The American University of Beirut received a donation from the Deutsche Eco AG and Junior Chamber International (JCI) Chapters of Aleppo/Beirut/Freiburg to develop a fully-solar-powered air conditioning system.
The in-kind donation of the educational PV system, which consists of solar panels, was officially celebrated in a ceremony held at AUB on April 26. By funding educational programs that support green technology and sustainable practices, we can hasten the development and adoption of green construction and production in the industry.
Installed atop the Faculty of Engineering, at Bechtel Building, the solar panel system will serve as an ongoing experiment in green energy while simultaneously providing an environmentally-friendly cooling system and solar source of electric power up to 2 kW. All air-conditioning systems also produce water by extracting the humidity from the atmosphere. This system will produce 15 liters of fresh drinking water per day.
Moreover, since the system includes a digital display (pictured) that is set up at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, students will be able to know how much of the electric power at Bechtel is produced by the sun. “This will promote awareness among students about the ability of implementing clean power solutions,” added Ghaddar, who is also associate provost at AUB.
The system will be used in lab courses related to renewable and air conditioning systems to educate students on innovative methods of integrating and designing systems using alternative energy sources. It will also serve as a showcase of how renewable energy can be used in meeting cooling and fresh water needs in Beirut’s humid climate.
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