Early attempts at air conditioning involved blowing air over blocks of ice. This strategy used to require a tremendous amount of ice and time to effectively cool a room. When Willis Carrier invented the device that would become the modern air conditioning (using a refrigerant instead of ice) the old style air conditioners of the past quickly fell by the wayside. However, ice may be making its way back to the cooling scene.
Ice Powered Air Conditioners
A new company called Ice Energy has developed an air conditioning unit that brings ice back into the equation. The unit is called an Ice Bear and is roughly the size and shape of a stout refrigerator. At night, the Ice Bear freezes 450 gallons of water by circling refrigerant through copper coils, much in the same way a conventional air conditioner cools the air. This ice is then stored until the daytime.
The idea behind this is the ice is then used to keep the hot refrigerant cool during the day instead of using the AC’s compressor. The result? The Ice Bear can cut energy usage of the standard AC unit by 30%. That’s pretty darn effective, and if you imagine this idea and technology can only become more efficient and effective over time, we may see the Ice Bear as the next revolution in cooling technology.