Solar energy powered devices which are simple to use, build and make real differences in people’s lives, particularly in the third world, are appearing almost daily. And their creators are getting recognised for their efforts.
Now a new solar-powered refrigerator has won 23-year old British inventor Emily Cummins recognition as one of the world’s top young inventors by a jury of Nobel Prize winners.
Cummins was the only European – and only woman – to receive an Oslo Business For Peace Honouree prize at a ceremony in Norway recently.
She won awards in both the design and engineering categories, one each for her portable solar fridge and for a water carrying device.
The refrigerator – which the Leeds University graduate in sustainability and design built in a shed in her garden – is already in use in Africa, where it has been hailed as a success. Using solar power alone, plus a combination of both conduction and convection, the solar fridge – which resembles stainless-steel drum with holes punched in it – can maintain an interior temperature of six degrees Celsius.
One of the biggest advantages of Cummins’ design is its relative simplicity. It can be easily made using recycled materials, such as cardboard and metal.
Ms. Cummins’ solar powered refrigerator works like this:
The fridge’s inner chamber, which stores items like milk, cheese and other perishables, is surrounded by a layer of organic material, sand, soil or composted waste.
This layer is then sealed in between the solar fridge’s outer chamber and soaked in water. The device is placed in the sun and as the water evaporates, heat is drawn away from the inner chamber, dramatically cooling items inside.
Cummins’ dedication to solar sustainability has also seen her named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World winners by Junior Chamber International.
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