Solar Powered Cold Storage – Site Selection and its Challenges

Prem Bikram Karki Surendra Pandit Prashanna Bajracharya

Rural Ent. Dev. Officer, PEEDA Business Dev. Officer, CEED Intern, PEEDA

Refrigeration plays an important role in the preservation of perishable foods. Many rural areas of the
world produce ample food supplies but there are considerable losses due to lack of preservation
facilities.. In most places where there is no electricity the concept of solar refrigeration seems
attractive because of rough coincidence of energy supply and cooling demand. [1]This article briefs
out pre-installation considerations and potential issues that may arise at the time of installation of
the solar powered cold storage and thus, their need to be addressed carefully[2] .

StandAlone PV Cold Storage system:

Solar power is a great way to reduce carbon footprint but its sufficiency to power a cold storage of a
given capacity is an important question to be answered. {{{{More benefit vs conventional
system}}}

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The main drawback of solar PV is its capacity factor of only 10%-25%. If 100% dependence in solar
for a Zero electricity bill is the key objective, the system would require Inverter for DC/AC
conversion, PCMs to store energy, solar tracker to run for longer periods each day, Maximum Power
Point Tracking (MPPT) or Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to maximize the pump’s efficiency with
the variable voltage of solar power, a bigger battery backup, timer and relay. The life of solar panels
on average is 15 years but the same for battery is a maximum of 5 years. So a Cost Benefit Analysis
should also be a priority to tackle such challenge. Battery backup can be eliminated by use of PCM
and maximum thermal insulation.

If Solar standalone sufficiency cannot be guaranteed, hybrid system of diesel, grid or wind must be
evaluated with their own Strengths and weaknesses. Diesel power comes with significant drawbacks.
It’s expensive to install and maintain, and fuel is getting more costly. Grid electricity requires grid
connection and added operational cost of electricity which can deteriorate the benefit produced
from installing such system.

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Pre- installation considerations of Site Selection
Early site evaluation leads to better system design with benefits of increased energy production and
better quantification of size requirement. The parameters are discussed below:

a) Land Orientation :

Measurement of location parameters of available area for the array, roof pitch and azimuth are
necessary. Solar panels must be facing true south and not magnetic south, as normally shown by a
compass in the northern hemisphere. This ensures absorption of maximum solar energy over the
course of the entire year. The magnetic declination of the site is done to see deviation from true
south. Google Earth is a handy tool to check this. Land property that can satisfy this orientation
must be preferred.

But often times the orientation of the property/ roof doesn’t permit for a exact south facing. One
solution is to compensate by increasing the solar collector area, either using more panels or larger
collectors. Mounting the panels on racks that orient them to face south is possible, although this will
be more expensive than a standard installation.

But according to a new study, solar panels actually do better when pointed west because peak
demand on the power grid is in the afternoon and evening, and so getting more solar power during
that period is actually more useful at reducing the need for polluting sources of energy.

The Pecan Street Research

Institute study shows that
west-facing panels, compared
to south-facing ones, produce
49% more electricity during
peak demand time.

Orientation vs load curve

study is also of prime
importance. For a cold
storage the maximum load is
faced in the morning time so
it seems logical to face the
cold storage more towards the east.

A study in Chandigarh, India showed that Deviation of 20 degrees from true south in the month of
November decreased the energy production by 2.8% (max). [2]
b) INSOLATION:

Insolation, The incident solar radiation on the earth’s surface in a given time window, typically
expressed in kWh/m2/day is a neccessary indicator for defining the capacity factor of the system.

Out of the total insolation of direct, diffused and reflected light, . This data will help in size
selection of solar array.

The percentage of the sky's radiation that is diffuse is much greater in higher latitude, cloudier places
than in lower latitude, sunnier places.

