Solar-electric e-reefer solutions
The solar-electric system sees the trailer’s refrigeration unit powered by a lightweight battery pack that is fitted underneath the trailer’s chassis. The pack is expandable according to the length of the temperature -controlled run time required and is primarily charged by electricity from the grid via 3-phase or single-phase supply, typically at a loading bay. It is capable of charging whilst pulling the fridge down to temperature. Battery pack size can be upgraded should additional capacity be required.
Charging of the battery is supplemented, particularly in the summer months, by solar panels that is fitted to the roof of the trailer and which continuously feed power into the battery for reduced reliance on charging from the grid.
The system may achieve upto 30 hours runtime in total and 20 hours of temperature control with a deep freeze set-point.
To ensure uninterrupted temperature-controlled performance, the system can intelligently access the diesel engine as a failsafe in the event of battery power failure.
The system offers real-time monitoring of its performance, including that of fridge temperatures and battery charge status. It also provides a review of historical data such as solar generation levels, grid energy usage, diesel savings and CO2 savings.
The system is retrofit-ready so that it can be installed on both new and existing refrigerated trailers. This effectively enables fleet operators to shift towards zero-emission refrigeration without needing to acquire new refrigerated trailers.
As for installation, no roof penetration is needed for the solar panels and overall installation of the system can be done quickly, typically within 2-4 days, to minimise downtime.
The system is portable and can easily be removed from a trailer and fitted to a replacement, should the original trailer have come to the end of its life.
Additional, optional features include a 50 litre diesel tank for use as backup (and replacing the original unit’s tank to reduce vehicle weight / increase payload) and ‘geo-fencing’ software which can auto switch between diesel and electric to optimise usage in low emission zones.
