Sol(c)ar Chilled on the road with solar power.

The Dutch company Sol(c)ar has actually come a good step closer to the dream of the solar-powered refrigerated vehicle. The solar refrigerated vehicles, for example on a VW Transporter, carry a thin solar element that reaches over the entire vehicle roof, which generates up to 3,000 watts electric energy at ideal solar radiation. The thereby gained electricity is fed into a separate 24-volt lithium battery, which in turn feeds into the cooling unit integrated in the cooling chamber.

Compared to classic systems run with cooling compressors, the 100 ampere battery can provide at least 30 minutes of constant refrigeration in the box body’s interior even during vehicle standstill, until a recharge via solar radiation or with the help of the engine-operated alternator is necessary. Approximately 400 solar delivery vehicles are already in use in the Netherlands, which especially pays off with inner-city delivery traffic. Apropos paying: approximately 5,000 euros extra costs arises for the solar supply when compared to a conventional refrigerator body – too much to recoup itself economically just yet. On the other hand, the solution wins points with clients and suppliers for the innovative green image. And in future, such a system could be perfectly combined with a purely electrically powered delivery vehicle.