Solar Powered Air Conditioner Will Save Fuel

Published: Friday, October 14, 2011, 16:23 [IST]

Air Conditioners in cars are one of the reasons why you will have low fuel economy than what is advertised by carmakers. The car AC consumes lot of electricity and they need the engine to run continuously for them to work efficiently. But here is one innovation that will help you keep the car AC running without keeping the Engine on.

Scientists at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a unique solar power air conditioner that can be installed on any car. Powered by photovoltaic cells placed on a sloped panel, the AC is powered by sun light whenever the engine is turned off. The people who have developed this car AC have said there will be no interruption of AV whenever the power source is changed from the engine to the solar panel.

The power generated in the solar panel is stored a battery and is sent to the AC whenever required. Mr Eric Cheng who headed the team of scientists has sid the solar powered AC can run for as long as two hours without requiring engine power. The solar panel has been built on bendy materials allowing it to be moulded as per the size and shape of the vehicle it needs to be fitted on. This will also help keep the shape of the car aerodynamic.

The Solar panel powered air conditioner has several advantages. Firstly it keeps the occupants of the car cool without using fuel, saving costs. The fuel economy invariably improves. You can also reduce pollution as you will not be needed to keep the engine running when the car is not moving.

Article Published On: Friday, October 14, 2011, 12:50 [IST]

Read more on: #accessories #auto news #alternate fuel

More from DriveSpark