Scientists at Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico have developed a solar powered air conditioner that is appropriate for their country’s hot and humid climate.

Wilifredo Rivera, who is the head of the University’s Center for Energy Investigation, told Mexican news source Milenio.com that while other countries like Germany and Japan have developed solar air conditioning systems based on their countries needs, he and his colleagues have now designed a machine specifically intended for the climate of Mexico—and as a bonus, it’s easy to maintain. It has only a few moving parts and Rivera says that “the only thing that’s necessary is to keep the set of panels clean to best capture solar radiation.”

These kinds of innovations are crucial for helping foster a green economy worldwide. In addition to sucking up dollars, air conditioners have a considerable environmental impact that really blows (Sorry, it was just too hard to resist). According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, “energy consumption for home air conditioning accounts for almost 5% of all the electricity produced in the U.S. for all purposes at a cost to homeowners of over $15 billion. This translates to roughly 140 million tons of carbon dioxide.” Rivera’s machine will help eliminate this impact for Mexico by not using any electricity at all.

The air conditioning system has two major components, an array of solar panels and a cooling system (pictured with Rivera). While most traditional air conditioners use mechanical compressors, this machine instead produces cold air by using an absorber and generator in a process known as “absorption.” If you are interested in the details, a diagram showing how absorption air conditioners work can be seen by clicking here. If you aren’t ready for something so advanced, you can learn how a regular air conditioner works in this short 1.5 minute video.

Rivera admits that the system he helped make is still not yet available at a convenient size, but he thinks it can be adapted. He also says that the system would be more cost efficient than others for Mexicans, especially since Mexico is so well-endowed with sunlight—and he’s right. Mexico has the potential to be one of the top solar producers in the world. Mexico is also already a leading producer of geothermal energy and even began exporting 75 megawatts worth to California last year. In other words, full-scale development of solar and other renewable forms of energy will be a huge boost for Mexico’s economy and its people.

This probably will not be the last time we will hear about Rivera and the Center for Energy Investigation. In addition to having their clean energy research results published in numerous journals, their creativity has stretched beyond air conditioning. For example, several years ago they created a solar-powered  ice machine that could produce around 22 pounds of ice per day. It was designed so that it could be made with easy to find materials, and according to one of Rivera’s research partners “could be constructed by a small business in one to two days.”

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Image source: Milenio.com