Modular Cooling for Agricultural Products and Ice Storage for Load Shifting in Microgrids
In Africa, a large part of the agricultural production is produced by smallholder farmers in rural areas, where the access to grid electricity is often absent or very limited. These farmers thus hardly have any possibilities to cool their products, which leads to considerable post-harvest losses. Given the wide dispersion of rural communities in Africa, rural electrification is increasingly driven by microgrids. The use of conventional cooling systems can lead to an overload of these microgrids.
This presentation discusses the development of modular cooling systems for agricultural products powered by solar energy. The innovation is the modular approach -- allowing the cooling systems to be built with high-quality core components and additional local material in the country of application, decreasing transport costs and generating local jobs. The systems are based on ice storage (more efficient and lower price) instead of electrochemical battery storage. The ice storage system is integrated into the microgrid without increasing the microgrid's battery capacity, and serves to shift peaks in energy production and energy use via ice storage.
Speaker:
Florian Martini
Project Manager Research & Innovation
Phaesun GmbH Germany
Florian Martini has been working for Phaesun since 2018, mainly concentrating on product development and research activities. Within the REvivED Water project, he was responsible for the set-up and commissioning of pilot units in Tanzania, Somaliland and Djibouti and the operation and monitoring of the field tests. Furthermore, he coordinated the development of the pilot system for remote control and monitoring. He acts as project manager for the PV Cool Kenya project. During his studies at the universities of Aachen and Darmstadt, he specialized in renewable energies. Since 2014 he has been in close contact with Phaesun, executing his bachelor thesis about solar off-grid systems and doing smaller installations for the company.
Florian holds a Bachelor degree in industrial engineering from the University of Aachen, and a master's degree in energy science and engineering from the University of Darmstadt.
Project Manager Research & Innovation
Phaesun GmbH Germany
Florian Martini has been working for Phaesun since 2018, mainly concentrating on product development and research activities. Within the REvivED Water project, he was responsible for the set-up and commissioning of pilot units in Tanzania, Somaliland and Djibouti and the operation and monitoring of the field tests. Furthermore, he coordinated the development of the pilot system for remote control and monitoring. He acts as project manager for the PV Cool Kenya project. During his studies at the universities of Aachen and Darmstadt, he specialized in renewable energies. Since 2014 he has been in close contact with Phaesun, executing his bachelor thesis about solar off-grid systems and doing smaller installations for the company.
Florian holds a Bachelor degree in industrial engineering from the University of Aachen, and a master's degree in energy science and engineering from the University of Darmstadt.