Wednesday
May 19
2021

Press Release: Cooling Solutions for Micro-Entrepreneurs – Cross-Geographic Partnership to Share Learnings via Implementations

In a bid to promote dissemination of decentralized cooling solutions to enable small farmers and entrepreneurs in different vulnerable geographies, Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. LtdELICO Foundation, and SELCO Foundation entered into a tripartite collaboration to leverage their combined grassroot implementation and need-based innovation approach along with technical expertise in solar cooling solutions.

This global partnership is spurred by support from IKEA Foundation through the Efficiency for Access Research and Development Fund awarded to Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The Efficiency for Access Research and Development Fund aims to accelerate the availability, affordability and efficiency of a range of low energy inclusive appliances that are particularly suited to developing country contexts and promote social inclusion. The second call was open to applications to R&D projects developing appliance technologies or products that focused on cooling, including fans, refrigeration and cold chain for food and agricultural products. Such initiatives was made in recognition of the intersection of Sustainable Development Goals to achieve no poverty (SDG1), zero hunger (SG2) and good health and wellbeing (SDG3).

The partnership seeks to design and deploy solar powered cooling solutions for last-mile farming and fishing communities in Tanzania to strengthen their livelihoods by enabling local farmers to preserve their produce, get better pricing and reach markets. Decentralized solar powered refrigerators provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to utilize the solution to create additional livelihoods in their existing businesses. There is a great spread of different micro-businesses which can benefit from having a reliable cold-storage solution complementing their businesses Thus, the learnings from the current program can create technology, finance and social models with a potential for replication. More than 20 micro-entrepreneurs will be closely impacted with a potential increase in income and product diversification opportunity.

Quote from ELICO on the program/partnership

Sustainable energy is a key development enabler for many SDGs. Despite the potential that clean energy has for livelihoods development, many African countries, such as Tanzania, still lack sufficient enabling resources and skill set to accelerate the progress that’s why a partnership with organisation such as SELCO Foundation and Devidayal is highly valued

Quote from Devidayal on the program/ partnership

We are truly excited by this global replication opportunity and partnering with E-LICO and SELCO. This milestone of our Efficiency for Access R&D grant will enable to test our technology, scalability and social inclusion criteria in the Africa context, which is a potentially large market for us in the near future.

Quote from SELCO Foundation/ Global SDG7 Hubs on the program/ partnership

Technology per se is not a silver bullet, hence this partnership intends to bring different facets that complement the deployment of the solution in a sustainable manner. Refrigeration will continue to grow as a critical input for many small businesses and sectors around the world. 

Source: Sun-Connect-News (link opens in a new window)

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Energy
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SDGs