CO company's outdoor kiosks going green

New kiosk technology cuts power consumption in half

Bike sharing, recycling, and other eco-friendly applications are gaining in popularity and familiarity throughout the US. As the manufacturer of these nationwide deployments, KIOSK Information Systems based in Louisville, CO has provided substantial design advances for clients committed to achieving the lowest possible footprint in their outdoor kiosk initiative.

In December 2010, KIOSK introduced an innovative fan cooling system that virtually eliminates the need for an internal air conditioning unit in an outdoor kiosk deployment. This proprietary fan system exchanges internal cabinet air with external ambient air at 15 times the rate of previous industry standards, consistently maintaining the specified operating temperature range (</= 130 degrees C). This high heat tolerant design reliably supports a rich graphic application running on a 15" LCD with conventional PC technology, as opposed to much costlier mil spec computing options.

KIOSK CTO Don Stark breaks down the environmental "so what" of the design improvement. "This alternate cooling technology reduces average power consumption a minimum of 54% - day in, day out for the expected seven-year machine life. Over time, this one change equates to cutting 3300+ KW hours of consumption per kiosk deployed. This eco-benefit compounded across a single customer's project deployment represents enough energy savings to power 900 homes for a year."

Stark adds, "The economic benefit to an outdoor deployer makes the fan conversion even more compelling. The combined savings associated with omitting the AC unit and using conventional PC technology (vs. solid state mil spec grade) is substantial. By eliminating additional high-end components, it cuts the front-end cost of the equipment 20% or more while reducing long-term operating costs and end-of-life recycling expenses tied to the AC unit."

KIOSK's new off-grid solar power systems, low energy consumption components, and efficient fan technologies are all proven self-service design elements that can be combined and leveraged across their entire client base, setting new industry standards in environmentally conscious self-service.