air conditioning and climate change

[John Frum]

I saw this article https://www.technologyreview.com/20...ing-grid-blackouts-california-climate-change/

tl;dr - As temperatures increase people will use more air conditioning, lots more!

I see opportunity.

 

[gnubie]

Lots of battery sales there. Solar is fine 'til the sun don't shine.

 

[Delmar]

I am still an advocate of converting home AC compressors to natural gas engines and moving them off the electric grid:

• The AC runs most during peak hours, spiking electrical demand.
• AC is the single largest electrical power draw in the home, especially in the south.
• Is the single most difficult component to power from solar, requiring large panels and batteries.
• Simple to operate with minimal electronics or speed regulation. Does not have to run continuously.
• With oil fracking natural gas is cheap & plentiful. Here in Texas I consider it as free, and only pay for the service to pipe it to my home.

There is also talk about central utility "coolant generation" for high population density areas. They already do this in Toronto using the cold water from Lake Ontario.

 

[Camthecam]

I think better house design and a move away from frack gas is the way forward. Pumping heat into the ground at your house (condenser side) is also good. Neighbourhood batteries to even out grid. Northern Australia has houses on stilts to let the air in. Or build underground in the desert. Unfortunately most people just have the same boring house that is oversized and inappropriate for their conditions relying on excessive resources to maintain their false dreams. Oops..

 

[Delmar]

Air conditioning is more than cooling, more importantly is dehumidification. You can build your house in the desert next door to Will, however you will then stress water resources more than you will stress the electric grid.

Even if you build a super-insulted earth-berm ground-loop condenser house you still need air exchanges to ensure a healthy environment for the occupants. Even the most efficient air-air heat exchanger will still draw in outside humid air that needs to be mechanically conditioned.

I wish there were a better mousetrap than the current compressor technology. Peltier thermoelectric is promising however is currently very inefficient.

 

[Camthecam]

Fresh air. Most of the world’s population live in humid conditions without all that stuff. They’ve just got a..house. They seem to have a lot more sex than the rest of us!

 

[gnubie]

I live in the tropics on the coast and only have AC in the bedroom, and didn't even have that for ... 30 years.