(from left) Dr techn Prasetiyono Hari Mukti ST MT and Dr Dimas Fajar Uman Putra ST MT, two ITS Electrical Engineering lecturers who succeeded in winning IEEE HTB funding

ITS Campus, ITS News — A team of lecturers from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), created a solar panel freezer for fishermen on Bawean Island. The USD 6,966 project is funded by the Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) program of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

One of the lecturer team, Dr Techn Prasetiyono Hari Mukti ST MT, said this research was carried out on Bawean Island, where most of the population work as fishermen. Sadly, these fishermen still often need help with various challenges, including problems regarding the unstable availability of electrical energy.

Apart from that, the main problem faced by fishermen is the need for more fish storage facilities. This obstacle has a significant impact on the quality of the fish caught by fishermen, which in turn affects the selling price on the market. “Starting from this problem, the innovation we are developing will help fishermen and improve the quality of life of fishing communities,” added Pras.

Block diagram of a solar panel freezer system for fishermen on Bawean Island

Another team member, Dr Dimas Fajar Uman Putra ST MT, explained about the solar panel freezer with a capacity of 250 litres. This freezer has six batteries, each with 200 watt-hours, integrated with an Off-Grid Photovoltaic system.

With a large capacity, this innovation allows fishermen to store the fish they catch in relatively large quantities and for more extended periods. It is hoped that this will improve the efficiency and quality of handling fishermen’s catches in the fishing industry.

Dr techn Prasetiyono Hari Mukti ST MT, while conducting a field survey at the location of innovation implementation on Bawean Island

Uman, his nickname, highlighted an exciting breakthrough in which this refrigerator utilizes solar energy to maintain the temperature in the freezer, which is a crucial point in preserving the quality of fish and can slow down the spoilage process. With the superior features offered by this innovation, great potential lies before our eyes, which will improve the sustainability and quality of life of the fishing community on Bawean Island.

With the financial support received, the lecturer team from the ITS Electrical Engineering Department is optimistic that it can provide a significant boost to Indonesia’s economic growth, especially for the fishing communities, who are the beneficiaries. “In the future, hopefully, this innovation can continue to develop and provide greater benefits for fishing communities throughout Indonesia,” he concluded. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Lathifah Sahda