During a side-event organised by the German GTZ Proklima at the 30th meeting of the Open Ended Working Group to the Montreal Protocol, currently held in Geneva, a manufacturer from Swaziland presented three new SolarChill prototypes operating with climate-friendly hydrocarbon refrigerant. hydrocarbons21.com reports. UPDATE: The issue of SolarChill’s affordability by African residents was discussed at an October 2011 regional meeting of
The Project
In October 2009, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH in association with the National Ozone Unit of Swaziland and local manufacturer of refrigeration equipment Palfridge implemented a pilot project providing technical assistance and financial support to enable Palfridge to convert its manufacturing lines in Swaziland from the use of unsustainable fluorinated refrigerant gases to hydrocarbon refrigerants.
In June 2010, Palfridge presents as first fruits of the project three SolarChill prototypes: a vaccine cooler, commercial refrigerator and household refrigerator, powered by the sun and using hydrocarbons as refrigerant.
The Event
The event received great interest from developing countries delegations in Geneva. First Dr. Volkmar Hasse from GTZ Proklima and Jones Maté from Greenpeace International gave some introductory words on the development and progress of the SolarChill initiative. Then Roy Singh from Palfridge Limited, a manufacturer of commercial and domestic refrigeration in Swaziland, took the floor.
The core objective of the project in Swaziland was to develop sustainable, simple, safe, reliable and robust solutions for the preservation of medicine, food and beverage at high ambient temperatures (48°C) using solar energy without the use of chemical storage batteries in a country where population living in poverty is estimated at 69%.
The prototypes
Palfrige's SolarChill models operate with solar therm units. During sunlight hours, energy from the sun is converted into electrical energy, which is used to cool the product. Any excess energy is stored in a ballast load (Phase Change Material) and is used during low light & low energy conditions. The cooling system has no battery storage but each refrigerator is equipped with 2 x 90 watt Photovoltaic panels.
MC72-Medical Unit, designed for hospitals, clinics, and ambulances:
The calculated total costs are 1,639€ for the MC Medical, 1,358€ for the LC Merchandiser, and 1,474€ for the MT Domestic. Considering that these prices include the solar panels and prices sink with every new generation of prototypes, the technology is absolutely cost-competitive.
Though cost-competitive, there are still some concerns that the technology might not be affordable for residents in the region. The Swazi Observer – Swaziland’s daily newspaper – reported on 26 October 2011 that the issue of SolarChill’s affordability took centre stage at the 15th Joint Meeting of Ozone Officers Network for Africa that was held on 24-27 October 2011 in Zimbabwe. Meeting participants expressed that SolarChill’s current estimated cost fell way over what residents would ever be able to afford. Some concerns were also voiced as of whether the know-how would remain in Africa and be used to produce the refrigerators locally, as well as the extent to which local materials can be used in the production process. It was pointed out that the refrigeration project in Swaziland is still at a pilot stage, and that it is hoped that securing funding for additional African countries wishing to manufacture the refrigerators would help bring down unit costs.
Testing for performance and reliability
All three models have been thoroughly tested in differing situations in a various countries on both hemispheres in all common ambient temperatures.
Performance data like temperature and power consumption is logged electronically as well as set off alarms for open doors for example. Data is transmitted daily via the telephone network to a website. The website collates the data from all the various loggers worldwide and presents it in a readable pictorial format. This way, Palfridge has the co-ordinates of every refrigerator and can monitor its operating status.
It is an impressive demonstration of hydrocarbon technology in a Southern African region proving that hydrocarbons work very well under high ambient temperatures. This should incite other regions to follow the example and opt for sustainable, climate-friendly solutions in cooling.
In October 2009, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH in association with the National Ozone Unit of Swaziland and local manufacturer of refrigeration equipment Palfridge implemented a pilot project providing technical assistance and financial support to enable Palfridge to convert its manufacturing lines in Swaziland from the use of unsustainable fluorinated refrigerant gases to hydrocarbon refrigerants.
