The coolest new product in refrigeration

A solar powered jet pump refrigerator has been designed, manufactured, tested and automated through a KTP project with Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) and is now ready to take the market by storm.

"Traditionally solar powered products use expensive photo-voltaic technology to generate electricity. The jet-pump refrigerator that we have developed employs solar-thermal energy, which can be collected using low-cost panels that require no maintenance. The system is therefore both environmentally friendly and affordable," comments Ryan Fenton, KTP Associate.

The novel refrigerator includes a number of innovative features, all of which can be patented individually or as an entire system. "The core technology has many different applications, including off-grid or mobile refrigeration, large scale commercial refrigeration and even air conditioning," explains Ryan.

This revolutionary product also provides a new revenue stream for the company. "The company can now become involved with more hi-tech renewable energy products and compete at the cutting edge of our technology niche," reports Stephen Knowles, Managing Director at IDC.

Professor Graeme Maidment and Professor Ian Eames are the two academics supporting this project. Their knowledge of solar thermal energy and refrigeration technologies have provided significant technical and commercial benefits to IDC. "The expertise delivered has been specific in terms of the detailed development of components using advanced techniques and fundamental science," says Graeme. "We have gained massively from this project."