Entries by A. J. Puckett

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Development of Solar Pneumatic Grain/Seed Cleaning System

This report describes a solar-powered pneumatic grain/seed cleaning system. The report stats that a solar powered pneumatic grain/seed cleaning system was developed with specific functional, structural and operational design parameters. The developed pneumatic cleaner was tested for garden pea, bottle gourd, sponge gourd and radish seed lots of different impurity levels. It was found that the processed lot achieved more than 99% physical purity irrespective of type of seed and impurity levels and the cleaning efficiency of the system was more than 96%.

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Innovative On-Farm Solar Dryer for Paddy

This report describes a low-cost, solar-powered, air-inflated grain dryer. Moisture levels measured during harvest and storage can fluctuate based on the design and efficiency of grain dryers. These solar-powered grain dryers have been shown to be effective in optimizing the moisture levels during the harvest process. These innovative technologies can possibly be used in various contexts of agrisolar operations that include crops.

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Design, Construction and Testing of a Hybrid Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Dryer

This report describes the design and construction of a solar photovoltaic food dryer. The hybrid solar-energy dryer uses PV panels to power the heating element coil and charging battery which includes a storage energy system used to study drying behavior. Solar-powered dryers could be effective technologies to use in future agrisolar operations that include grain or other crops.

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Solar-Powered Refrigeration System

This NASA report describes a solar-powered refrigeration system that uses a variable speed, direct current (DC) vapor compression cooling system, connected to a solar photovoltaic panel. The system, patented by NASA, eliminates reliance on an electric grid, requires no batteries and stores thermal energy for efficient use when sunlight is absent. The system is specifically ideal for off-grid applications, and works well for vaccine coolers and solar-ice makers, among other things. Some of the contexts of this system’s application has been found in various agrisolar operations.

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Solar Powered Evaporative Cooled Storage Structure For Storage of Fruits and Vegetables

This report describes a food storage structure that includes a solar-powered, evaporative cooler. The storage structure was designed and developed to increase the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. The report shows that this is made possible by solar-powered exhaust fans and a cooling pump that provides water to the pads. These applications may be useful when agrisolar operations are located in dry or desert conditions.

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Design and Test of an Affordable Cold Room Powered by Solar for Improving Storage Quality and Reducing Wastage of Horticulture Produce

This report describes a cold-storage structure that employs a solar-powered cooler to reduce food spoilage after harvest. The results of this project show that through low-cost cold rooms powered by solar energy, farmers can extend shelf life of fruits and vegetables which ultimately increases revenue for smallholder farms and their bargaining power in the marketplace.

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A Novel Solar Powered Milk Cooling Refrigeration Unit with Cold Thermal Energy Storage for Rural Application

This article discusses the effectiveness of solar PV in a twin-circuit DC milk chiller in rural India. The study measured average amounts of ice formed per day for a period of eighteen days out of each season as well as the climactic conditions that variations of the refrigerants operated under. The system ultimately operates with less power during conditions that include automated temperature-based shut offs based on milk temperature. This allows energy to be utilized elsewhere when shut-off systems are engaged.

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Techno-Economic Study of Agrovoltaic Focusing on Orchard Crops

This paper presents a novel 3D agrovoltaic modelling tool developed in python, which enables technical and economical evaluation of potential agrovoltaic designs. The study shows that agrivoltaic installations can be utilized to further decarbonize the agriculture sector while also providing new market opportunities for PV installers and developers.