No Compressor, No Refrigerant, No Massive Bills = Cheaper: The Ancient Cooling Method That Is Making A Modern Comeback
Air conditioning accounts for 10 percent of all global electricity consumption. And with heatwaves getting longer and energy bills getting heavier, people are looking for a smarter and cheaper way to stay cool.
According to The Economic Times, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia have developed NESCOD, a cooling system that runs entirely on salt and solar energy, with zero external power required. Solar energy evaporates water from ammonium nitrate, causing it to crystallize and regenerate continuously, creating a self sustaining cooling cycle that produces no emissions and wastes no water.
But even without breakthrough technology, millions are already making the switch to evaporative coolers, commonly known as swamp coolers.
These devices cool incoming air by passing it through water saturated pads, dropping temperatures by 15 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They cost roughly half as much to install as central air conditioning and use about one quarter of the energy.
Evaporative coolers use only 10 to 20 percent of the power consumption of a traditional air conditioner, with no compressors and no refrigerant involved.
Over 700 million people worldwide currently live without access to electricity, making cheaper and affordable and sustainable cooling solutions not just a convenience but a matter of survival.
The future of cooling is not necessarily colder. It is smarter. Like this technology focused article? Read our previous article here.
