ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses ColdHubs, an off-grid solar-powered cold room used to store fruits, vegetables and other perishable foods. The ColdHubs is a “plug and play” modular, solar-powered walk-in cold room, for off-grid storage of horticultural produce while maintaining optimum postharvest quality. The solar-powered cold room can be installed on the farm and even at markets outlets. Nigeria is a developing country located within the humid tropical region and produces a wide range of fruits and vegetables. A huge amount of harvested produce is lost due to the high temperaturesas well as inadequate postharvest and cold storage infrastructures. The power sector within the country generates around 4,000 megawatts of electricity during most of the days,which is insufficient to deliver reliable energy for the growing populace of over 200 million people. Moreover,the available cold room equipment is too expensive for the average farmer and produce handlers to purchase. The ColdHubs, an off-grid solar-powered cold room, offers an affordable solution to an existing lacuna in the cold chain and addresses the problem of postharvest losses in horticultural produce and other perishable food in Nigeria. It is an environmentally sustainable technology for developing countries and uses solar energy as an alternative power supply for cold storage.
