Comparison of compressor control strategies for solar direct drive refrigerators.

The influence of the applied compressor control strategy on the performance of a solar direct drive refrigeration system was investigated using numerical modelling and simulations. Two compressor types and three compressor control strategies where investigated. Further, four configurations where included: a 360 W and a 180 W PV panel both with and without compressor start power delivered from the PV panel. Results showed that both the choice of compressor and the applied control strategy affected the systems ability to utilize the available power from the PV panel, especially under lower irradiance conditions and when the PV panel was downsized. However, results show that if the need for compressor start power delivered by the PV panel was alleviated the size of the PV panel can be halved without significant reductions in performance.