Reduced Energy Demand for Cooling with the Sky

This project demonstrated the use of SkyCools Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling panels to improve the energy efficiency of cooling systems at Ft Moore, GA. These panels work by passively emitting heat to the sky during the day even under direct sunlight. The following two integration modes using this technology were implemented at Ft Moore: A subcooler deployed at a Dining Facilities Administration Center (DFAC), where the array reduced net power and energy usage over the year by 22%; A remote condenser for a water source heat pump, cooling a data closet. The result was a 51% reduction in net power consumption and a 42% reduction in energy usage over the year. While the results showed good technical performance in reducing energy consumption, we also learned that in order for these array systems to be economical at scale, they would need to be installed on cooling systems with greater than 50 tons (or have more than 50 panels per deployment) and that run at least 80% of the time. This is due to the significant economies of scale that come with installing larger array systems.