Solar-Powered Refrigeration for Kenyan Dairy Farms
Project title
Solar-Powered Refrigeration for Kenyan Dairy Farms
Project country/region
☐ East Asia & Pacific
☐ Europe & Central Asia
☐ Latin America & The Carribean
☐ Middle East & North Africa
☐ North America
☐ South Asia
☑ Sub-Saharan Africa - Kenya
Project organisation
SunDanzer
Project description
CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTION
Recognizing the need for affordable cold-chain technologies, SunDanzer is developing a small-scale portable cooling system tailored for use in the Kenyan dairy market. The system comprises a photovoltaic refrigerator (PVR) that uses solar energy to cool a chest refrigerator. This technology may use a battery for energy storage or phase-change materials—substances which are capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy—or a combination of both. SunDanzer will evaluate freezing phase-change material into“milk packs.” The portable milk packs retain their cold temperature overnight, and in the morning, farmers use them to keep collected milk cold in sterilized aluminum milk containers as they transport it to dairy processing facilities.
IMPACT
This clean energy solution aims to increase dairy farm productivity and income by significantly decreasing milk spoilage. Effective cold-chain storage lowers bacteria count and improves milk quality for consumers. These improvements can play a major role in the livelihoods of approximately one million smallholder dairy farming families in Kenya.
ORGANIZATION
SunDanzer has 14 years of experience with off-grid refrigeration needs, including developing the world’s first battery-free solar powered refrigerator. Winrock International is a leader in agricultural development and has more than a quarter century of experience with renewable energy based rural electrification. It has supported the installation of more than 80,000 rural renewable energy systems around the globe and has three offices in Kenya.
SunDanzer participated successfully in the PAEGC Initiative (https://poweringag.org/) and was with its project 'Solar-Powered Refrigeration for Kenyan Dairy Farms' among the winners of 2013.
Project related to following sources of energy
☑ Solar
☐ Biomass
☐ Biofuel
☐ Biogas
☐ Wind
☐ Geo-Thermal
☐ Hydro
☐ Energy Efficiency
☐ Other: /
Project primarily related to the following Commodity Groups
☐ Cereals
☐ Fruits and vegetables
☐ Nuts and berries
☐ Forage
☑ Dairy products
☐ Meat products
☐ Oil Seeds
☐ Roots and Tubers
☐ Eggs
☐ Pulses
☐ Fiber Crops
☐ Forestry
☐ Sugars
☐ Stimulants
☐ Spices
☐ Other: /
Project primarily related to the following Agricultural Value Chain Steps
☐ Mechanization
☑ Efficiency of Operation
☑ Processing
☐ Transportation
☐ Controlled Atmosphere
☐ Controlled Temperature
☐ Mechanical Sorting
☐ Preservation
☐ Other: /
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