((((Also if site is very cloudy than Diffused radiation absortion capacity solar panels must be
selected.)))))))))))))Linking type of solar panel with type of exposure.

c) Seasonal impact on solar output:

Azumith angle and tilt angle are important parameters which determine the output from solar
panels. PV arrays are most efficient, when they are perpendicular to the sun's rays. However,
throughout the year the sun's path and the solar altitude vary. In summers, sun is high in the sky
whereas in winters it is lower [2] These parameter are totally dependent on the site itself.
Increasing the tilt angle favours energy production in the winter, while decreasing the tilt angle
favours energy production in the summer. So if standalone system is to be used, either the best tilt
angle must be chosen for fixed frame or fixtures to support change of tilt angle must also be
installed. Change of tilt angle by 14 degrees in the month of June would increase the energy
production by 11%. [2]

c) Shading on the solar panel:

Partial shading is the condition when the modules connected in series and parallel doesn’t receives
same illumination as compared to the other modules and results into uneven power generation by
the different modules of same rating.
If same power doesn’t flow to all the
modules the lower generating
modules will act as a sink and absorb
the power from the modules which
are generating more power, the result
would be dense power loss. Because
of the absorption of the power, the
cells would get heated up and cause
hot spot problem, which could result
into the cracking of the glass shield.

Most modules are manufactured with

built-in bypass diodes that can help
mitigate the effects of partial shading,
but even a shaded row of cells can
disable the module. Shading’s impact necessitates careful site planning and design considerations for
solar-electric arrays. Evaluation of possibility of shade- reduction strategies such as tree trimming or
removal can help eliminate its impacts.

Predicting shading throughout the year from various

obstructions—such as tall trees, nearby buildings, roof
dormers, and even chimneys—can be challenging if done
by sight alone, requiring many observations over the course
of the year. But several tools, including the Solar
Pathfinder, the Acme Solar Site Evaluation Tool, and the
SunEye, can help quickly assess shading on the site
throughout the year—with one site visit.

d) Presence of animal shelter and grazing area::

Any kind of animal shelter and grazing area close to the
cold storage location will result into pest infestation. This
will enhance tiny bacterial particles entering inside the cold
storage infrastructure thereby infecting the stored
vegetables. Thus, it is better to select the site surroundings with no animal shelter in its proximity or
remove it before installation. Grazing control requires need for barbed wire fence around the
property.

e)Proximity of the site with the community and roads::

Centralized installation of cold storage will ensure ease of access to the community. It is best that
such system is installed where there are close inhabitants. Large distance ((((Effect of distance
VS requirement))

g) Need based design:

Solar cold storage systems require 3 phase grid connection for smoother run of the motors and
more instantaneous power. 3 phase comes with higher cost for connection. Compatible compressor
and fans needs to be selected. If Local machine workshops don’t have confidence in repair of 3
phase motors than confusion might occur. For a remote context, single phase system is cheaper and
easier. Usually if the load is less than 20A then single phase system must be considered.

Identification of different crops season wise as well as its accurate assessment is a relevant criteria to
determine the size requirement of a cold storage. However, production estimates in heterogeneous
smallholder farming systems often rely on labor-intensive surveys that are not easily scalable, nor
exhaustive. Recent advances in high-resolution earth observation (EO) open up new possibilities to
work in heterogeneous smallholder systems. Results from study of such estimation in Mali's cotton
belt shows that crop types can be mapped from Sentinel-2 data with 80% overall accuracy (OA) [3].
These estimations would ensure optimum volume as well as power requirement selection of the
system

h) Dedication of the Management Committee:

Remote locations are always preferred because of their capacity of transforming organizations and
redefining social relationships. But remoteness also creates difficulty in monitoring and maintenance
of the system. For this management committee are made which selects the operator, encourages for
production and storage, handles, labels, transports and sells the stored produce, schedules
maintenance and manages in every way necessary for the success of the system. A big chunk of time
and dedication is required by every individual of such committee for its daily operation. But, till the
system does not generate revenue the committee members can be reluctant to show up. Challenge
and risk arises in estimation that the site has local expertise capable of handling the roles of a
management committee.

New Technology Penetration:

A study conducted in Malaysian rural setting shows that Attitude, perceived ease of use and
perceived usefulness have a positive and significant relationship with acceptance of any new
technology. Attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience.
Perceived usefulness as the degree to which a person believes that using a particular information
systems would enhance his or her job performance. [4] For this door to door interview and
counselling can be preferred if the coverage area is less. Monetary benefit that can be provided by
the system must be estimated. Perception of usefulness when developed in people will ultimately
lead to change in their attitude towards a revolutionary system.