In June 2010, Palfridge presents as first fruits of the project three SolarChill prototypes: a vaccine cooler, commercial refrigerator and household refrigerator, powered by the sun and using hydrocarbons as refrigerant.
The Event
The event received great interest from developing countries delegations in Geneva. First Dr. Volkmar Hasse from GTZ Proklima and Jones Maté from Greenpeace International gave some introductory words on the development and progress of the SolarChill initiative. Then Roy Singh from Palfridge Limited, a manufacturer of commercial and domestic refrigeration in Swaziland, took the floor.
The core objective of the project in Swaziland was to develop sustainable, simple, safe, reliable and robust solutions for the preservation of medicine, food and beverage at high ambient temperatures (48°C) using solar energy without the use of chemical storage batteries in a country where population living in poverty is estimated at 69%.
The prototypes
Palfrige's SolarChill models operate with solar therm units. During sunlight hours, energy from the sun is converted into electrical energy, which is used to cool the product. Any excess energy is stored in a ballast load (Phase Change Material) and is used during low light & low energy conditions. The cooling system has no battery storage but each refrigerator is equipped with 2 x 90 watt Photovoltaic panels.
MC72-Medical Unit, designed for hospitals, clinics, and ambulances:
- The Chest Type unit has two compartments, one for vaccine storage and one freezer compartment.
- A mechanical damper regulates the amount of cooling and keeps it between 2°C and 8°C.
- The dampers and controller are preset to achieve optimum vaccine temperatures in all ambient temperature conditions.
- Ample insulation also allows for vaccines and medicines to be safely stored for extended periods of time in low light conditions.
- A controller and BD35k compressor: the controller is pre-set to achieve optimum beverage temperatures in all ambient temperature conditions.
- Beverages are stored in a basket suspended from the top of the cabinet.
- The unit has a ballast load.
- The remainder of the space can be filled with products.
- It is a single door design with separate fridge and freezer compartments that are able to maintain temperatures from 2°C to -9°C.
- Ample insulation also allows for food to be safely stored for extended periods of time in low light conditions.
- The controller is preset to achieve optimum fresh food temperatures in all ambient temperature conditions.
The calculated total costs are 1,639€ for the MC Medical, 1,358€ for the LC Merchandiser, and 1,474€ for the MT Domestic. Considering that these prices include the solar panels and prices sink with every new generation of prototypes, the technology is absolutely cost-competitive.
Though cost-competitive, there are still some concerns that the technology might not be affordable for residents in the region. The Swazi Observer – Swaziland’s daily newspaper – reported on 26 October 2011 that the issue of SolarChill’s affordability took centre stage at the 15th Joint Meeting of Ozone Officers Network for Africa that was held on 24-27 October 2011 in Zimbabwe. Meeting participants expressed that SolarChill’s current estimated cost fell way over what residents would ever be able to afford. Some concerns were also voiced as of whether the know-how would remain in Africa and be used to produce the refrigerators locally, as well as the extent to which local materials can be used in the production process. It was pointed out that the refrigeration project in Swaziland is still at a pilot stage, and that it is hoped that securing funding for additional African countries wishing to manufacture the refrigerators would help bring down unit costs.
Testing for performance and reliability
All three models have been thoroughly tested in differing situations in a various countries on both hemispheres in all common ambient temperatures.
Performance data like temperature and power consumption is logged electronically as well as set off alarms for open doors for example. Data is transmitted daily via the telephone network to a website. The website collates the data from all the various loggers worldwide and presents it in a readable pictorial format. This way, Palfridge has the co-ordinates of every refrigerator and can monitor its operating status.
It is an impressive demonstration of hydrocarbon technology in a Southern African region proving that hydrocarbons work very well under high ambient temperatures. This should incite other regions to follow the example and opt for sustainable, climate-friendly solutions in cooling.
MORE INFORMATION
Jun 18, 2010, 13:30
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