In order to reduce the potential increase in carbon footprint and drive down operational costs of cold chains, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has extended subsidy scheme to solar-powered cold storages. Most solar powered items, including solar lamps and solar heating systems which enjoy a 30% subsidy under different MNRE programmes.
There are barely 10 solar cold storages being used in the country so far, the first having been installed about three years ago. Costing around 30-40 lakh, they are manufactured by a handful of private companies such as Ecozen Solutions and Promethean Power Systems. They mostly use phase change material as insulation to trap solar energy for refrigeration purposes, along with battery backup. Solar-powered cold storages are still at an experimental stage and the subsidy will encourage their use, enabling many more to be set up, while existing ones can scale up.
The shelf life of solar cold storages is around 15 years. Conventional cold storages cost half that of solar-powered ones, but require grid power which comprises around 20-30% of their running cost. Solar cold storages not only remove this cost, but can also make a key difference in distant rural areas which are not yet electrified, or where power supply is poor.