Much Cooler:
The Future of Off-Grid Post-Harvest Cooling
The Post-Harvest Challenge
Across Africa, millions of farmers lose a significant portion of their harvests, not in the field but after harvest. Fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, and meat often spoils within hours or days due to lack of cold storage, especially in hot climates and remote areas without reliable electricity.
This is not just wasted food; it’s lost income, reduced nutrition, and missed market opportunities. For smallholder farmers, it can mean the difference between profit and loss, between food security and hunger.
What is a Solar Post-Harvest Cooling System?
Off-Grid Europe’s “Much Cooler” system is a breakthrough in off-grid, solar-powered cold storage. Designed for African farming communities, it’s a modular, easy-to-install cooling hall that preserves perishable crops while running entirely on the sun.
Much Cooler is designed to serve farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, investors, and governments looking for real solutions to food loss and energy access.
Solar-powered
Runs on clean energy using solar panels and batteries-no diesel needed.
Flexible storage
From 300 to over 5,000 tons of produce capacity, scalable by demand.
Built for Africa
Quick installation, durable design, and tailored to local crops and climates.
How it works.
Harnessing Solar Power
The Much Cooler system begins with sunlight. Solar panels, mounted on a robust exoskeletal metal structure, capture sunlight and convert it into clean, renewable electricity. This sustainable energy source powers the entire cooling system, eliminating dependence on fossil fuels or unreliable electrical grids.
Storing Energy Efficiently
Electricity from solar panels flows into the Ohms Box, a durable Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) crafted by Off-Grid Europe in Germany. It securely stores excess energy, providing reliable power during night or cloudy days. This robust system ensures continuous operation in remote or off-grid areas.
Powering Much Cooler
The Ohms Box delivers continuous power to the cooling hall, maintaining a consistent cold chain to preserve the quality and nutritional value of stored produce around the clock. By eliminating the need for fuel-powered generators, Much Cooler reduces operating costs and carbon emissions, offering a sustainable solution for post-harvest storage.
Product Feature.
Key Benefits.
Nutrition security
Much Cooler is an optimal solution for the long-term storage of harvest.
Food quality
If food is stored correctly, it stays nutritious and healthy.
Price stability
Food can be sold all year round while price fluctuations are kept to a minimum stabilizing the situation for farmers as well as consumers.
What sets Off-Grid Europe apart.
Off-Grid Europe’s Much Cooler offers tailored, sustainable cooling solutions, customized for local climates, crops, and infrastructure. Our team at Off-Grid Europe manages the entire EPC services project lifecycle, from design and procurement to construction, delivering solutions on time and within budget.
Local experts handle on-site installation, wiring, and system startup to ensure safety and optimal performance tailored to each location. Additionally, we provide comprehensive training to stakeholders, empowering communities to operate and maintain their renewable energy systems confidently and independently.
Image: Off-Grid Africa engineers setting up a solar mini-grid project in Senegal
A Model of Community Empowerment
A key differentiator of Much Cooler is its focus on community ownership and involvement. OGE works with local stakeholders from the start, including farmers, cooperatives, women’s groups, local governments, and NGOs, to ensure each cooling system fits local agricultural flows and social dynamics. Instead of importing foreign technology, OGE trains local technicians and partners with entrepreneurs to manage the systems.
This builds capacity, creates jobs, and makes the solution culturally appropriate and sustainable. In many regions, it features a comprehensive warehouse management platform that supports real-time inventory tracking, remote monitoring of produce, and quality assurance functionalities.
Image: Much Cooler is currently being built in Podor, Senegal this year.
