BeCool: Clean cooling for markets in Kenya

premium account

Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Exhibition Program | Language: English | Duration: 9:18 .

Phaesun GmbH Wins Smarter E Award for Innovative Solar-Powered Cold Rooms in Kenya

Geraldine Quelle from Phaesun GmbH presented their award-winning BeCool project, which involves the implementation of solar-powered cold rooms in Kenya. Phaesun, a German company specializing in PV systems for rural electrification since 2001, has developed Self-Chill technology—a modular DC-powered solution for solar cooling primarily aimed at agricultural products. The system uses photovoltaic modules to power water chillers that store thermal energy and provide cooling through an air-water heat exchanger or milk tank. In collaboration with local partners like WeHub Victoria Limited and Solar Cooling Engineering, as well as support from the Efficiency for Access Initiative and architects from Kenya and Switzerland, they installed two cold rooms near Lake Victoria. The first room operates on a "cooling-as-a-service" model where vendors rent space to store produce. For the second room, efforts focused on minimizing greenhouse gas emissions by using natural refrigerants and materials like wood and straw instead of conventional PU foam panels—achieving close-to-net-zero carbon output while maintaining effective refrigeration solutions essential for preserving perishable goods such as leafy vegetables.

Automated summarization by AI Conver

Geraldine Quelle
Research and Innovation Manager
Phaesun GmbH

The smarter E AWARD is one of the most prestigious awards in the energy industry. Once again, numerous companies that have developed visionary and pioneering products and projects that are among the finalists in 2025. They will present their products and projects to the exhibition audience in ten-minute pitches at the Intersolar Forum. Innovations in the Photovoltaics category include advancements in module technology, inverters and balance of systems. The finalists in the Smart Integrated Energy category will also be featured.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Christian Comes
Director of Business Development Europe
Anhui Huasun Energy Co., Ltd

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Cui Jian
Head of Product
LONGi Solar Technology Co. Ltd

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Wilhelm Stein
CEO
Sunmaxx PVT GmbH

To Talk

Speaker

Gautier Moulin
CO-Founder and COO
Aevy

To Talk

Video is not available.

Video is not available.

Video is not available.

Video is not available.

Speaker

Frank Stegmueller
Lead Industry Decarbonisation & Energy Island Solutions
GIZ Indonesia

To Talk

Further Content
Webinar
EEG Reform & Grid Package – What prospects and potential does Photovoltaics have beyond 2027?

September 18, 2026

New rules for solar and energy storage: The planned EEG reform for 2027 could fundamentally reshape the support framework and market conditions. Join our webinar in cooperation with BSW-Solar to find out what opportunities and challenges these changes may bring to the industry.

Rutger Schlatmann and Angelika Harter
Perovskites: The Race for the Future of PV?

The smarter E Podcast Episode 258 | Language: English

June 25, 2026

HZB researchers explore perovskite tandem solar cells, efficiency gains, and the challenges of bringing the technology to market.

Howard Wenger and Aaron Thurlow
How U.S. Innovators Are Reshaping Solar

The smarter E Podcast Episode 261 | Language: English

July 23, 2026

Live from Munich: Industry leaders discuss Nextpower’s integration of utility-scale storage and Caelux’s breakthrough perovskite-on-glass solar tech.

Tim Meyer
Can Renewables Deliver 24/7 Power?

The smarter E Podcast Episode 259 | Language: English

July 2, 2026

Can renewables power an industrial nation 24/7? Tim Meyer and expert guests discuss breakthrough insights from The smarter E Europe 2026.

Edurne Zoco and Barbara Rubim
Effective Responses to Power Markets in Flux

The smarter E Podcast Episode 262 | Language: English

August 6, 2026

Recorded live at The smarter E Europe 2026: Industry experts discuss global solar trends, battery storage, and new market dynamics worldwide.

You are using an outdated browser

The website cannot be viewed in this browser. Please open the website in an up-to-date browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.