Using the Sun to Keep Food Cool

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This blog is based on an article published in Refrigerated Transporter titled “‘Rayfrigeration’ TRU generates impressive results in real-world testing.” Read the full article here.

Effective refrigerated transportation is essential to the cold chain. If we can’t keep perishable food at a steady temperature from point A to point B, the results are spoiled food, loss of revenue and empty shelves. The emissions produced by the high-polluting, small diesel engines on trucks trying to keep food cool have always seemed to be a necessary evil. However, those days may be numbered.

The new “Rayfrigeration” transport refrigeration unit (TRU) from eNow is the first zero-emissions, commercial-use TRU capable of making deliveries in urban environments. Over five months of testing, it boasted massive emissions reductions.

Utilizing two forms of energy storage, eutectic medium (cold plates) and a high-capacity auxiliary battery system, the Rayfrigeration TRU gets charged when the vehicle is plugged in overnight and then, while the truck is on a delivery route, uses power from eNow’s solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which are mounted on the truck’s roof.

Not only is this unit projected to reduce operations and maintenance costs by up to 90 percent, it also reduced the average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of a delivery truck over a four-day period from 2,525 to 159 pounds; nitrous oxide (NO_X) emissions were reduced from 7,162 grams to 1.

The ability to cut CO₂ emissions by 86 percent, lower NO_X emissions by 98 percent and slash particle matter emissions by 97 percent is a groundbreaking step in reducing the cold chain’s ecological footprint. As businesses and organizations continue to develop their own sustainability initiatives and the EPA proceeds with stricter regulations, innovative technology like this will be at the forefront of industry priorities.