Ecoline Solar

According to a report dated August 2021 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human-induced climate change is alarmingly inducing weather and climate extremes in almost every region across the globe. Observable changes include heat waves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones, to name a few. And their attribution to human influence has strengthened since the panel’s report in 2014. The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole and its repercussions remain unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years.

Environmental catastrophes and an alarmingly rising temperature are now compounded by the Urban Heat Island (or UHI) effect. As temperatures rise with climate change and urban cities continue to grow, the use of air conditioning and demand for cooling solutions will invariably increase. This will, in turn, generate increasing amounts of heat waste in a vicious supply demand cycle. This is where Singapore based Ecoline Solar is making a difference by helping break the cycle with its green cooling solutions harnessing sustainable solar and ambient thermal heat energy. The firm manufactures what it claims to be the world’s first solar thermal air conditioning system. Committed to creating greener facilities and sustainable homes, Ecoline is advancing its green cooling technology to turn the energy-guzzling, un-eco-friendly air-conditioners into an energy-efficient, sustainable cooling device.

With assembly, product development, and warehouse facilities in Singapore, along with commercial, technical, and support staff, as well as research and development collaborations with experts from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University, Ecoline offers a full range of cooling systems (single, multi-split & VRF type) for commercial & residential applications. The Ecoline Solar Thermal Air Conditioner, a patented Singapore innovation, can be found in homes and hostels, schools and hospitals, malls, offices, and data centers. Overseas installations include hotels and retail outlets in Myanmar, the Philippines, and the UAE.

EMBARK ON THE JOURNEY TO A GREENER ECONOMY

Leveraging special thermal collectors, developed in collaboration with experts from NUS, Ecoline’s system harnesses and recycles waste heat from the air conditioner’s condenser unit as well as ambient air. Mr. Colin Chia, Technical Director of Ecoline Solar, says, “The hotter the sun and the warmer the surrounding environment, the more efficient our hybrid air conditioner system becomes. For consumers, this translates to greater savings in electricity consumption even when compared to the best conventional and inverter air conditioning systems in the market.”

The technology uses solar heat as an energy source, increasing the efficiency of the hybrid air conditioner as the weather gets hotter.

This results in a lower workload for the compressor, reducing its energy usage by 30-55 percent and lowering the amount of waste heat released outdoors.

The project was also awarded the Prestigious Engineering Award by the Institute of Engineers Singapore and the ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Award by the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations in 2019.

By making buildings greener and living, work, and commercial spaces more sustainable,Ecoline contributes to the growth of climate smart infrastructure needed to push back climate change, especially in warmer countries where aircons are widely used. The inherent and immense sustainability factor within Ecoline’s aircons help lower the need for new power plants in developing countries. This is particularly relevant given the rapid rise in demand for cooling in the Asia Pacific, with the unitary aircon market anticipated to grow from the current $50B to $100B by 2025.

SPRUCING UP THE INNOVATION STREAK OUTDOOR COOLING AND DATA CENTER ENVIRONMENTS

Building upon the success of the solar-thermal aircons, Ecoline’s joint innovation with a major research institution uses a proprietary moisture absorbing and energy saving technology to offer a significantly greener and more affordable solution of outdoor cooling to users.

The prototype of the outdoor cooler, which was designed and tested under Singapore’s outdoor conditions, successfully produced cool and dry air for an area of about 3.5 to 4 meters of its vicinity. It was able to bring the ambient temperature down to 25 degrees Celsius and make the air 21 percent dryer. The company is looking to produce an improved version with better control features and outlook soon.

The potential applications of this outdoor cooler are wide-ranging be it for al fresco dining, outdoor social events, and in parks. “This outdoor cooling solution can provide cool relief to medical facilities and shelters, especially those in remote or resource-poor regions,” Chia notes.Communities facing heat related disasters will find this outdoor cooling solution extremely useful as it is able to produce potable water at the same time.

Ecoline is also developing new products for data center facilities. In that regard, the company is well positioned to capitalize on the fast growing Asia Pacific co location data center market, which is estimated to be worth $28 billion in 2024, overtaking regions such as North America to become the largest worldwide. Ecoline holds a proven track record of providing solar thermal cooling systems for data center clients such as Singtel, StarHub, ENGIE, and Iron Mountain. The company has groundbreaking products featuring proprietary technology in the pipeline to boost the energy and cost performance of data centers through enhanced waste heat recycling and dehumidification solutions.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Ecoline aspires to scale up its game changing innovations for widespread adoption, both locally and overseas, with the help of the government and partners. All these efforts are aligned toward the goals of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 that seeks to reduce climate change and co create sustainable solutions to make Singapore a greener and more liveable city.