The SelfChill team, in collaboration with local partner Ecotutu Ltd, is implementing solar cold rooms in Nigeria to address the pressing issue of post-harvest losses due to lack of cooling in rural, non-electrified areas. With more than 85% of agricultural land in Nigeria cultivated by smallholders, the need for off-grid cooling systems is significant.

The standard system configuration for SelfChill in Nigeria is the Cold Room 20, which can cool 500kg of goods, including fruits, vegetables, and seeds, down to 4°C in a 20m³ cold room. Thanks to the solar power supply and integrated ice storage, the SelfChill cooling solutions can operate independently of any infrastructure.

Working with local solar engineering company Ecotutu Ltd, SelfChill is developing a distribution strategy to offer SelfChill Cold Rooms made in Nigeria. This involves importing the core components, which are solar cooling units developed by SelfChill Germany, and then installing them in cold rooms that are produced locally by the local partner. The SelfChill team also provides training to the local partners in system design and cold room installation, maximizing local value creation.

Currently, two SelfChill cold rooms have been installed in Nigeria. The first one was installed at the NSPRI research institute in Ilorin in December 2021 for research purposes and trainings. The second one, a SelfChill Cold Room 20 for cooling tomatoes, was installed close to Benin city in February 2022.

In February, a new SelfChill cold room will go into operation at Mile 12 Market in Lagos. The operational model for this cold room is unique, as a central operator will rent out compartments in the storage room to market traders, providing cooling services to food sellers and reducing post-harvest losses.

SelfChill is a collaboration between Phaesun GmbH and Solar Cooling Engineering GmbH, two German companies focusing on innovative and sustainable cooling solutions for agricultural products