RENEWABLES 2023 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT

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Snapshot.INDIA

Solar-powered Cold Storage to Reduce Food Waste

Food waste has been a major issue in India due to the lack of cold storage and food processing facilities. As of 2022, an estimated 40% of the food produced in the country was wasted. Rural farmers often are forced to sell perishable items as quickly as possible before they become overripe. Extreme weather caused by climate change is putting farmers in an even more difficult situation.

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Solar-powered Cold Storage to Reduce Food Waste

Food waste has been a major issue in India due to the lack of cold storage and food processing facilities. As of 2022, an estimated 40% of the food produced in the country was wasted. Rural farmers often are forced to sell perishable items as quickly as possible before they become overripe. Extreme weather caused by climate change is putting farmers in an even more difficult situation.

A solar cold storage project implemented by the Science, Technology & Innovation Council in India's Mizoram state has benefited farmers in the village of Kawnzar. The project uses solar PV and ice battery technology to convert water into ice within six hours. The cold storage allows farmers to stock up to 10 tonnes of food, enabling them to store their harvest for longer time periods instead of being forced to sell it cheaply or discard it. The USD 27,100 project, funded by India's Department of Science & Technology, has helped increase the incomes of small-scale farmers while also supporting the adoption of renewables in the agriculture sector. The project falls in line with the country's target to install 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Similar cold storage systems have been installed throughout India by different companies, including Ecozen, Inficold and Oorja Development Solutions. This activity is expected to scale up further, and solar energy also is being used in food processing such as drying perishable goods, thereby improving the lives of local farmers.

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Source: See endnote 70 for this module.

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  12. Figure 14 from IEA data, op. cit. note 5.12
  13. Ibid.13
  14. Ibid.14
  15. Ibid.15
  16. Ibid.16
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  21. Ibid..21
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  30. Figure 15 from Ibid.30
  31. Ibid.31
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  47. IRENA and FAO, op. cit. note 20.47
  48. Ibid.48
  49. Ibid.49
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  65. US Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, “2013 Market Trends Report,” January 1, 2014, https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1220825. 65
  66. Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), “Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2022: Outlook,” October 17, 2022, https://esmap.org/Off-Grid_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2022_Outlook.66
  67. IRENA, “Off-Grid Renewable Energy Statistics 2022,” December 2022, https://www.irena.org/Publications/2022/Dec/Off-grid-renewable-energy-statistics-2022.67
  68. Green Climate Fund, “Hydro-Agricultural Development with Smart Agriculture Practices Resilient to Climate Change in Niger,” October 7, 2021, https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/fp176.68
  69. ESMAP, op. cit. note 66; IRENA and FAO, op. cit. note 20. 69
  70. Efficiency for Access, “Solar Appliance Technology Brief: Walk-in Cold Rooms,” July 2021, https://storage.googleapis.com/e4a-website-assets/EforA_Solar_Technology_Brief_WalkInColdRooms_July-2021.pdf; ESMAP, op. cit. note 66. Snapshot: India based on the following sources: B. Moushumi, “Indian Farmers Turn to Solar-Powered Fridges to Reduce Food Waste,” Scroll.in, December 5, 2022, https://scroll.in/article/1038916/indian-farmers-turn-to-solar-powered-fridges-to-reduce-food-waste; “Food Wastage in India: A Concern,” Eastern Mirror, October 25, 2022, https://easternmirrornagaland.com/food-wastage-in-india-a-concern; F. Birol and A. Kant, “India's Clean Energy Transition Is Rapidly Underway, Benefiting the Entire World,” IEA, January 10, 2022, https://www.iea.org/commentaries/india-s-clean-energy-transition-is-rapidly-underway-benefiting-the-entire-world; H. Lalramenga, “Deputy CM Hmalaknain Khawzawlah Solar Cold Storage Bun Dt. 21.12.2021,” DC Khawzawl, December 22, 2021, https://dckhawzawl.mizoram.gov.in/post/deputy-cm-hmalaknain-khawzawlah-solar-cold-storage-bun.70
  71. ESMAP, op. cit. note 66.71
  72. Based on IEA data, op. cit. note 5.72
  73. Fraunhofer ISE, op. cit. note 35.73
  74. Fraunhofer ISE, op. cit. note 38.74
  75. Fraunhofer ISE, op. cit. note 35.75
  76. FAO, “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022. Towards Blue Transformation,” 2022, http://www.fao.org/3/cc0461en/cc0461en.pdf. 76
  77. CLIENT II, “SHRIMPS – Solar-Aquaculture Habitats as Resource-Efficient and Integrated Multilayer Production Systems,” https://www.bmbf-client.de/en/projects/shrimps, accessed January 4, 2023.77
  78. Ibid.78
  79. B. Santos, “Floating Solar Tech for Aquaculture,” pv magazine, January 4, 2023, https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/01/04/floating-solar-tech-for-aquaculture.79
  80. IRENA, “Accelerating Geothermal Heat Adoption in the Agri-Food Sector,” January 2019, https://www.irena.org/publications/2019/Jan/Accelerating-geothermal-heat-adoption-in-the-agri-food-sector.80
  81. Ibid. 81
  82. Ibid; FAO, op. cit. note 76.82
  83. IRENA, op. cit. note 80.83
  84. IRENA and FAO, op. cit. note 20.84
  85. Ibid.85
  86. FAO, op. cit. note 76.86
  87. Based on IEA data, op. cit. note 5.87
  88. Ibid.88
  89. IRENA and FAO, op. cit. note 20.89
  90. Ibid.90
  91. Ibid.91
  92. Ibid.92
  93. Green Climate Fund, “Climate Resilient Fishery Initiative for Livelihood Improvement in the Gambia (PROREFISH Gambia),” July 20, 2022, https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/fp188.93
  94. R. Van Anrooy et al., op. cit. note 18.94
  95. C. Carletto, “Better Data, Higher Impact: Improving Agricultural Data Systems for Societal Change,” European Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 48, No. 4, September 2021, 719-740, https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab030. 95
  96. D. Mohapatra et al., “Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges,” Alliance for Rural Electrification, January 2021, https://www.ruralelec.org/publications/decentralised-renewable-energy-innovations-boost-agri-sector-productivity-address.96

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