Solar off-grid horticulture cold hub — Kenya
Horticulture exporter cooperative built a fully solar-powered cold hub with battery + thermal storage for flowers, avocado and French bean exports to EU markets — no grid connection.
Challenge
- Grid extension quoted at US$ 2.1M with 30-month lead time.
- Post-harvest losses at 22% due to lack of forced-air pre-cooling.
- EU GlobalG.A.P. and cold-chain audit requirements from buyers.
ColdMatch solution
- 1.6 MWp PV + 3.2 MWh Li-ion BESS + 1.4 MWh ice-bank thermal storage.
- Low-charge NH₃/glycol plant (95 kg NH₃) + 4 forced-air pre-cooling tunnels.
- Diesel genset (N+1, 400 kVA) for <3% annual runtime backup only.
- ColdMatch structured GCF + AfDB green finance blended with cooperative equity.
Project scope
- Civil: 3,200 m² insulated envelope, 4 pre-cooling tunnels, dock-level loading.
- Mechanical: low-charge NH₃/glycol plant 620 kW, 4× forced-air tunnels @ 20 t/hr.
- Solar/storage: 1.6 MWp bifacial PV, 3.2 MWh Li-ion BESS, 1.4 MWh ice-bank.
- Automation: SCADA + energy management, remote monitoring via GSM.
- Financing: GCF concessional + AfDB senior + cooperative equity — 10-yr tenor.
Key engineering metrics
- Cooling load
- 620 kW peak
- Solar fraction (annual)
- 94%
- Diesel runtime
- <3% / yr
- Pre-cool throughput
- 80 t/hr aggregate
- Refrigerant charge
- 95 kg NH₃ (low-charge)
- Post-harvest loss
- 22% → 6%
ROI & financial performance
- Capex
- US$ 6.8M
- Annual savings
- US$ 2.1M/yr (loss reduction + no diesel + export uplift)
- Payback
- 3.6 yrs
- IRR
- 26.2% (10-yr)
- NPV
- US$ 7.4M @ 9% WACC
- Energy reduction
- 94% grid-free (solar fraction)
- CO₂ reduction
- −1,850 t CO₂e/yr vs diesel BAU
“We skipped the grid connection entirely. Payback under four years and post-harvest loss down from 22% to 6%.”
How this project was delivered — planning to commissioning
Donor-supported off-grid delivery with local operator training. Total programme: 16 months, feasibility to community operation.
- 1
Planning & feasibility
Months 1–4- Harvest-volume and post-harvest-loss study across the catchment area.
- Solar resource assessment, load profiling and thermal-battery sizing.
- Affordability model built around farmer tariffs and grant funding.
Milestone: Feasibility case approved and funding committed.
- 2
Permitting & approvals
Months 4–7- County land allocation and community consent secured.
- Energy regulator notification for the off-grid generation asset.
- Food handling and produce aggregation registration completed.
Milestone: Land, energy and food-handling approvals issued.
- 3
Procurement & build-out
Months 7–13- Solar array, inverters, battery and thermal storage installed.
- Cold rooms and aggregation area constructed with high-spec insulation.
- Remote monitoring installed for off-grid performance visibility.
Milestone: Hub built and running on solar with storage backup.
- 4
Testing & validation
Months 13–15- Autonomy testing across consecutive low-irradiance days.
- Temperature stability verified through full load and door-cycle conditions.
- Loss-reduction measured against the pre-project produce baseline.
Milestone: Autonomy and loss-reduction targets confirmed in field conditions.
- 5
Commissioning & handover
Months 15–16- Local operator and cooperative training on daily operation and basic maintenance.
- Tariff collection, booking and stock-rotation processes launched.
- Remote support and spares channel established for the region.
Milestone: Hub handed to the cooperative under a supported operating model.
This project sits under the Improve Energy Efficiency objective. Start from the objective hub to scope capacity, permitting and budget before engaging suppliers.
Project brief → RFQ package → supplier outreach → outcome
Every ColdMatch project follows the same managed sequence. Nothing reaches a supplier before David has reviewed the brief and confirmed the project scope, budget and timeline.
1. Project brief
- Submitted via
- RFQ builder — off-grid horticulture cold hub
- Review
- Reviewed manually by David with the green-finance workstream
Clarified before outreach
- Grid alternative: US$ 2.1M extension quote with a 30-month lead time.
- Post-harvest loss baseline and the pre-cooling capacity needed to remove it.
- Buyer audit requirements (GlobalG.A.P. and EU cold-chain evidence).
Qualification checks
- Blended concessional and senior debt structure confirmed as feasible.
- Cooperative governance and a single accountable project lead.
- Export offtake volumes evidenced before supplier contact.
2. RFQ package issued
Integrated energy-and-refrigeration tender (no split award)
Documents in the pack
- Forced-air pre-cooling brief: 4 tunnels at 20 t/hr, product entry temperatures.
- Off-grid energy brief: PV, BESS, ice-bank and genset runtime ceiling.
- Low-charge ammonia requirement with a safety and training plan.
- Concessional-finance reporting and monitoring obligations.
Mandatory supplier returns
- Annual energy simulation proving <3% genset runtime.
- Guaranteed pre-cooling rate at design ambient.
- Local operator training and remote-monitoring plan.
- Ten-year service and spares proposal matching the loan tenor.
3. Managed supplier outreach
- Approached
- 8 suppliers screened across East Africa, Europe and India
- Shortlisted
- 3 progressed to tender as integrated energy + refrigeration bids
- Round 1 — off-grid capability
Suppliers without proven off-grid cold-chain references were excluded early.
- Round 2 — integrated tender
Energy and refrigeration bid as one package so no party could blame the other for shortfalls.
- Round 3 — finance alignment
Monitoring, reporting and training obligations written into the supply contract.
Evaluation weighting
- Off-grid energy performance
- 30%
- Pre-cooling capacity & product quality
- 30%
- Local service & training
- 20%
- Price (normalised scope)
- 20%
4. Commercial outcome
1.6 MWp PV with BESS and ice-bank, paired with a 95 kg low-charge NH₃/glycol plant
Delivered results
- Grid extension avoided, removing a 30-month delay.
- Post-harvest losses cut from a 22% baseline through forced-air pre-cooling.
- Genset runtime held under 3% of annual hours.
Model your own off-grid case with the OPEX estimator, then submit a brief.
Project records are anonymised at the buyer's request and presented as planning-grade benchmarks. Costs, timelines and performance figures are indicative and are not engineering designs or quotations.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.