Solar Cold Chain Optimization Research – An Integrated Multidisciplinary Project Agenda

Abstract

Cold supply chain facilities are essential to the producers and suppliers of perishablecommodities especially for farmers and fisheries to protect their agricultural and fish productsfor a long period during transportation from origin to destination. The traditional ‘Solution’ hasbeen put in place for small Cold Storage facilities connected to the Grid or running from DieselGenerators – these though are dependent on stable electricity and in the case of Diesel poweredit is expensive to maintain and run and have an environmental impact. Solar Powered ColdChain through combined developments in battery technology, can provide uninterrupted ColdStorage and Cold Chain solutions that are economic to operate, environmentally friendly, andable to be located in rural places where electricity supplies cannot be relied on. It is observedthat there is a research gap in practical and applied research in the area of fully integrated SolarCold Chains. The research proposal highlights the opportunities associated with Solar PoweredCold Chain, particularly the positive economic impact that can deliver to the actual farmers andfishermen that grow and catch foodstuffs – enabling larger amounts of income to be earned andretained in the rural economies. The research provides the idea of adopting and managing SolarCold Chain facilities for perishable commodities like farming and fisheries in developingcountries through its systematic analysis using ABCD framework.