Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda

A case study on the market potential for solar cold storage in Rwanda's horticulture sector, highlighting that while rural electricity access was only 23% in 2018, solar solutions could address significant food losses (such as the 56% loss of tomatoes) and represent a market potential of up to USD 6,105,000 to support export targets.

• In Rwanda, the lack of reliable electricity in rural areas hinders the deployment of cold storage for perishable goods. As of 2018, only 23 percent of the rural population had access to electricity.
• Horticulture is a significant part of Rwanda's economy, representing an estimated 3.2 percent of domestic GDP and 9.7 percent of agricultural GDP in 2013. However, high losses occur along the value chain; for example, an estimated 56 percent of tomatoes produced in Rwanda are lost, largely due to a lack of cold storage.
• An FAO assessment of the horticulture value chain in Rwanda, aligned with a government export target of 46,000 tonnes of products by 2024, suggests a market potential for solar cold storage of up to USD 6,105,000, assuming a 75 percent adoption rate for export products.

APA

Puri, M., Rincon, L., & Matsoglou, I. (2021). Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda. Sustainable Energy for All. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products

Chicago

Puri, Manas, Luis Rincon, and Irini Matsoglou. Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda. Sustainable Energy for All, 2021. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puri |first1=Manas |last2=Rincon |first2=Luis |last3=Matsoglou |first3=Irini |title=Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda |publisher=Sustainable Energy for All |date=30 August 2021 |url=https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puri2021growing, author = {Puri, Manas and Rincon, Luis and Matsoglou, Irini}, title = {{Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }