CITY FOCUS
NETEnergy , the brainchild of Said Al-Hallaj , a chemical engineering professor at the University of Illinois , aims to increase the efficiency of air conditioning systems . The company ’ s product ‘ Black Ice ’ is an artificial substance that is hailed as “ more robust , more adaptive to air conditioning , more adaptive to the smart-grid interface and [ able ] to react fast ,” Al-Hallaj told Midwest Energy News . The composite of graphite and wax is intended to integrate with existing air conditioning systems to store cold energy that can then be released at peak hours more efficiently than refrigeration units and traditional ice-cooling methods . “ We can charge and discharge in less than two hours , whereas ice takes six to eight hours to charge or discharge ,” said COO Mike Pintar .
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