New technology of solar storage brings with it the difficulty for breakdown and corrective
maintenance. A local operator must be readily available to handle breakdowns with his skills and
time. Diagnosis of solar cold storage might not be possible by the level of knowledge of a local. For
this a technician from nearby city must also be selected. The company that installs the system might
not always be available to provide its services. So to sustain even after the warranty period a base
level operator and secondary level electrician must be selected. This labour availability search in a
rural setting is often a tedious job. Help from local government and collaboration is necessary.

Leakage on the inside:

There can be high chances of leakage of water especially during monsoon as water will be easily
absorbed by the foam insulation mainly in the floor from the outside surface if the floor and wall
edge are not sealed properly. Wet floor and dirt attracts many insects, spiders and ants that can
damage the stored vegetables. Thus, higher priority must be given to proper sealing/ insulation at
edge surfaces. The leakage if taken place will result in the loss of refrigeration capacity. Sealants like
Resibond (a silicon sealant) and Bosni acrylyc room sealer are readily available in the market. These
sealant can provide proper thermal insulation and less system loss with minimal temperature
increment in a span of a night time.

Rusting on the metal frame of the infrastructure:

When paint is not coated properly with primer at the start with poor insulation, there is high chance
of rusting especially on the metal frame of the infrastructure due to the impact of the sky water on
the surface of the cold storage. This rusting can reduce the life span of infrastructure, metal holding
capacity thereby weakening the cold storage system. Thus, thick paint on the wall surfaces should be
painted properly with due care and sufficient time.

Malfunction of control unit:

There is high chance of malfunctioning of control unit if the system is not installed properly due to
which the cold storage will not be working properly as anticipated. The digital and sensitive control
unit need much attention which might be a challenge for rural people to understand easily. Thus,
adequate training and knowledge should be imparted to the local operator and technician on cold
storage components especially control units. Similarly, screws and other accessories need not be left
with the periphery of the control unit due to which it can contribute to the rusting process.

Food storage practices and handling:

Lack of awareness of food storage practices and handling could affect the shelf life of vegetables
which could impact the life capacity of the cold storage system in an indirect way. Thus, proper
warning and general procedure of food practices and handling should be written and be visible on
the inside wall of the cold storage system for everyone.

Conclusion

In overall, solar powered cold storage is a unique system of its own in Nepal promoting the use of
renewable energy and harnessing sunshine. However, the uniqueness of the system is a challenge for
everyone to be maintained properly. The above mentioned points are few of the unseen issues that
need to be dealt in a careful manner. Proper care and attention and addressing those issues will
enhance the life span of the system thereby improving the shelf life of vegetables which in turn
improve rural livelihoods. Such systems should be prioritized by relevant stakeholders where
renewable energy is promoted on one hand and on the other, benefiting rural communities by use of
environment friendly technology.

References
[1] R. H. B. E. C. B. R. Upadhyaya, "Solar Cooling for Cold-Storage Applications Using Solid
Desiccants and Adsorbents".
[2] S. S. Radhika, "Effect of Tilt angle and Azimuth angle on Solar Output and Optimum Tilt
and Azimuth angle for Chandigarh, India".
[3] M. J. L. P. C. S. T. X. B. P. B. P. Defournya, "Estimating smallholer crops production at
village level from Sentinel-2 time series in Mali's cotton belt".
[4] H. A. M. S. M. A. H. a. J. L. D. Bahaman Abu Samah, "Can Technology Acceptance
Model be Applied on the Rural Setting: The Case of Village Development and Security
Committee in Malaysia," no. Laboratory of Rural Advancement and Agriculture
 Extension, Institute for Social Science Studies, University Putra Malaysia .
[5] "Current Energy Consumption trends & future energy scenarios of Nepal & Energy
Emergency".
[6] K. T., "Design of Cold Storage for Fruits and Vegetables," 2002.