In a bid to promote dissemination of decentralized cooling solutions to enable small farmers and entrepreneurs in different vulnerable geographies, Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. Ltd, ELICO 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.
About Global SDG-7 Hubs
Global SDG 7 Hubs is a practitioner-driven, knowledge exchange and implementation platform to improve inclusive development outcomes in the Global South via Sustainable Energy (SDG7) as a critical catalyst, particularly for underserved populations. For more please visit our website.
About ELICO Foundation
E-LICO is a non-profit organization established in Tanzania (reg. no.00NGO/R/0218) with the main goal of accelerating access to modern energy and energy services for socio-economic development of rural and last mile areas in Africa. Most of our current interventions are solar based. They include solar-powered water pumping for irrigation by rural smallholder farmers, solar-powered refrigeration for fresh produce by smallholder farmers, artisanal fisher communities, and other solar related productive uses of renewable energy such as rice milling, as well as vaccines in remote health centers. E-Lico co-develops (with user communities) tailor-made energy solutions including mini grids with a focus on productive uses. E-Lico recognizes that until and unless we avail energy for productive uses in rural Tanzania, the level of prosperity in the country will remain limited. We are clear that we must deliver Sustainable Energy for all Tanzanians, more rapidly for those living in rural areas where poverty incidence is highest
About Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt Ltd
Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (DDSolar) focuses on the design, manufacture, sale and distribution of productive use off-grid solar DC appliances for income generation and enhancement. DDSolar’s flagship product is a solar DC refrigerator. DDSolar is based in India and provides cold-chain solutions to enhance livelihoods in agriculture, dairies and fishing communities.
DDSolar is incubated by Social Alpha and the Powering Livelihoods program. The DDSR100 solar DC refrigerator has won the Global LEAP Award (2019) and Consumer Affordability Prize. Company website – https://ddsolar.in/