Imagine if you could heat or cool your home just by plucking the desired comfort level out of the air. Literally.
Israeli startup ThermoTerra is turning that vision into a novel renewable energy system that harvests energy from fluctuations in humidity.
“Water vapor in the air that’s absorbed onto or into an absorptive material transfers a significant amount of energy,” explains ThermoTerra founder and CEO Dror Zchori.
We know this intuitively. When water evaporates, it causes a cooling effect. Think about the human body – when we’re hot, we produce sweat which, when it evaporates, keeps us from overheating.
When water vapor is absorbed or condenses on a material, the opposite occurs – it generates heat.
On a hot day, ThermoTerra’s technology brings ambient warm and dry air into a home or office. It is stored inside the insulation of the building’s walls — hempcrete, silica gel or wood wool insulation absorb humidity especially well, Zchor says. When the air subsequently evaporates, it absorbs energy and cools the building.
When temperatures are cooler, cold and humid air is brought in; as it’s absorbed, it warms the air, heating the home or office.
“It’s a natural phenomenon,” Zchori says.
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