A Dutch artist is conquering the impossible by building an ice sculpture in the desert by using the sun’s solar energy and the humidity in the desert air. According to Ap Verheggen’s design, the sculpture will mimic the shape of natures number one energy absorber- the leaf. The surface of the 200 square meter design will be covered with solar cells. The underside of the elm leaf-shape ice sculpture will be cooling condensers that will soak up water vapour from the desert air. According to his theory, this ice sculpture design will produce a layer of ice on the ridged bottom no matter how hot the conditions are.
Regular ice sculptures are made in cool environments and transported by a freezer van, normally to prestigious or extravagant venues. The conceptualisation and design of this ice sculpture completely breaks the mould. On October the 10th in Zoetermeer, Western Netherlands, engineers managed to form a 10cm thick layer of ice on an aluminium shield inside a large container that reproduces the conditions of a desert. The temperature was set to 30°C but there are plans to raise the heat to a further 50°C to test the effectiveness of this unique ice sculpture mould. A humidifier is used to produce the moisture and a fan is used to simulate a desert breeze.
These conditions in the climate controlled room result in a pool of dripping water on the surface of ice sheet even as it thickens.The ice sculpture glacier in the desert aims to disperse the message that anything is possible and to encourage others to create innovative methods to solving the problem of climate change. As Ap Verheggen stated, “You have to open the borders of your thinking…To make ice in the desert is breaking down the border, and that is opening a new world.” In co-operation with Ap Verheggen, Cofely will conduct further tests on the ice sculpture, which will begin next year in an undisclosed North African country. It could become a global ice sculpture solution for water shortages in arid areas. For some people living in the deserts, this solar ice sculpture could become a sustainable source of water. For the rest, the most exciting formation of ice that will be seen will feature as a wedding ice sculpture, where regular refrigerated vans will be sufficient for sustaining the ice, not a desert.
Sally Roberts is an experienced writer on new technologies from around the world.
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