If you're into technology and haven't been to the TED website, you are missing out. Standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design, it's a conference that brings together the smartest people in the world and all of the 'TED talks' are posted online. It is one of my favorite things on the W's.

A new video featuring Adam Grosser talks up sustainable refrigeration. Like the stirling engine, his concept takes an old idea and uses it to further the green tech revolution. The principle this time is absorption refrigeration. Grosser gives a great explanation in his talk, but essentially it uses heat to evaporate and condense a liquid, creating a cooling effect.



Using non-toxic refrigerants, this ultimate mini-fridge gets its initial heat fix from a cooking fire. The contraption heats up for 30 minutes, cools for an hour and refrigerates a 3 gallon container for about 24 hours. In the video, Grosser picks up the football-sized prototype weighing 8 pounds and explains that the devices can be manufactured at high volume for $25 a pop.

Applications for the technology include storage of crucial vaccines and food in developing countries, where electricity and stored fuels are scarce or non-existent.

From an energy perspective, it's been so easy to dig coal from mountains and suck it up from the ground. Now, we're being forced to mine our scientific discoveries, new and old, for the next breakthrough. Personally, I can't wait to see how the Charleston is going to solve the water crisis.