Cooling represents 20% of global electricity demand in buildings, a share that’s expected to rise as the planet warms and more of the world turns to cooling technology. During peak demand hours, air conditioners can account for over half the total demand on the grid in some parts of the world today.

New cooling technologies that incorporate energy storage could help by charging themselves when renewable electricity is available and demand is low, and still providing cooling services when the grid is stressed.

  • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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    1 month ago

    Sounds like they would do well in Arizona, where the air is dry. IIUC swamp coolers were very popular in Arizona until ~20 years ago when temps increased so much that swamp coolers could not make enough difference (this is largely because more and more land became concrete, which reduced the effect of evaporative cooling the land mass). So a/c became more popular in AZ IIUC. But the dry air would still be dry.

    • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      They still use the same principle a lot with those misters they put everywhere for like outdoor restaurant seating and whatnot. Humidifiers placed inline with your AC ducts will also boost the cooling performance of your system, too.