Abstract
Air conditioning is the single largest contributor to peak demand on U.S. electricity grids and is the primary cause of grid failures and blackouts. Power generators and refrigeration-based air-conditioning units are least efficient at high ambient temperatures, when cooling demand is highest. This leads to increased pollution, excessive investment in standby generation capacity, and poorutilization of peaking assets. The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) evaluated three multistaged indirect evaporative air conditioners on behalf of General Services Administration (GSA) Rocky Mountain Region (Region 8). The multistaged IEC units' energy savings potential and ability to maintain acceptable interior thermal comfort was evaluated at theDenver Federal Center. The results of the demonstration indicate that the multi-staged IEC units can significantly reduce energy usage when compared to a standard air-cooled RTU. Over the course of the demonstration period the average EER across all three units was 63, which is five times greater than the average EER of typical air cooled RTU.
Original language | American English |
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Number of pages | 38 |
State | Published - 2014 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/TP-7A40-61304
Keywords
- Coolerado
- direct evaporative cooler
- direct expansion
- evaporative
- General Services Administration (GSA)
- GPG
- green proving ground
- GSA
- indirect evaporative cooler
- multistaged indrect evaporative cooler
- rooftop units