It may sound like a contradiction, but Le Lievre, current founder of the Chromasun company, says he and his team are working on an air conditioner that runs off of solar power. 
They currently have a working prototype and are in the fundraising stage to truly go global with the device. Lievre hopes to be mass producing them by 2010, something I and, I’m sure, others with high electricity bills can’t wait for.
What do these devices do? Well, unlike standard PV solar cells, they use what are called multifunctional solar cells. This means they collect both light and heat from the sun’s rays. This makes them more efficient—75% efficient, while solar thermal systems, which collect heat only, are about 48% efficient. Standard solar cells are only 23% efficient at converting light to energy. I wasn’t aware that solar devices were so inefficient!
Chromasun’s air conditioning unit is fairly large, but it contains everything to collect light and heat and convert them to energy. The heat itself runs the air conditioner while the energy gathered from light is used to help offset the electricity needed from the local power grid. While the prototype is bulky, Chromasun has already mentioned reducing the size for home units since they will require less power.
Air conditioners are one of the biggest power draws in any home or business, and companies have looked for ways of making them more efficient for years. However, this is the first major breakthrough in creating a solar powered air conditioner that will both reduce power usage and be affordable to the average home owner. Of course, one of the issues with the Chromasun product will be location—those who live in a primarily cold, overcast location won’t get as much benefit from the device as those who live in sunny, warm areas. Of course, if you live in a cold area, you probably don’t need your air conditioner that much, anyway!
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