Cooling Post: Cool patents bring next-gen fridges closer

Scientists at the US Caloric Materials Consortium, CaloriCool, claim to be closer to producing a caloric refrigeration system that is markedly more efficient than current gas compression systems.

It is estimated that residential and commercial cooling currently consumes about 20% of electricity generated in the US. CaloriCool claimss that caloric refrigeration system could save as much as 30% in energy usage.

Consortium members have filed a pair of provisional patent applications on two caloric materials, which are compounds that generate strong cooling effects when acted upon by magnetic, electric, or mechanical forces. READ MORE...