Students from San José University have created a solar icemaker that doesn't use electricity but is capable of creating 14 pounds of ice every day. Faculty advisor and Associate Professor Jinny Rhee described:  "The solar icemaker uses the heat from the sun to drive a chemical reaction that separates a liquid refrigerant from a solid absorbent during the day. The solid absorbent stays in the solar collector, while the liquid refrigerant is driven away and stored in a separate component called the evaporator.

At night, the chemical reaction runs in reverse, and the solid absorbent sucks all of the liquid refrigerant back into the collector; without pumps, valves, or any mechanical components. In the process, the liquid refrigerant evaporates and gets very cold and any water touching the outside of the evaporator is frozen to ice." Although the solar icemaker is rather large right now in its early stages, these students are well on their way to develop a more portable version. The project, dubbed Solar Ice, is a finalist in the 2008 California Clean Tech Open. Winners will be announced in October, reveals the university’s press release. 

---