A friend of mine can basically make the claim that he already has one. His home is entirely off the grid - he uses no public utility companies. He generates his electricty using solar cells that charge a bank of batteries, those batteries can run almost 3 days without a charge. So, when the power goes out all around him - his "refrig" is still running strong - as is the rest of his house.

Tom DiFrancesca IIIwww.trackertom.com

Excellent thought. . .a small gel cell and and inverter in the bottom of the fridge an you have 24hrs of cool . . .and a light.

You'd need a bigger gel cell. Better to have better insulation.

Wouldn't that essentially be like a perpetual motion machine?

Many years ago I had a refrigerator powered by a gas flame. A tank of propane gas would guarantee the refrigerator would remain active throughout power shortages.Apparently it is still available. See http://www.thenaturalhome.com/gasappliances.htm