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5/29/2020

Topic Reading-Vol.2970-5/29/2020


Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why it's time to redesign the old air conditioner
Can’t live without air conditioners? Even if you don’t use or have one at home, most offices and commercial buildings are air-conditioned. Furthermore, data centers use air conditioners to cool the machines and processors to run the Internet and store data from all over the world. Surprisingly, while technologies for construction and information have evolved substantially for the last century, the basic designs of today’s air conditioners haven’t changed much since the first air conditioner was brought in the market back in 1926.
By the middle of the century, 4.5 billion air conditioners are estimated to be in use around the world, 3.3 billion more units than today. Many of those new air conditioners will be added in developing countries where temperatures are quite high, such as south Asia and Africa. According to the International Energy Agency, today’s air conditioners consume about 10% of the total electricity. It is obvious that the world is going to need to generate much more electricity in the coming decades especially when electric vehicles become popular. The world desperately needs innovations to control air temperatures and humidity more efficiently.
The Global Cooling Prize has recently been initiated to incentivize individuals, teams, and companies to design the next generation of air-cooling systems. The design must not only innovative but also practical. Of the over 2,000 participants, eight finalists were granted $200,000 to develop prototypes that will be tested in sizzling Delhi’s summer, whose average high-temperature is 33.6°C and the average low is 26.4°C.
Enjoy reading the article and learn how challenging it is to design and produce air conditioners of the 21st century.

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