The set of prototypes, which took two years to develop, work from photovoltaic panels and are part of the Energy-Efficient Off-Grid Refrigerators for Africa Rural Electrification project.

The objective of the project is to place the prototypes, which have already shown effectiveness, in areas where there is no access to electricity.

Evandro Garcia, the principal investigator of the project, told the press that in Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 500 million people do not have access to electricity. As such, there is no way to safely preserve food and avoid food waste. The researcher also emphasises that the implementation of the project will have impacts at different levels: economic, social and environmental.

Despite having been a project designed for developing countries, refrigerators can be placed in large cities and used at times when electricity is more expensive.

The prototypes are manufactured “through 3D printing systems and work like thermal batteries.” During the day, the prototype will use solar energy obtained by the photovoltaic system, at night the temperature is maintained by the cold released, which has been accumulated in the modules.

The positive results obtained from the project led Evandro Garcia to receive a doctoral grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, so that he can proceed with “research and development of prototypes.”

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos