US company, Emerald Technology has developed a trailer refrigeration system that uses kinetic energy while in motion, at the same time charging batteries that allow the system to run eight to 12 hours while the vehicle is stopped.
Designed for longer stops, the device can plug into provided shore power allowing it to run and charge the system. A working prototype, called the Wedway Refrigeration Power System, was shown at the Great American Truck Show in August.
Emerald is now working in partnership with the University of Central Florida (Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research) to build the full scale device with the intention of field testing in ten markets in the US.