Solar-powered ‘SunGlacier’ to grow a layer of ice in the desert

The concept

Living in a hot desert can be very intimidating at times. The hot air, the dry weather, harsh sun, water shortage and no greenery may result in troubled times. People living in deserts tend to face these issues apart from the scorching sun that dries up their lives. Therefore, Verheggen, the cultural ambassador of UNESCO-IHE, designed a creative, cooling concept for the deserts- SunGlacier! The term may seem quite paradoxical, but it surely isn’t, because this huge product is inspired by leaves and aims at cooling the desert sands. This product is covered with solar panels that attract moisture from the air and uses solar energy to transform that into ice. The ice produced is like an oasis, a glacier in the hot deserts. Read more to find out what inspires Verheggen and how this solar device has the capability to change the ambiance of a hot, sandy desert region.

SunGlacier

The inspiration

While working with the UNESCO, Verheggen realized the acute water shortage faced by the countries in the Middle-East. He also realized how desert regions are dark with little hopes of water and greenery. Therefore, Veheggen along with Cofely Refrigeration took inspiration from nature, greenery and water and incorporated these sources of life into an all new concept. They designed a 200 meter square elm shaped leaf with a PV cell coated belly to transform humidity into ice, which can be consequently used as water.

The team also studied the temperatures and humidity levels of Egypt to learn more about water content in desert air. Their researches revealed that humidity levels in Egypt are similar to those in Netherlands. But is the situation similar in Sahara desert? Well, that they still need to study.

Before going off to Sahara desert for further research, the team decided to understand more about the concept. For this they created simulated weather conditions in a shipping container. They heated the container and then ran a humidifier. A huge fan was installed inside to replicate the winds of the deserts and the designed machinery was kept in this experimental situation to see how water in humidity could turn into ice through the winds.

The design therefore is purely inspirational and if the weather conditions in the shipping container are anywhere similar to the conditions in Sahara desert and Middle East, then this concept could surely turn out to be a huge project, guiding the lives of people living in despondency in desert regions.

Eco credentials

The product would use condensation principles to create an artificial ice glacier in the hot climates. The product would have PV panels for cooling the condensers to form ice. The conceptualization of this idea would take place in a leaf-shaped structure that would entrap solar energy into the PV panels and use the power for the process of condensation. The desert winds will also cool down the water that would be obtained from the humid air that supposedly surrounds the desert regions.

The product would utilize all renewable sources of energy like sun, wind and water. The experiments in the shipping container have already been a success, resulting in UNESCO-IHE providing support to this project. If this concept becomes a reality then this would be a green structure bringing hope to the lives of desert inhabitants.

Feasibility

SunGlacier is a highly inspirational project. It aims to encourage people to change their lives, trying to prove that even impossible is possible with hope and hard work. But will the project reach its desired objects? Well, that may be a little difficult considering that the deserts are generally hot and dry.

But Verheggen and Cofely Refrigeration have conducted several researches in Egypt and found out that even deserts have humid weather with moisture content in air similar to that in Netherlands. This increases the success probability of this project. Therefore, larger amounts of water and ice can be produced if desert regions have high humidity.

SunGlacier aims at generating 1 meter square of ice for each 10 meter solar panel. This can pose a difficult as flexible panels aren’t as efficient as conventional panels and the team plans on using flexible panels for this purpose.

But one thing is for sure, if the moisture content in air is high, then this project could taste unprecedented success as the solar power could provide enough heat and energy to transform moisture into water and ice.

We hope that the entire project and test unit is put together coherently for proper functioning. The feasibility of this project is surely high, but moisture levels in the air can make or break the success of this project. Let’s hope that the project receives its desired aims and set an example indicating how innovative thinking can change drastic climatic situations into favorable ones.

Related trends

1. Masdar

Masdar

Based on the design by Norman Foster, Masdar city is an 18 billion dollar project that aims to provide better living standards to residents living in deserts. Since, the availability of several resources in low in the desert regions, therefore, this project relies on Solar and Wind energy, two naturally occurring resources to transform the lives of millions.

Masdar City is basically an offshoot campus of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) where aspiring engineers from U.S., Europe, Asia and Middle East have collaborated to design a small city that runs entirely on Eco-friendly resources. The campus has 45 meter Teflon-coated wind tower that shows visitors about the uses of renewable sources of energy. The argon gas provides insulation in this area while solar air conditioning projects are being tested in the city. Solar panels and mirrors have been installed to generated heated water and electricity. Apart from this the campus also has bank, sushi bar, food shop, canteens and basement parking with 10 driverless vehicles.

The next phase of this project would include development of more than 200 apartments, streets and shops that will speak volumes about environmental conservation and sustainable use of energy resources.

2. Rain by firing Laser beams

Rain By Firing Laser Beams

Researchers from University of Geneva in Switzerland have created rain by shooting laser beams in the sky. The team conducted their researches at Lake Geneva and succeeded. This could change the face of the earth and resolve the problems of droughts and famines by allowing men to determine when and where rain falls. In this concept, laser beams create water droplets in the air and the fired lasers create nitric acid that gets stuck to the water molecules which transforms them into water droplets. If the same technology is used on a larger scale and the particles used in this project get bigger, then these droplets could turn into raindrops. But before that, the beams need several modifications to work in an actual surrounding rather than simulated experimental conditions.

3. Towing an entire iceberg to Drought-Stricken Areas

Towing an Entire Iceberg to Drought-Stricken Areas

When Georges Mougin suggested of this idea in 70s, people laughed at him. But today, towing an entire iceberg seems to be a reality. Well, if you are ready to sponsor this project with $10 million, you can tow a 30 million ton iceberg from one location to other. It would take five months for a tug boat to complete the journey and bring iceberg to a Drought hit area, but at least we can hope that 1 billion people will get access to cleaner water in near future. At the same time, several technologies would be required to protect the iceberg from getting melt. We can only hope that the idea is successful.

All of these projects are thought provoking. The innovative ideas and inspirations behind this project makes us think that nothing is impossible and if we all dare, we can make several positive changes in the world, changes that illuminate our lives, changes that create better living standards for dilapidated ones, changes that make us dream of a brighter, happier and cleaner tomorrow.