Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Wakati: the solar refrigeration for developing countries

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Technically, Wakati is not a refrigerator-why does not use cooling-, but the function is equal to: preserve foods. In developing countries, where electricity is scarce and expensive, a medium that can preserve food for longer can have a big impact on income and way of life of the most disadvantaged populations.

The Wakati is a species of sterile box, solar-powered, which lets you store and ventilate the food. For the preservation is possible, the small three-watt solar panel on top of the box lets you feed a fan which gradually evaporates a small reservoir of water, creating a damp and cool environment inside the Wakati.

In addition to airing, the device has no temperature control mechanism, so that is not a solution to long-term food preservation. However, the fact that allow increase in a few days the conservation of food in these countries is a big step. Products that have one or two days of validity in hot climates can be preserved during ten days in Wakati. Thus, families can have products in food conditions own for more days and farmers also have more time to sell their products before they are unfit for consumption.

Currently, have already been provided about 100 systems in areas of Haiti Wakati, Uganda and Afghanistan, writes the TreeHugger.

The Wakati was developed by Arne Pauwels, within the framework of a master's project at the University of Antwerp, where he studied product development. The implementation of technology was possible through various partnerships with companies and non-governmental organizations.

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