What is Solar Thermal Air Conditioning?

Efficiency When Saving - Production When Generating.

The answer is simple—it’s in the slogan “The Hotter It Is Outside, the Better It Works”. When the sun is the hottest, and a conventional air conditioner is working it’s hardest the Solar Thermal Air Conditioner by harnessing the energy of the sun is at its most efficient. During the heat of the summer when conventional air conditioners are struggling to cool and burning at least 3-4 amps per ton to do so, the solar collector on the Solar Thermal Air Conditioner is providing the energy necessary for the compressor to remain in stage one where it requires less than 2 amps and while providing cooler and drier air. Even in stage one, the energy which the solar panel is supplying reduces the energy that the compressor must supply. The sun providing energy to your air conditioner that you don’t have to pay for, it’s the wave of the future for energy efficiency!

The Solar Thermal Air Conditioner system has a high efficiency top quality 2 stage compressor and variable speed air handler. The compressor is backed by a full ten year warranty. The system will operate 16 SEER under any conditions. With the solar assist, the system will perform up to a 32 SEER capacity, higher than any other air conditioning system available. The Arizona sun is brutal but the Solar Thermal Air Conditioner can take the heat!

In a Conventional (Electric) Air Conditioning system, the Freon arrives at the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. The compressor is powered by electricity to squeeze the fluid and this packs the molecules of the fluid closer together. The closer the molecules are together, the higher its energy and its temperature. The compressor works to heat and pressurize the Freon, so that the fluid leaves the compressor as a hot, high pressure gas and flows into the condenser. The gases enter the condenser coil and begin cooling and changing back into a liquid at the bottom 1/3 of the coil. When the working fluid leaves the condenser it is a semi liquid, its temperature is much cooler, and it has changed from a gas to a liquid under high pressure. The liquid goes into the evaporator through a very tiny, narrow hole. On the other side, the liquid’s pressure drops. When it does it begins to evaporate back into a gas. As it changes to gas and evaporates, it extracts heat from the air around it. The heat in the air is needed to separate the molecules of the fluid from a liquid to a gas. As it leaves the evaporator, it is now a cool, low pressure gas. It then returns to the compressor to begin this cycle again. The gas enters the compressor as a 50 degree low pressure gas and leaves as a 170 degree high pressure gas.

The Solar Thermal Air Conditioner uses an evacuated tube solar collector to provide the energy which super heats and pressurizes the Freon Gas. The Freon gas enters the solar collector at 170 degrees and leaves in excess of 200 degrees, (the hotter it is, the better it works and the greater the energy saved) to deliver the super heated, higher pressured gas to the condenser. This super heated gas enters the condenser coil and begins cooling and changing back into a liquid at the very top of the coil, instead of near the bottom as in the electric system. When the working fluid leaves the condenser, its temperature is much colder and it has changed from a gas to a 100% liquid under high pressure. When this very cold liquid goes into the evaporator coil and begins to evaporate back into a gas, it extracts heat from the air around it, as the air handler blows it across the cooling coils. The colder, environmentally friendly Freon extracts more heat and humidity resulting in cooler drier air, which allows you to set your thermostat higher and still feel comfortable. The Solar Thermal Air Conditioner runs less, saving both energy and wear on the compressor because the patent pending solar collector is doing the work of the compressor.

Air Conditioners

Is your home being cooled properly?

Each year PEP takes thousands of calls from customers who need help with air conditioner repairs or installation. PEP understands the importance of feeling comfortable in your home’s climate, as the Arizona heat is brutal. Air conditioning is a process that controls the filtration, air movement, temperature and humidity in your home or business. Air conditioning is always associated with the cooling and the dehumidification process of air, and is therefore identified with refrigeration equipment. A residential or business central air conditioning system keeps your entire home or business cool in hotter months, while lowering indoor humidity levels.

How Does Air Conditioning Work?

Most people think that air conditioners lower the temperature in their homes by pumping cool air in. The actual process removes warm air from your house and cycles it back in as cooler air. This cycle continues until your thermostat reaches the desired pre-set temperature.

System components normally include a compressor, a fan, condenser coil, evaporator coil, and a refrigerant. The unit extracts heat from indoor air and exchanges it outside, leaving the cooled indoor air to be re-circulated.

Similar to your refrigerator, the air conditioner uses the evaporation of a refrigerant to provide cooling. The mechanics of the refrigerant evaporation cycle are the same in a refrigerator as in an air conditioner. A compressor compresses cool refrigerant, causing it to become hot, high-pressure gas. This hot gas runs through a set of coils so it can dissipate its heat, and it condenses into a liquid. The liquid then runs through an expansion valve, and in the process it evaporates to become cold, low-pressure gas. This cold gas runs through a set of coils that allow the gas to absorb heat and cool down the air inside the home.

PEP Solar built the largest cold storage facility (55,000 sqft) west of the Mississippi for Shamrock Foods in 1985 off McDowell Road Phoenix AZ..

For historical information on air conditioning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning