CONTRIBUTORS

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

Coldhubs in Nigeria provide solar-powered walk-in cold stores for off-grid storage and the preservation of produce for small-scale farmers . Using these modular cold rooms , the shelf life of perishable produce has been extended from two days to 21 days , directly impacting food wastage in Nigeria ’ s rural farming community .

In Kenya , award-winning social enterprise and CaaS provider , SokoFresh , has succeeded in reducing post-harvest losses for their customers from 40 % to 2 %, and is actively engaging more than 7 500 smallholding farmers to date .

Likewise , Energy Partners in South Africa , has targeted the commercial and industrial sectors , unlocking access to CaaS for largescale producers and manufacturers . Its growing customer base includes one of the country ’ s largest dairy producers , achieving increased energy efficiency of up to 40 %, which will avoid the emission of 6 000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year . As these examples illustrate , CaaS can enable Africa to become the author of its own energy destiny .

A CASE IN PROGRESS

In South Africa , cold storage infrastructure is much further developed than most other sub-Saharan countries , providing 10 cubic

metres of cold storage space for every thousand urban residents . This helps to curtail food wastage by approximately 3 % to 4 % below the continent ’ s average .

But a larger cold storage footprint does not necessarily translate into improved efficiency . The Coefficient of Performance ( CoP ) is a ratio of the heat removed from a cold space divided by the energy required ( electricity ) to do so . This measure is an indicator of how efficiently a refrigeration system utilises electrical energy to provide cooling .

Without active management , the CoP of most systems degrades over time . Poor maintenance and incorrect control settings contribute to a 4 % to 5 % degradation per year over a system ’ s 15 to 20-year lifespan . Ultimately , this means that by the end of their lifespan , most systems use 30 % to 40 % more electricity than they should . The impact of this is colossal when aggregated over South Africa ’ s large cold storage infrastructure . Although South Africa ’ s National Cooling Plan , a multi-stakeholder effort by national departments , state agencies , industry and academia , recommends servitisation as an agent for change , much still needs to be done to operationalise the recommendations . This highlights the importance of initiatives like SIEEP to

harness the collective commitment of sub-

Saharan leaders .

LONG-TERM SUCCESS DEPENDS ON SCALABILITY

Success stories aside , the true impact

of CaaS is locked up in its ability to

be deployed at scale . The role played

by financial institutions , development

finance institutions and policymakers are

essential in stimulating the marketing and

encouraging greater adoption .

For efficient cooling to meet the

growing demand in agriculture and food

processing , health services and human

comfort , a new way of thinking , funding ,

constructing and delivering energy

for Africa and its people will become

increasingly important . At scale , CaaS

presents promising prospects for Africa ’ s

cold chain , and by extension , the future of

food security on the continent .

REFERENCES :

CLA

i . https :// qz . com / africa / 929817 / we-couldstop-tons-of-food-losses-by-scalingthese-african-made-low-tech-cooling-units ii . https :// www . reuters . com / graphics / AFRICA-HUNGER / lgpdkknwlvo /

HAVE YOUR FINGER ON THE MINING INDUSTRY ’ S PULSE WITH

HANDBOOK

This handbook is your portal to the most comprehensive database on operational mines , quarries , mine projects and exploration undertakings throughout Africa .

HANDBOOK

2024

• EXPLORATION

• PROJECTS

• MINES

• SMELTERS / REFINERIES

• QUARRIES

ISSN 2071-925

SUBSCRIBE

NOW

Unearth what you need , without digging .

View African Mines Online • www . mining . co . za

Unearth what you need , without digging .

www . mining . co . za