ILK technology saves groceries in Nigeria
The ‘Start Up Energy Transition Award‘ is tendered by the ‘dena’ (German Energy Agency). Six start-ups from France, Germany, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria have received the award. They were able to convince the jury with their innovative ideas for the energy transition and worldwide climate protection.
On behalf of the GIZ (German Society for International Collaboration), ILK has developed walk-in cold rooms, which are supplied by solar energy, for the storage of fruits and vegetables for the company ColdHubs based in Nigeria. ColdHubs is the winner in the category: Special Prize: “Start Up SDG7” (UN-Target Sustainable Energy for All). By means of the cooling technology developed at ILK, farmers can increase the life period of their field crops many times over. Fruits and vegetables will no longer be good for only two to three days, but for almost two weeks. Therefore, the crops are not wasted any longer, but are delivered to the market as fresh as can be.
Taken from the press release of the ‘dena’:
ColdHubs, is a “plug and play” modular, solar-powered walk-in cold room, for 24/7 off-grid storage and preservation of perishable foods. It adequately addresses the problem of post-harvest losses. ColdHubs offers farmers with a flexible pay-as-you-store subscription model.
Special Prize: “Start Up SDG7” (UN-Target Sustainable Energy for All) Energy shortage is a huge problem worldwide. An estimated 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity. In the future they will, and their energy supply should be sustainably produced. That is the aim of SDG7 (SDG “sustainable development goals”). We know there are many start-ups working on brilliant ideas in this field. We believe really great solutions in this area deserve a special prize.