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 the ColdMatch project team 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 the ColdMatch project team 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 information is provided for research only; it is not a directory for direct contact. There is no direct buyer-to-supplier connection: every RFQ comes to the ColdMatch team, which validates it, contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organized responses through ColdMatch.