Automobile air conditioners, solar

A truck solar-powered air conditioning system will be available in the market in early 2012.

The car with i-Cool system - (Photo: Physorg)

The i-Cool Solar system was invented by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, ICL and Nippon Fruehauf. Accordingly, a series of Mitsubishi photoelectric cells (PVs) on Nippon Fruehauf's frame are fixed to the truck's container to charge the air conditioner in the cabin, while the vehicle is not moving.

The new system adds ICL's i-Cool photovoltaic cells, which were launched in May this year. The i-Cool air conditioner stores power in the battery while the car is in motion and uses it when the engine is off. The addition of solar cells ensures that the battery is always fully charged.

When the truck does not move, the i-Cool Solar system can save about 1.8 liters of light oil per hour. On the move it can save an average of 1% of fuel per year, depending on weather conditions and driving conditions. Specifically, a 10 ton truck can save about 1,500 liters of light oil. The maximum capacity of these cells is 900W and the excess power is stored in the battery for use on cloudy days.

According to estimates by Mitsubishi Chemical, if all trucks in Japan (about 1.4 million) use i-Cool Solar system, the country's carbon emissions could drop by 1.65 million tons.

The companies plan to run the trucking system to launch in 2012. They also plan to launch a smaller version for use in cars. Kyocera Corporation in Japan also produces thin panels mounted on the roof in the next version of the Toyota Prius hybrid car.