All these waves of drought have given ideas to create a modern and future air conditioner, without wires, without emissions and without even needing electricity to work.
In Israel, an Israeli company has patented and developed Kensho, an air conditioner with these characteristics. Currently, being tested at six locations in Tel Aviv, Kensho will be on the general market in the summer of 2023.
“We create energy from the pressure that builds up between liquid nitrogen and nitrogen gas,” he says. Tal Leizer, CEO of Green Kinoko.
“We use liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees. When it turns into a gas, the nitrogen creates a very high pressure that we use to activate a mechanical engine.”
Creator,Leizer explained that his team was working with cryogenic liquids (liquids at extremely low temperatures) on an unrelated project when they realized the potential value of nitrogen to make an air conditioner.
“We calculate the carbon footprint: the liquid nitrogen we use is a byproduct of medical oxygen produced for hospitals. And what comes out of the unit is an inert gas that we breathe,” Leizer explains.
Compared to any other air conditioner, this one contains no polluting gases. It doesn’t use electricity or add heat to the atmosphere. It works without water, so there’s no noise or humidity. Again: it does not damage the ozone layer of the atmosphere. Need to add more?
Note that the nitrogen charge must be renewed every 7 to 10 days, depending on the use of the unit. A circumstance that will not affect the costs: the price of such an air conditioner will be comparable to that of conventional air conditioners, and the electricity consumption will be zero.
The Kinsho system has been under development for two and a half years, and at this stage the company has built 12 prototype units for use in the pilot trials. With enquiries already pouring in from at least 40 different countries, Green Kinoko is preparing to gear up for serious volume production. “I can’t say which quarter,” says Goldberg, “but I assume by mid-to-late 2023, we’ll have it ready for the mass market. At this stage, we’re looking for an investment to start production.”
The last eight years have been the eight hottest years since modern record-keeping began in 1880, according to NASA, and temperatures are rising steadily decade to decade, along with extreme weather events like the blazing heatwaves that have scorched Europe, Asia and the United States. Existential uncertainty aside, outdoor cooling is going to become a bigger and bigger necessity over time, and relatively benign solutions like this could become very valuable.
That’s assuming they scale well, and there are sufficient liquid nitrogen supplies available for mass adoption in a given region. And before we declare this a green cooling system, the nitrogen would have to be distilled using green electricity. What’s more, there are definite safety and materials handling concerns here; liquid nitrogen can cause extreme cold burns, explosions and even asphyxiation if improperly handled, so these units will need to be treated with care.
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