Swiss Partners
Solarfreeze CH, Basel
www.solarfreeze.net
Ulrich Kuenzi;
Ostschweizer Fachhochschule
Rapperswil (OST)
www.spf.ch
Paul Gantenbein
Local Partner
Solarfreeze CU,
Pierre Güntert
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Swiss Contribution
Solarfreeze is an incorporated company registered in Switzerland. Both founders, Pierre Güntert and Ulrich Kuenzi, have been active in the field of solar technologies and development cooperation for many years, complimented by the best know-how and a good network in Cuba. The University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland (OST), specifically its Institute for Solar Technology (SPF), is the Swiss centre of excellence for solar heating, and in this case, cooling. SPF supports Solarfreeze in the overall system development. The initial scientific work was carried out in advance as part of a project funded by Innosuisse, which forms the basis of this REPIC project.
Description
This project aims to develop and establish an air conditioning system that both cools and dehumidifies rooms and, moreover, can operate completely self-sufficiently and independently of electricity girds that are often prone to failure. For this purpose, the cooling compressor is to be supplied with the necessary drive energy via a PV battery system. The cold is then delivered via a water-guided capillary cooling system, which is interconnected with a cooling water storage tank. Following the first pilot plant’s construction in Switzerland, the components will be successively adjusted to each other and converted according to the envisaged low-tech/low-cost approach. Later, a plant will be set up with the University of Havana, in order to make final climatic adjustments and then conduct the first training courses. Another system will then be tested in a real tropical environment. In parallel to this, the first installation companies will be founded and a financing model tailored to Cuba will be developed.