Research on the characteristics of photovoltaic-driven refrigerated warehouse with ice storage in field under weather and load variation

The field photovoltaic refrigerated warehouse works well in pre-cooling and refrigerating fruits and vegetables in remote areas. Thus, it is crucial to ensure its long-term stable operation, particularly under the dual challenges of fluctuating solar energy supply and the unstable energy consumption required for load variation. This paper investigates the operational characteristics of a 1.5-ton photovoltaic-driven refrigerated warehouse with ice storage under varying loads and weather conditions. Results indicate that the average cooling time of the material was 26 h, under the condition of continuous material inflow into the warehouse. Additionally, 26 kg of ice were produced per day per kilowatt of solar panel capacity. Energy requirements of the device for 1.1 nights match its daily ice production. Furthermore, a maximum COP of 0.34 was achieved under photovoltaic drive. The internal temperature of the load was effectively maintained within the range of 3–4 °C, even during consecutive overcast and rainy weather. Based on this, an 8-ton field photovoltaic-driven refrigerated warehouse with ice storage was constructed. These studies provide an effective alternative refrigeration solution for remote regions, addressing their cooling needs efficiently.