On June 10 and 11, all partners of the AGRI-COOL project gathered for the annual consortium meeting in Vicenza, Italy, marking a major milestone in the project’s development: the commissioning of the first fully operational AGRI-COOL demonstrator at the Genius Watter (GW) premises. Held one year after the project kick-off, the Month 12 meeting was hosted by the University of Padova (UNIPD) and Genius Watter, and combined technical site visits with detailed presentations on the progress of each Work Package. The event brought together partners from Europe and Africa to celebrate this key achievement and plan the next steps toward wider deployment.
The first day began with a visit to the UNIPDs Department of Management and Engineering, where participants consortium partners explored the laboratories dedicated to refrigeration and thermal performance research. The tour included:
- The Refrigerant Room, where researchers analyse the performance of all refrigerants currently available on the market, focusing primarily on air conditioning systems and using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as benchmarks for heat pumps. Ongoing experiments involve charging and discharging cycles, including phase changes from liquid to solid at around -8 to -9°C. This is part of a broader process that will continue in Carmignano.
- The Climate Chamber, equipped for advanced testing of phase change materials (PCM). UNIPD uses these materials with heat pumps to assess energy storage performance, specifically heat gain and loss, and enhance heat transfer efficiency. A small wind tunnel inside the chamber allows testing on different surfaces to improve performance.
- A final stop in the university labs focused on thermal diffusivity and nanofluids, aiming to enhance heat transfer capabilities and contribute to more efficient cooling technologies.
Later in the afternoon, partners traveled to Genius Watter’s facilities in Carmignano to visit the first commissioned AGRI-COOL cold room demonstrator, now fully operational. While the system was built and tested in Italy, it is the result of a collaborative design process involving the entire AGRI-COOL consortium over the first 12 months of the project. Solar-powered and optimised for outdoor use in high-temperature environments, this cold room is set to be deployed at the project’s demonstration site in Somalia.
Key features of the cold room include:
- Temperature sensors to ensure optimal conditions for storage and distribution (target temperature: 10–12°C).
- An alert system to detect human presence inside for safety during operation.
- A PCM-based backup system to maintain cooling during the night.
- Floor-based heat exchange and insulation, essential for maintaining thermal stability.
- A critical requirement for dust protection, as dust exposure could damage the system.
Initial tests began on-site during the visit, marking a significant step toward real-world application of the AGRI-COOL technology.
The second day of the meeting focused on project coordination and technical progress. Each partner presented updates on their respective Work Packages.
With partners from Europe and Africa, including universities, private sector actors, intergovernmental organisations, and government agencies, the AGRI-COOL project continues to make strides toward delivering affordable, sustainable cold storage for agricultural and rural communities.
Stay tuned for more updates on the project !
