21-year-old student Emily Cummins has created a portable solar-powered fridge specifically for use in developing countries. The revolutionary design needs no electricity, and can be made from commonly available materials like recycled metal, cardboard and sand.
Emily Cummins' solar-powered fridge works on the principle of evaporation by using both convection and conduction. The goods to be refrigerated are sealed in an interior metal chamber. Sand, wool or soil is placed between that inner chamber and the outer chamber, and as it is warmed by the sun, water evaporates and thereby cools the fridge's inner chamber. It can maintain a temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit for several days.
Cummins' solar-powered refrigerator has been implemented in South Africa, Zambia and Namibia.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Off-grid Refrigeration
- Revolutionary zero-energy technology presents opportunity for businesses to improve and scale cold chain logistics in developing countries.
- Sustainable Materials
- Growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives create opportunities for industries to adopt sustainable materials in the production of refrigerated storage solutions.
- Small-scale Innovations
- Advancements in small-scale refrigeration present potential for industries to adapt and scale down innovations for personalized and energy-efficient cold storage solutions.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Pharmaceuticals
- New off-grid refrigeration technology presents opportunities for better and more affordable cold chain management of life-saving medicines in low- and middle-income countries.
- Food and Beverage
- Sustainable material innovations will enable companies to scale and improve operations in cold chain logistics for perishable food and beverage products in developing countries.
- Hospitality
- Small-scale refrigeration innovations open up new possibilities for hotels and restaurants to implement personalized and energy-efficient cold storage solutions for guests and customers.
