The Pusa-Farm SunFridge (Pusa-FSF), an on-farm green energy refrigeration system, is a 100% solar-powered battery-less cold store that can preserve around 2 tonnes of freshly-harvested produce at 3-4°C during the day and 8-12°C at nighttime.
The 10x10x10 ft cold store structure can stock enough vegetables and fruits to fully load a Tata 407 mini truck. This can be taken in a single trip to the market when the prices are right.
The Pusa-FSF has rooftop solar panels that generate 5 kilowatt power, of which 3 KW is used to run a 1.5-tonne air-conditioner and bring down the temperature inside the structure to 3-4°C.
This has been done by dispensing with the thermostat that limits the normal cooling in ACs to 16-17°C.
The panels also power a 105-watt submersible pump circulating about 1,000 litres of water from a tank through overhead PVC pipes.
The Pusa-FSF, built on dismantlable mild steel frames and plates, has been installed at IARI’s New Delhi campus and two villages – Picholiya in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district and Chamrara in Panipat, Haryana.
