Wind-Electric Ice Making for Villages in the Developing World

For many villages in the developing world, renewable energy sources are the most economical means of providing power. There is a significant need for ice to preserve fish and produce for shipment to market. Since fishing villages are near coastlines with fairly reliable wind resources, wind-powered ice machines would capitalize on a good match between ice demand and energy supply. To date littlework has been done on the use of wind turbines for ice making applications. This paper presents the results of a wind-electric ice making research project conducted by the University of Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Bergey Windpower Co. Several potential problems related to intermittent and variable frequency operation were determined prior to testing. Initial tests wereconducted using a dynamometer to evaluate the significance of these potential problems under simulated conditions and to define basic performance expectations for ice makers in the 1.2 tons/day size range. Field testing will be completed soon to determine long-term performance of one ice maker.