Feasibility study of potential application of off-grid cold room with LTES for food preservation in remote areas of Africa

Latent Thermal Energy Storage (LTES) systems have demonstrated their effectiveness as a reliable solution for thermal management across various applications. The high energy density of these systems allows them to supply thermal energy for extended durations when integrated with intermittent energy production sources, such as photovoltaic panels. The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of a system consisting of a 50 m3 cold room maintained at 5 °C in Somalia for the purpose of food preservation, utilizing photovoltaic panels as the sole source of electrical energy. The numerical model has been developed in TRNSYS, concentrating on the dynamic integration of an air-cooled chiller with a novel model of a LTES utilizing ice as the Phase Change Material (PCM). The proposed system is a first approach for the goal to have a completely independent system from electrical grid for food preservation. The results indicate that the standalone installation of a 2.8 kWp...