Experimental study of a multi-purpose PV-refrigerator system

Abstract

Refrigerators used in daily life are one of the indispensable tools. Uninterrupted power should be supplied to refrigerators in order to maintain cooling service. Photovoltaic (PV) systems provide an independent, reliable electrical power source at the point of use, making it particularly suited to remote locations. For this reason, nowadays, the use of PV solar energy in refrigeration has been increasing in rural regions. But, the design conditions and operating performance of a PV-refrigeration system are significantly affected by local climatic conditions. In this study, a PV-powered multi-purpose refrigerator system has been established to investigate experimentally its daily and seasonal operating performance. Operational parameters affecting system capacity and performance were determined under a semi-arid climate condition of Ažanliurfa province in Turkey’s GAP Region. The region’s critical need for refrigeration comes also from, that it is one of the sunniest rural regions of the world. Detailed results obtained during daily experimental measurements are presented here. The results in overall reveal that, PV-refrigerator system can be reliably used at where the local grid is not continuously available whereas refrigeration need is critical. Key words: Solar energy, photovoltaic (PV), stand-alone, refrigeration, GAP region.