Solar refrigeration for vaccines in third world countries
Solar refrigeration is mainly used in third world countries to store vaccines in proper temperature and to prevent them from spoiling. In addition to this, these solar power refrigerators are also used for preserving goods like dairy, meat and vegetables.
Types of solar refrigerators
There are basically two types of solar refrigerators; portable and battery supplemented ones. The solar powered refrigerators and vaccine coolers work on a combination of solar panels and lead batteries.
While these batteries help in storing energy for use in cloudy days and nights, they are expensive. Moreover, these lead acid batteries tend to have problems in hot climate, and may be misused for other purposes. They also need more maintenance, have to be replaced every 3 years When disposed, they are disposed of as hazardous waste, which adds to pollution.
Portable solar refrigerators
Portable solar powered refrigerators are popular in developing countries and work on the principle of evaporation. This is because though these fridges are solar powered; they work without any solar panels.
To reduce costs, these fridges are made using household materials which makes them easily accessible to people in developing countries. These fridges can easily store perishable goods at a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius for days, without any power consumption.
These fridges work with two cylinders, the inner metal cylinder and the outer cylinder that is made of anything like wood and plastic. The inner cylinder is fit in the outer cylinder, with some space in between the two.
This space is filled with organic material like wood, sand or wool, which is saturated with water. When placed in sunshine, the sun evaporates this water, which leads to the cooling of the inner chamber. This in turn reduces and maintains the temperature of the refrigerator at 6 degrees Celsius.
These solar powered refrigerators are limited in size, have no impacts on the environment and can be easily transported. While these fridges can work in places without electricity or a reliable power supply source, they do require water in order to function.
Solar refrigerators to control global warming
While solar powered refrigerators are used extensively in developing countries, some developed countries also use them to reduce the fridge’s impact on the environment. Conventional refrigerators contribute to the ozone layer depletion and global warming, and thus have dangerous impacts on the environment.
It is the chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in conventional refrigerators that cause problems in the insulation foam or refrigerant cycle. This is why CFC’s were banned and replaced with other substances like hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the 80’s.
However as these substances also contribute to ozone depletion and global warming chemicals, solar powered refrigerators are environmentally friendly options and have minimal impact on the environment.
Interect Inc. is a wholesale distributor of solar systems and provides solutions for on- and off-grid applications buy solar panels from a trusted Canadian solar company.
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