A fully solar powered bulk milk chiller is making a positive impact in some farming communities in Kenya.
Rural farmers supplying regional dairies need to chill milk to 3.3 degrees Celsius within 4 hours of milking – and that temperature has to be maintained until it can be transported to the dairy.
In some developing nations, this can be a difficult task due to the energy requirements involved and the lack of reliable electricity supply – milk spoilage is a common occurrence. Diesel generators are sometimes used to provide power for cooling applications; but this is an expensive and polluting exercise.
The MilkPod, developed by John Spears and Pat Richardson of Maryland USA, can chill and store 600 liters of milk using a totally off-grid solar power approach.
Electricity generated by the 6kW array of solar panels is used to freeze a reservoir of water. As the ice melts, the chilled water flows through a series of tubes; cooling the milk. Peak cooling demand occurs at peak solar irradiance; reducing the number of batteries needed and extending battery life to more than 10 years.
This alignment is what has set the MilkPod apart from other inventions in the past that have failed; mainly due to excessive wear and tear on batteries.
” The MilkPod opens up new sources of milk supply for the large dairies, gives rural farmer’s new markets for the milk and helps bring economic development to the region,” states a description of the device.
Mr. Spears says units already in use in Kenya have performed “pretty much flawlessly” and the MilkPod is competitive with diesel and grid/diesel alternatives.
“Across the world, there are tons of places that would benefit from these chillers,” said Mr. Richardson in an interview published in The Frederick News-Post.
The pair are currently working on a version of MilkPod that would be capable of chilling between 2,500 and 5,000 liters of milk a day.
Mr. Spears says the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization will soon publish a case study on use of the chillers in Kenya.
MilkPod has already received significant recognition and was the 2012 Cleantech Open National Sustainability Winner.
John Spears is the President of the Sustainable Design Group headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland and the founder of the non-profit organisation, International Center for Sustainable Development.
