Powering a Fridge with Fire?

It would seem that by living in the developed world we are inherently harming the environment. Yes, we live in cities and apartment buildings and are surrounded by infrastructure that defiantly effects our environment and probably does so negatively. But, in today’s world, we have the options to make our impact minimal. Civilizations have been moving towards better technologies for a long time because they allow us convenience and (arguably) a better quality of life. While I will be the first to admit to skepticism about the actual quality of life being improved by technology and development, there is no doubt that the lives of those in developed countries are more “comfortable.” My question is why can’t the technology that allows us the luxuries we are now accustomed to also be good for the environment. Are convenience and sustainability directly opposed?

With this in mind, I was shocked to come to the realization after learning that of the 6.9 billion people on this earth about 1.6 billion don’t have access to electricity. This means that they don’t have refrigeration something I think we all taken for granted today. Think about it for a second cause it should blow your mind. If you didn’t have refrigeration you probably wouldn’t have many of the things your buy at the grocery store. Milk, cheese, and most meat can only keep for a few days on their own which means that they probably wouldn’t be a part of your diet—they would be more hassle than anything. Condiments and any other perishables wouldn’t be available. It would be really difficult to have the diverse and healthy food options we enjoy today because everything would have to be immediately consumed.

The solution to this problem is obvious: provide electricity to all the people in the world who don’t have it. Or so I thought. While this would be nice, it would ultimately be an unsustainable solution to the problem. Instead, as I learned from Adam Grosser the solution is the absorption refrigerator, a device that doesn’t require electricity but fire—something that is common throughout the world. The device works by heating a chamber that is filled with a “working liquid” (water and ammonium) that will later condense and cool the device so that it acts as a refrigerator. This is the most basic principle so if you are interested read up on it.

I think it is clear that beyond this being a very cool innovation it is an extremely sustainable and useful tool for bringing technology and convenience to those without electricity. It is this type of invention that we as members of the first world must be striving to bring into existence. Through these inventions we can narrow the gap between the impoverished and the wealthy and help those in the world with less than ourselves an ideal I think we can all agree is important.