PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SOLAR POWERED REFRIGERATOR

Solar energy can be an alternative energy source and has a potential to serve for various purposes like water heating, air heating, water distillation and many more. Solar energy also plays a role to operate refrigeration system with the help of photovoltaic cells. It important to switch to solar energy to save energy resources and reduce the energy crises, as about 21% of energy utilised for satisfying the cooling needs. The Solar refrigeration is a cost-efficient alternative for refrigeration during the daytime.
The prototype of65-litre solar powered refrigerator (works on Vapour compression refrigeration cycle) is developed for monitoring and evaluating the performance of refrigerator in Indian climate and also evaluates its economic feasibility and affordability in domestic, commercial and industrial applications. The test results obtained shows that the prototype setup confirms the cooling abilities (it has the COP is of 3.31 to 4 at around -19.8ºC during unloaded condition and COP of 1.47and temperature -16.4 when loaded with 50 litre water initially at 23ºC).