Polmed Students Deploy Solar-Powered Refrigerator for Food Security in Aceh Tamiang
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A student team from Politeknik Negeri Medan (Polmed) has introduced a portable solar-powered cold storage system designed for disaster response and emergency food security at Kampung Dalam Village, Aceh Tamiang.
The students are part of a group of 5,040 students from 36 higher education institutions contributing to post-disaster recovery efforts in Aceh through the Impact Student Programme.
“We from Politeknik Negeri Medan have been entrusted with implementing this programme in Aceh Tamiang through solar-powered cold storage innovation. With technology that has undergone research and testing in various regions, this equipment is expected to function optimally even during power outages, supporting food storage for MSMEs and providing real benefits to the community,” said Supriyanto, chief lecturer and Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Polmed.
Relying on solar energy, the system addresses emergency needs whilst reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions.
Polmed student Riska Aini Putri explained that the cold storage system also works in partnership with local catering MSMEs that daily produce food for sale to residents.
“We also collaborate with catering MSMEs. Recently, they produced approximately 4,000 portions of takjil. With this cold storage, food ingredients and cooked meals can be safely stored, including during power outages, so MSME activities can continue running,” she said.
MSME operator Suri Julianti echoed these sentiments, highlighting the positive impact of the solar-powered cold storage on business continuity and local economic activity.
“We are very grateful to the students. With the solar-powered cold storage, we are greatly helped in storing food ingredients to keep them fresh and prevent spoilage. We can also operate our business with peace of mind even when electricity is unstable, allowing us to run our operations more steadily after being affected by the disaster,” she said.
I Ketut Adnyana, Director of Research and Community Service at the Directorate General of Research and Development, emphasised that the 2026 Impact Student Programme represents part of a transformation in higher education to be more contextual and responsive to community needs.
“Students and government will continue to stand alongside communities. The presence of students is expected to provide hope and optimism for communities to recover from hardship and strengthen the conviction that future life will improve through utilising the potential and technology available in Aceh Tamiang. This is tangible evidence of higher education making an impact,” Adnyana said.