The concept of eco gadget means the usage of green technology and involvement of renewable energy sources for their usage.
Is not very important the magnitude of power used but much greater is the scope, the energy efficiency, to preserve the conventional sources of energy, to give autonomy in usage and running on renewable energy.
Following this idea, the Dutch industrial designer Jo Szczepanska has contrived the Outback Cooler concept. What is about? In fact is only a food cooler which utilizes the effect of passive solar power for its intrinsic mechanism no requiring any electrical system. This eco gadget is based upon the much touted pot-in-pot refrigerator mechanism. Is better known as Zeer (in Arabic) and was used in antiquity in the Egyptian Old Kingdom.
The basic of the cooling system involves a clay pot within a larger clay pot. A layer of wet sand is kept between the two pots, while a wet cloth cap covers the container. The mechanism involves the passive heating of this container by the incoming solar energy. Under the solar energy the inner pot (which contains food) gets heated and the process of evaporation occurs. Because of evaporation the hot air from these containers is given to the surrounding wet sand layer, while cold air from the sand enters into the inner pot, to fill up the vacuum. This way the food is kept cool by natural evaporation.
The Outback Cooler is both portable and easy to use. According to the designer, in a dry weather, this technology allows for food to be stored for up to 20 days without use of external power sources. Moreover in a way, this concept proves that green technology isn’t always about some complicated mechanisms.
Back to basis approach give use ideas to reconsider the concepts of living and better use of solar energy.
