Design of an on-grid rooftop solar PV system for post-harvest vegetable cold storage

The favorable natural conditions and fertile soil in Pasirlangu Village have made it a center for high-quality vegetable production. The use of cold storage extends the freshness of vegetable products such as bell peppers and green beans, while preserving their nutritional content and minimizing food loss. This enables high-quality vegetables to reach global markets. On the other hand, cold storage requires intensive electricity consumption from the state-owned electricity company (PLN), amounting to 2,800 Watts. For a cold storage unit with a two-ton capacity, the electricity bill is approximately 3 million rupiah. This energy cost is relatively high and inevitably reduces the farmers’ economic profit. In this study, a rooftop solar power system with a capacity of 2,850 Watts will be installed to partially substitute electricity from PLN. The rooftop solar system uses highly efficient monocrystalline bifacial PV panel technology. Installing the rooftop solar system can reduce PLN electricity consumption by 23.75%, which, when converted into monetary value, is equivalent to Rp 647,338.00—a significant amount for farmers.