Solar-Powered Refrigerator on Wheels: An Engineering Design Challenge

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the agriculture industry in the United States accounts for 11% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Some of these emissions are due to the refrigeration and transportation needs of agricultural products; therefore, it would be beneficial to utilize renewable energy for these functions. This study focuses on the design and implementation of a solar-powered mobile cooling unit to power refrigerated storage and transportation units, specifically for small-scale farming. To inform the design process, small-scale farmers were engaged as potential stakeholders to learn about their current practices and opportunities to create value for them with a mobile cooling unit. A series of experiments were conducted to understand the performance capabilities of the Internal Cooling System and the Solar Battery System. Temperature studies were run to ensure that desirable temperatures could be achieved and maintained within the unit. These were conducted in different weather conditions to quantify external impacts. It was shown that desired temperatures could be achieved and maintained, and that a solar-powered system would be able to serve as the power source for a mobile cooling unit.