Affordable Solar Photovoltaic-Powered Cold Storage in Vietnam 

Partners: University Of Oxford (Lead), Chat Truc Technology And Trading Company Ltd, Institute For Circular Economy Development, Vietnam Solar Power Epc Corporation

Country: Vietnam

Technology: Energy storage, including batteries and mechanical storage

Stage: Early

Stage: 9

Vietnam’s cold storage market is expected to grow fast with booming demand that is expected to reach USD 295 million in 2025, yet the growth is obstructed by a critical shortage of suppliers. The country is in urgent need of more cold storage facilities as the current capacity only meets 30-35% of the nation’s demand. Cold storage can have transformative impacts on small and marginal farmers and rural communities through enhanced market connectivity.

To address the major challenge in the costs and capacity of current cold storage equipment in relation to the volume of frozen food production, our project will build on the solar energy and thermal energy storage technologies to develop and test inexpensive and off-grid cold storage, to meet the specific and urgent needs at the farm of small-scale fishing and aquaculture, to reduce food loss and maintain quality of product to market. Alongside the technology, we will also develop the novel purpose-driven business and finance models that are socially and economically appropriate. Working with in-country partners, the technologies and business models will be tested through farm-side pilots, focusing on the needs of women and low-income communities. Finally, our work will be undertaken to assist the partnership to understand the production and distribution capabilities required in Vietnam to scale accessibility and maintain low costs.