Solar Refrigeration
Solar-Powered Cold Rooms Network — Dakar
A 12-site network of solar-hybrid cold rooms for horticulture producers, cutting post-harvest losses by more than half.
Location
Dakar, Senegal
Capacity
12 cold rooms, 220 kW PV + BESS
Temperature
0–4 °C horticulture cold rooms
Budget
USD $2.2M–$2.8M
Timeline
9 months
Project overview
A donor-backed agri programme in Senegal engaged ColdMatch Group to design and source a network of solar-hybrid cold rooms at producer aggregation points. Scope combined PV, BESS, refrigeration and remote monitoring under a single tender.
Challenge
- Grid at rural aggregation points was unavailable or unreliable; diesel-only would double OPEX.
- Fresh produce losses were reported at 35–45% between harvest and market.
- Programme required a repeatable, standardised design across 12 sites in 9 months.
Solution
- Standardised 40 m² prefabricated cold rooms with high-efficiency DC compressors.
- 220 kW PV + lithium BESS with hybrid inverters and diesel back-up (<10% run-hours).
- Remote monitoring dashboard for programme sponsors and O&M partner.
Result
- Post-harvest losses reduced from ~40% to under 15% across participating co-ops.
- Diesel run-time held under 8% of operating hours.
- Producer revenue up an average 28% within 6 months.
Scope of works
- Prefabricated 0–4 °C cold rooms × 12
- 220 kW PV, lithium BESS, hybrid inverters
- Diesel back-up and ATS
- Remote monitoring and reporting
- Local install and 3-year O&M support
Project gallery
Related capability
Learn more about the sourcing hub behind this project:
Explore Solar Refrigeration
