A lack of reliable electricity and/or distance to chilling centres in remote communities leads to delays in chilling milk, limiting production possibilities to dairy products such as ultra‐heat treated (UHT) milk. Diesel generators can be used to power refrigerators to chill milk early enough in the process to sufficiently limit bacteria growth, but the cost of diesel and maintenance of such systems, is prohibitively high for small scale farmers.
Solar powered milk‐chilling has been identified as a cost effective and reliable solution for improving milk quality. Sustainable Energy Services International (SESI) has been engaged to conduct a pilot project in Sri Lanka to design and implement a system to rapidly chill 500‐1000 litres of milk from 34° to 7° Celsius. The communal milk chilling unit will serve around 20 to 30 surrounding farms within a 20 minute walking distance via a central collection point. SESI is currently in the design phase of the project. The solution comprises a highly efficient ‘containerised’ milk chilling unit powered via a small scale solar PV system. Chilling ‘in vat’ comprises of a standard 500-700l milk vat chilled via a compressor.
Key Benefits include:
- Milk chilled to < 7 ۫ C results in lower bacterial counts and improved milk quality. Improved quality provides broader product mix potential (and the ability to change product mix for improved profitability);
- Removal of 3rd party chilling centre from supply chain (therefore removal of a collection step resulting in cost savings and a reduction of risk);
- Reduction in diesel generation in remote areas, enabling the country to further develop there dairy industry;
- Ability to produce potable water at minimal cost (for use by local families and/or schools).