Inficold, a provider of cold chain solutions for off-grid solar applications, has developed multi-chamber, modular solar cold storage systems to address the problem of food spoilage caused by India’s inefficient cold-chain network.
Large cold storage is difficult to find in large cities, and farm/village level cold storage is primarily non-existent due to unreliable grid electricity. Inficold’s system enables farm-level cooling for perishable commodities in locations with weak grid availability.
The Inficold solar cold storage system stores solar energy in a thermal storage system (TSS) for cooling during non-solar hours. The system automatically switches to grid electricity if TSS depletes below a minimum level. The end user can configure these systems in the temperature range of 0 C to 20 C.
The solar-powered cold storage is available in both container and indoor cold room options, in capacities ranging from 5 metric tons (MT) to 100 MT. This technology is modular in that multiple thermal energy storage can be integrated into larger cold storage.
The 10 MT model is powered by 14 kWp of solar panels. The system comes with four chamber options, providing the flexibility to store multiple commodities in different temperature-controlled chambers. Pre-cooling capacity on solar (removing field heat from freshly harvested produce) is 2,500 kg/day. Pre-cooling capacity on solar plus grid is 5,000 kg/day.
Inficold developed the product in partnership with the National Institute of Solar Energy, under the government of India.
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