Imagine a giant thermos that keeps food cold using only sunlight and special heat-absorbing materials. It works like a battery for coldness, storing the chill so food stays fresh even when the sun isn't shining. This replaces noisy, polluting diesel generators in remote areas where there are no power lines.
Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa lack electricity for cooling, leading to massive food waste and reliance on expensive, polluting fossil fuel generators.
A containerized cooling system integrating solar PV, phase change materials for thermal storage, chillers, and smart controls.
If you are a logistics provider dealing with high spoilage rates in rural Africa — this project developed a containerized cooling solution that uses solar power and thermal storage to keep produce fresh without a grid connection.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with limited use cases for Agri-PV in remote regions — this project developed a system combining photovoltaics and phase change materials that creates a high-value application for solar energy in farming.
If you are a cooperative dealing with the loss of over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to food waste — this project developed an affordable, scalable cooling container to secure harvests and increase farmer income.
Based on available project data, the specific price is not listed, but the objective is to offer an affordable and scalable solution for rural communities.
Yes, the project focuses on a containerized solution designed to be scalable and will be demonstrated in four different African countries to prove its adaptability.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not provided, but a comprehensive market and business strategy is being developed for adoption after the project.
The project runs from 2024-06-01 to 2028-05-31, with demonstrations planned in South Africa, Cape Verde, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
The project includes training programs for local farmers, technicians, and engineers to ensure the system can be installed, operated, and maintained locally.
The consortium is highly market-oriented with 13 partners and a strong industry presence (46% industry ratio, including 6 companies and 2 SMEs). The balance of budget and person-months between European and African partners indicates a strategy focused on local market fit rather than just technology export.
Contact Universiteit Twente (NL) regarding the AGRI-COOL consortium
Contact us to connect with the AGRI-COOL industrial partners for licensing opportunities.
