Background: The proposed system dehumidifies the air and uses its energy for water heating. The condensed water can subsequently be given back to the dried air in an evaporative cooling process; or when only dehumidification is desired it can be simply drained from the system. This unit can utilize the A/C latent load for domestic water heating resulting in significant energy savings for water heating and A/C. The system can control humidity in residential buildings resulting in comfort and significant health benefits.

A robust solar powered water heating system which comprises a solar heating panel and parabolic shaped reflective mirrors

Rankine cycle technology has great potential in solar heat and power generation applications. However its commercial potential could be augmented by increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of the technology. To address this opportunity researchers at UC Berkeley have developed design improvements for Rankine solar applications. These design improvements improve the efficiency of heat transfer and also can reduce the size and corresponding costs of the application.