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How Tech Is Redefining the Future of Air Conditioning
As the planet warms, researchers and startups are developing innovative technologies for a cooler and more energy-efficient future
As our planet heats up, so too does demand for cooling technology. Energy use for space cooling will more than triple by 2050 according to a 2018 report by the International Energy Agency. But air conditioning units are power hogs — accounting for about 10% of worldwide electricity consumption — and contain a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant that is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” says environmental engineer Shelie Miller, director of the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment. “It becomes warmer, so we turn up our air conditioners, which consume more energy. When we use more energy, more greenhouse gases are released, causing it to get even warmer.”
How do we deal with this conflict? It’s a problem that scientists and engineers are working to solve by developing more sophisticated, energy-efficient cooling technologies.
The concept of air conditioning dates back centuries.
“Enhancements in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technology are continually improving the efficiency of cooling services, and switching to renewable energy sources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions can reduce the overall impact,” Miller says. “Throughout history, people have come up with innovative ways to cool buildings without the use of energy-intensive air conditioning.”
The concept of air conditioning dates back centuries. Ancient Persian engineers built “badgirs,” which are wind catchers that funnel cool breezes down to houses, and “yakhchāls,” conical structures used to make ice that were one of the first refrigerators in the desert.
In 1820, inventor Michael Faraday discovered that compressing and liquefying ammonia and then allowing it to evaporate could cool the air. In 1902, engineer Willis Carrier designed an apparatus for the Sackett & Wilhelms Lithographing and Printing Company in New York that circulated air over coils chilled by compressed ammonia to control humidity when…
