Many rural and underserved areas struggle to beat the heat due to lack of resources. To combat the brutally hot weather, New Delhi-based Ant Studio has designed a low-tech, energy-efficient air conditioning system.
Ingenious use of evaporative cooling offers low-cost solution to sweltering heat
Ant Studio‘s solution is an innovative honeycomb-like installation of conical clay tubes to reduce the temperature. The conical clay tubes are unglazed terra cotta pipes that are stacked together into a beehive-patterned circle.
These pipes are completely doused in water. As warm air runs through the humid clay tubes, the tubes capture the heat and turn the warm air into cold air.
Image courtesy Ant Studio
This zero-electricity AC can lower the temperature of the air by as much as 35 degrees Fahrenheit
The evaporative cooling system was installed at the factory of Deki Electronics in Utter Pradesh, India. The scorching heat released from the genset (a combination of a diesel engine and an electric generator) of the factory was affecting the health of the employees and negatively impacting their productivity.
The cooling system turned the thrust of hot air from the factory’s genset into a cool breeze.
Image courtesy Ant Studio
