Solar Cooling Technology Review

This paper provides a brief summary of current solar cooling technologies based on a literature review of 16 journal articles. The REDD facility at DRI currently uses two methods of cooling: an absorption chiller driven by solar thermal, and an evaporative cooler which can be run off of solar photovoltaic. This literature search is to identify what are the best technologies to convert solar energy into space cooling. Air conditioning is an attractive area for solar energy use as it is estimated that 45% of household energy consumption is used for cooling. Furthermore, 10-20% of all electricity produced is consumed for refrigeration and air conditioning. 1 Solar energy is a prime target as an energy source as peak radiation levels typically coincide with peak refrigeration and air conditioning demands.