Solar Freeze

Solar Freeze is pioneering potable cold storage units powered by solar energy for rural smallholder farmers of perishable produce.

Solar Freeze is using the sharing economy model to bring down the price of cold storage which is a particularly high asset to own by making it cheap and accessible to farmers.

Smallholder farmers through their mobile phones request and are connected to access the potable solar powered cold storage units through sending simple SMS, USSD and Voice messages where they pay via mobile money transactions a fee of between US$0.2cents to $0.5 cents for the use of the renewable energy equipment for reduce agricultural post-harvest loss.

This innovation extends the freshness of fruits, vegetables and other perishable food from 2 days to more than 40 days .

Project Impact

The direct beneficiaries of the project include 3,000 smallholder farmers 80 percent of whom are women who have had accessed the Solar Freeze cold storage solutions that have reduced post-harvest loss by 95 percent.

Through Solar Freeze, the smallholder farmers have been able to increase their household incomes significantly by 150 percent as a result of effective and cheap refrigeration solutions by the project, they have been able to sell produce at optimum prices as opposed to the previous situation where farmers were forced to sell produce to middlemen out of distress, fear and desperation of rot.

The Solar Freeze project has also participated in mentoring and training 100 young women aged 18-29 years and the youth into the field of renewable energy. Through a program called “Each One, Teach One- Train to Earn” where rural youth gain practical hand on technical skills and are guided on how to operate equipment powered by renewable energy for agriculture.

Through Micro-Franchising of Solar Freeze solutions 200 women entrepreneurs have benefited from an increased income of 150 percent in communities where they work. Cheaper fresh food produce and reduced malnutrition for 7,000 bottom of the pyramid consumers in towns and cities since customers have access to more food that would have otherwise ended up in dumpsites. The project also provides an energy efficient way throughout the lifecycle of fresh agricultural produce.