A low-cost cooling solution harnessing solar power to help vegetable vendors in keeping the perishable produce fresh has been designed by four students of Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering in Mysuru.
H.V.Naveen, Shubham Sain, S.Supreeth and Vivek Chandrashekar who took up the project are students of Mechanical Engineering branch and are in the sixth semester. The project addresses one of the major problems that vegetable vendors face every day: that of keeping the vegetables fresh when they are out in the market selling it under the scorching sun.
The students have designed the cart in such a way that the refrigeration of the cart can be maintained in a temperature range between 0 degree C and 10 degree C. Generally, a temperature in the range of 5 degree C to 10 degree C is required to keep the vegetables fresh. But the students have gone a step ahead and have extended the utility of the cart to help those selling diary products as well.
According to Mr.Naveen who led the team, the problem statement was already given to them and they had to research to ascertain the kind of challenges faced by the vegetable vendors.
‘After this we were able to come up with a feasible and convenient solution for the vegetable vendors. We took suggestions from experts based on which we built an air-cooled chamber and sourced solar energy for the electricity so that the machine is self-reliant’’, said Mr. Naveen.
The model requires the vendors to charge it once in a day at home after which the system depends on solar energy for electricity requirements.
Although the cart is expected to cost upto ₹52,292, it is a lot cheaper compared to the carts with coolers available in the market. The existing models cooling system in the market costs more than ₹1 lakh, according to the team members who were guided by N.P.Muthuraj, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Vivek Chandrashekhar, another member of the team, said they have plans to improvise the cart further by incorporating pressure sensors to help in generating energy when the vendor peddles the cart. This is apart from making the cart more energy efficient by adding solar panels and increasing the capacity of the cart.
There are also plans to replace the smaller wheels of the cart with 19-inch wheels to make it easier on the vendor who pedals the cart, said Mr. Supreeth.
B.Sadashive Gowda, Principal, VVCE said ‘’The vendors can ensure supply of fresh vegetables and fruits sourced from fields and this will help not only during summer but throughout the year due to tropical conditions in the country.’
