Gensets and solar panels boost reefer performance

BELGIUM: A refrigerated transport company is using Thermo King generator sets and solar panels to increase reliability and efficiency of their operations.

B&H Logistik transports refrigerated containers for the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industry customers, where maintaining the cold chain is vital for the integrity and quality of the transported goods. B&H Logistik was looking for a reliable solution that would enable them to keep their genset-equipped fleet always-ready to power the refrigerated containers during the road trips. 

Thermo King and its German dealer Transportkühlung Thermo King met the requirements offering B&H Logistik its SGCM300 gensets combined with ThermoLite solar panels for greater and sustainable power management. Thermo King’s solar panels are said to collect energy to keep the battery fully charged even in low light. This eliminates the risk of battery discharge and the need to use the genset engine to charge the battery, contributing to reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. 

“Reliability of the power supply was paramount for us to guarantee continuous cold chain while transporting our customers’ containers on the road,” said Boris Hirschhausen, managing director at B&H Logistik. “In the past we had issues with discharged batteries on the gensets that weren’t used every day. This required additional maintenance along with costly and timely visits to the workshop to recharge the battery. With the solar panels installed, this problem is solved.”

“We’re trying to think out-of-the-box when working with our customers. While the ThermoLite panels have been originally designed to work with the refrigeration units, we decided to install it on the trailer’s chassis and connect with the genset’s battery,” said Marcus Kallmünzer, branch manager at Transportkühlung Thermo King GmbH. “Many emergency breakdowns result from discharged batteries when the gensets are not used every day. With ThermoLite solar panels we eliminated that risk and the customer can save both money and time carrying out transport operations instead of spending time in the workshop.”