The solar powered refrigerator was developed by the sustainable engineering firm True Energy and runs on what the company calls Sure Chill Technology. True Energy says that Sure Chill can guarantee a constant and reliable cooling temperature in “the toughest environments. Here’s how it works:

A refrigerator using Sure Chill Technology accesses grid energy and/or solar power when the energy is at its cheapest and most available. If the energy rate is too expensive at a certain time, the solar powered refrigerator can hold out for up to 10 days without using any electricity at all and still maintain a low, cooling temperature. How? It uses a high-density polyurethane foam as an insulator and a phase change material to store energy until it’s needed. So if the temperature rises too high, that stored energy kicks in and cools the refrigerator down.

The solar powered refrigerator keeps everything inside of it between four and six degrees Celsius (39 and 43 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s not widely used at the moment as far as residential use. But Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO) are already using the solar-powered refrigerator to store vaccinations in remote areas of Africa where they would otherwise not have a place to store vaccinations.

Photo credit: True Energy

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Solafrica.ch, a Switzerland-based non-profit organization that promotes the use of solar power, has partnered with the Kibera Community Young Program (KCYP), a local youth organization, to install a big-screen, solar-powered TV inside of a community hall where up to 1,000 people can gather at a time to watch the world’s game for free. So far, the community center has had as many as 500 people attend for a single match. Solafrica has dubbed this soccer season the “Solar World Cup.”

The technology that powers the TV is called, by the two groups, a “Solar Power Station.” It’s a small, plug-in device that captures the sun’s energy through the use of solar panels. There’s no complex wiring, to boot. According to KCYP’s solar project manager, Elizabeth Otieno, the station is essentially a box with solar panels and rechargeable batteries. When fully charged, the batteries can be used for six to 10 hours. The system can also be used to power other devices like lights or cell phones.

“The Kibera youth’s have now conquered the power of the sun,” said Executive Director of Solafrica Joshiah Ramogi, whose group has trained nearly 30 of Kibera’s youth to install solar power systems and make other energy products, like LED lamps, at a 2007 workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. The lamps will be sold in both Kibera and Switzerland. As for the goal of this solar power project, Romogi explains:

“We want to show residents of the slums the benefits of solar technology. We want to convince them to adapt to a new solar LED technology that will benefit them and their children.”

Check out ABC for a recent picture of the project.

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To address concerns about mismanagement of water resources, up to twenty Kenyan communities will test a water-vending system this coming year. The system allows users to access and pay for well water by using a smart card which can be recharged via mobile phone. The wells? Solar powered.

This is taking an abundant resource in a region (sunshine) and using it to manage a scarce one (water). I think this is a great example of how solar energy’s performance on a small scale can provide great benefits on an individual or community level.

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