Abu Dhabi to plug in solar air conditioner

Start-up Chromasun will install a solar-driven air conditioner, a technology with the potential to cut peak-time electricity use, at a commercial building in Abu Dhabi this year.

The company is showcasing the Chromasun solar collector, which concentrates sunlight 25 times to generate heat, at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi this week, CEO Peter Le Lievre said on Thursday.

Chromasun's collectors use a Fresnel lens made from aluminum to concentrate light and heat a liquid used in an absorption chiller, an air conditioning system used in some commercial buildings. It's the same basic concentrating solar technology used by solar thermal company Ausra, where Le Lievre was a co-founder. But the "micro-concentrator" is designed specifically for existing building air conditioners.

For further information: CNET