DA-76-12-4 -- Solar Absorption Air-Conditioning Performance in Central Ohio PDF

The utilization of solar energy for residential space heating and cooling has been under study at Ohio State University for several years. The current industrially supported work has concentrated primarily upon the performance of a residential-sized laboratory located on the Ohio Exposition Center grounds in Columbus, Ohio. The motivation for the program has been first to identify the technical and economic boundaries applicable to the Ohio and the Great Lakes region, and second to identify specific areas of research upon which to focus.

The performance of the residential-sized laboratory during the 1974-75 heating season is covered in a paper I presented at the Los Angeles ISES meeting. The results of that season's performance have led us to make many control and operational modifications to the system. These modifications will be evaluated in our on-going solar research program.

Several other researchers have also attacked the formidable task of solar cooling. Particularly noteworthy are the early works of Farber and Anderson and the more recent works of Lof et al and Humphrieset al, all of whom have demonstrated the technical feasibility of solar cooling in their geographic locations. The work reported in this current paper helps provide needed analysis of the economic potential of solar absorption cooling and to sound a strong word of caution about widespread utilization of the current absorption cooling technology.