Question: How long do you think it will take before a solar refrigeration system is produced?

Becky Selwyn answered on 13 Mar 2012:

There are already some solar refrigeration systems in use around the world. They use the reaction between two liquid chemicals like ammonia and water (this is called an ABsorption system), but when you use liquids they need to be pumped around the system so it gets quite complicated. The system I am looking at uses one solid and one liquid instead (called and ADsorption system) so it doesn’t need any pumping at all. Some companies have tried to make and sell a system like this, but at the moment it doesn’t work well enough and it is too expensive to really be popular with customers. I think progress is being made every day and if the costs of electricity keep going up then adsorption will definitely be a good option for refrigeration systems in the next decade.