heat to that point from a larger collection area would just be a novel implementation of existing technologies.

There is no mention of the solar aspect on the Gree English homepage or air conditioner section. But the story Smitty linked to mentions "excess electricity," so they may in fact be trying the electric route. It sounds like "solar assisted" instead of "solar powered" would be a better description of what that story alludes to.
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