Phaesun GmbH – The world’s first “Low-Carbon Cold Room” (Kenya)

A case study on the installation of a PV-powered 'Low-Carbon Cold Room' in Homabay, Kenya, developed by Phaesun GmbH and partners to reduce food loss and emissions in agricultural markets.

• The 'Low-Carbon Cold Room' is a PV-powered system designed to chill up to 500 kg of agricultural products daily to 10°C, maintaining this temperature even when ambient temperatures reach 35°C. The facility utilizes the SelfChill concept, which employs thermal energy storage and construction materials primarily consisting of wood and straw to minimize costs and the CO2 footprint.
• The technical specifications of the cold room include a volume of 20 m³, ice storage of 300 kg, and a total PV capacity of 3040 Wp (2280 Wp for six cooling units and 760 Wp for the pump and heat exchanger). Battery capacity is split between 525 Ah @24VDC for the cooling units and 175 Ah @24VDC for the pump and heat exchanger.
• The project was installed between April and September 2024 and officially inaugurated in April 2025 in Homabay, West Kenya. It was funded by the Siemens initiative Cents4Sense, the Siemens Stiftung, and the Efficiency for Access Research and Development Fund (EforA), successfully keeping total investment costs under 30,000 EUR.
• The facility is operated by WeHub Victoria Limited, which provides refrigeration services to market vendors at Homabay market place, allowing them to rent individual crates for the overnight or multi-day storage of fruits and vegetables.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (2025). Phaesun GmbH – The world’s first “Low-Carbon Cold Room” (Kenya). https://renewelec.org/case-study/phaesun-gmbh-the-worlds-first-low-carbon-cold-room-kenya/

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Phaesun GmbH – The world’s first “Low-Carbon Cold Room” (Kenya). 2025. https://renewelec.org/case-study/phaesun-gmbh-the-worlds-first-low-carbon-cold-room-kenya/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Phaesun GmbH – The world’s first “Low-Carbon Cold Room” (Kenya) |date=28 July 2025 |url=https://renewelec.org/case-study/phaesun-gmbh-the-worlds-first-low-carbon-cold-room-kenya/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrification2025phaesun, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Phaesun GmbH – The world’s first “Low-Carbon Cold Room” (Kenya)}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://renewelec.org/case-study/phaesun-gmbh-the-worlds-first-low-carbon-cold-room-kenya/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }