Laura Fierce: lfierce2
gmail [dot] comThe inability to refrigerate in remote areas of developing countries is a significant burden to economic development and the provision of quality health services. Hospitals and health centers in areas off the electric grid are unable to store medicines, vaccines, and blood at appropriate temperatures, limiting their ability to provide ample care. Food-borne diseases spread more rapidly in environments without refrigeration capabilities. Agriculture, dairy, and fishing industries cannot store products to transport internationally or wait for a better price to sell locally. Retail utility in beverage and food sales and domestic applications, such as air conditioning and food storage, also encourage the advancement in refrigeration systems.
The EWB solar fridge project is in the preliminary design phase, evaluating two different refrigeration cycles. The common vapor compression cycle may be paired with photovoltaics panels. If this is the selected design, the project will focus on reducing the cost of this refrigerator. This may include the use of a DC compressor.
A unique solution to this problem is found in the heat driven sorption refrigeration cycle. These systems are currently limited to applications drawing low-grade energy, such as waste heat in factory settings. However, in recent years the cycle has been investigated in solar applications as an environmentally clean solution for the vast global population without access to cooling systems.
