Solar Powered DC Refrigerator for Small Scale Applications

Due to the gradatory reduction and exuberant ingestion of fossil fuels and the subsequent environmental problems, accretive work has been paid to the utilization of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy. Solar Photovoltaic System or Solar Power System is one of the renewable energy systems which uses PV units to convert sunlight into electricity. A DC compressor of 12 V/80 W, 12 V/50 Ah battery, a pair of 12 V/175 W solar panels connected in parallel through a 10 A charge controller was used for the refrigerator. Temperature was programmed to monitor and control the switching states of the DC compressor. This research project has established that the energy required for the real process of a DC refrigerator could be amassed from a renewable energy source at a reduced price and its application can be beneficial in developing countries. ATMEGA16 microcontroller with temperature, weight and momentary sensors interfacing was programmed in C language to control and monitor the ON/OFF states of the DC compressor. In this work, energy can be obtained from renewable energy resources at a reduced cost for the effective operation of a DC refrigerator. Thus, developing countries can also take benefit from its applications.