Technology Replaces Greenhouse Gases For the first time in the world, the research team of Professors Park Young-woo (Wonju College of Medicine) and Nam Gyoon (Physics Department, Wonju Campus), in collaboration with Sesil Industries (president Jang Hyun-ik) succeeded in developing a cooling device that allows air conditioners to function without refrigerants or air handling units (AHU). Professor Nam explained, “The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), a UN organization, announced in 2007 that we have only eight years left to save the endangered environment. Refrigerant gas is the worst enemy in the fight against global warming and destruction of the ozone layer because it causes 1,300 times the damage carbon dioxide does. So refrigerant gas use is being regulated worldwide and people are rushing to develop alternative cooling technologies. The technology we have succeeded in developing will be able to function as a fundamental solution to the problem the air conditioning industry has been trying to resolve.” The Green Kit: Highly-Efficient and Environment-Friendly Technology The newly developed air conditioning system is special because of the Green Kit it uses along with a Thermo-Module. This makes the product semi-permanent, and because the AHU is no longer needed, it takes up less space and is easier to move. Also, initial cooling speed is over twice as fast as systems that use AHUs. Professor Nam explained, “Air conditioning systems that use thermo-modules only are not as efficient as pre-existing systems, but the simple addition of the Green Kit greatly improves its efficiency. You can easily switch the air conditioning system to a heater in the winter, and because the market price for thermo-modules is dropping rapidly, the new system will be affordable by the time it is commercialized.” Professor Park had high hopes for the future of the new system, saying, “Air conditioning systems that do not use refrigerants have already been developed, but this is the first time anything that shows the possibility of commercialization has been made. If we commercialize our system in cooperation with one of the major companies in Korea, we may be able to dominate the 30-billion-dollar international air conditioning market.” At the demonstration held on May 22, representatives from major air conditioning companies, including Samsung, LG, and WiniaMando, showed great interest in the new technology.