Solar Powered Frost Prevention
Meet Our Team
Leah Sklar
Captain
Fluid Mechanics,
Data Acquisition
Sarah Biss
Treasurer
Control Systems
Sarah Maybee
Webmaster
Heat Transfer
Our Advisors
Lindsey Yue
Ardeshir Bangian Tabrizi
Background
Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of late-spring frost events.
Warmer temperatures in late winter and early spring are causing fruit crops to break dormancy earlier. Once dormancy is broken, the newly opened bud or bloom is more susceptible to frost.
Fahrenheit temperatures for each stage of apple development at which 10% and 90% bud kill occurs after 30 minutes exposure
In recent years, frost events have caused local farms to lose up to 100% of their season's crops.
Frost kills the blossoms or young buds, causing a total or near-total loss of a season's yield for vulnerable crops
Our Solutions
Solar Energy and Smart Control
Photovoltaic Power to convert sunlight to electricity to run the water pump and control systems
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Control System to activate the system and ensure the buds are receiving sufficient heat
Thermal Collection and Storage
Solar Water Heater to collect thermal energy from the sun
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Insulated Tank to keep the water hot and ready for use
Heat Delivery and Crop Protection
Closed-Loop Pipe System to deliver hot water from the storage tanks into the heat tranfer bags
Heat Transfer Bags to deliver thermal energy from the water into the surrounding air
Goals and Challenges
Goals
Create an effective, sustainable, and automated frost prevention system for vulnerable crops.
Maximize Frost Protection Efficacy
Achieve Sustainable Energy Independence
Ensure System Automation and Reliability
Challenges
Immediate challenges deal with thermal engineering, efficiency, and scale-up
Thermal Efficiency and Storage
Heat Delivery Uniformity
Infrastructure Integration and Scaling Costs