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The hydrocarbon based SolarChill refrigeration system is currently being further developed to become suitable for use in temperatures over 45°C. The project funded by the German government will allow for hygienic food and cold drinks storage in shops and at home as well as contribute to improved health services, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

A project aiming to contributing to improved health services of rural populations and offering capacities for hygienic food and cold drinks storage in shops and at home is currently being implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH in association with the National Ozone Unit of Swaziland and local manufacturer of refrigeration equipment Palfridge.

The project’s main purpose is to complete the technical development of the existing prototypes in order to make SolarChill, the refrigeration system that operates on and stores solar energy directly in the form of ice using hydrocarbons refrigerant, suitable for use in temperatures over 45°C, a common condition in the hot seasons of many tropical and subtropical countries. Compared to currently used technology, every operational SolarChill unit avoids direct refrigerant emissions of about 0.2 tonnes CO₂ per unit during lifetime usage and indirect emissions of 0.5 tonnes CO₂e per unit annually.

Rationale for the project

Initially developed to provide medical stations in rural areas away from the electricity grid with reliable cold storage to keep vaccines fresh, SolarChill was further developed in a next step: an upright refrigerator model that could be used for general refrigeration needs in rural health stations or even for commercial or private purposes was designed.

However, results from field testing found the prototype to perform well at temperatures of up to 30°C, while further development would be needed to make it perform well at temperatures over 45°C, which can be commonly encountered in tropical and subtropical countries.

With funding for further enhancing the prototype having ran out, the GTZ project has come at the right time to fill the gap and enable the concept materialise.

Prototype development

In order to make SolarChill suitable for use in temperatures over 45°C, Palfridge, a manufacturer of refrigeration appliances located in Swaziland, was commissioned with the improvement and field testing in several sub-Saharan African countries of the following prototypes:

• SolarChill vaccine cooler: this is the original SolarChill vaccine cooler for rural health services

• SolarChill chest freezer: this includes modifications of the original SolarChill in the form of a chest freezer

• Upright double door refrigerator: The upright double door refrigerator can also be used in households and for commercial purposes

Support for providing the models at a competitive price

To ensure wide deployment of the technology, the project aims to provide SolarChill models at a competitive price and a model for a production line which can be replicated in other developing countries. In that view, the project encompasses support for the set-up of a production line at Palfridge to provide initial manufacturing capacity and to study the economics of the production and marketing of this technology.

Background

The name SolarChill stands for an environmentally friendly refrigeration concept developed under a partnership between Greenpeace International, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (Programme Proklima), Danish Technological Institute (DTI), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Danfoss, and Vestfrost over the past 10 years. The original idea was to provide medical stations in rural areas away from the electricity grid with reliable cold storage to keep vaccines fresh.