Especially in regions with Mediterranean climate the energy demand for cooling down buildings has increased dramatically over the last years with the result that the energy supply as well as the grid stability cannot be guaranteed anymore. Solar cooling is especially suited for these regions since the demand for cooling is at its highest when the sun is shining at its brightest. "It is only logical to use solar energy for cooling purposes", explains Gerd Pommerien, CEO of AS Solar. Solar cooling is basically nothing new, says Pommerien, but so far there are no standardised solar cooling systems for most applications.
Together with scientific help of the Leibniz University and financial support of the EU commission AS Solar intends to close this gap in the market. The goal is to develop a modular system that can individually be combined to meet any requirements without extensive and timeconsuming planning. Due to the standardisation and modular solution the systems will be competitive with conventional solutions.
Technically, the new system will use a different physical principle than the conventional systems which are in use today and which require tremendous amounts of energy. These old cooling units produce cold through an electrically powered motor compressor. Solar cooling, on the other hand, uses the principle of the sorption-chilling process which does not require any other energy source than the free solar heat.
AS Solar supplies the university institute "for design and construction" with the solar technology necessary for the project. "With this cooperation in the area of energy technology we also want to support the scientific research in Hannover regarding one of the most important future issues", emphasises Pommerien. Over the course of the project there will be a field test in Morocco in cooperation with the local AS Solar subsidiary. After the test phase the perfected system will be offered by all AS Solar subsidiaries in nine countries.
AS Solar GmbH, Hannover, Wholesale Trade for Solar Technology and Pellet Systems