Solar Heat Powered Cold Storage for Indian Farmers: Arktik’s First Off-grid System

In a sleepy Haryana village, Anjanthali (District Karnal), rows of shiny solar thermal concentrators are doing something remarkably revolutionary: using solar heat to keep horticulture produce cold. This installation marks an important milestone for Arktik Renewables. We’ve successfully commissioned a decentralised, solar heat run cold storage designed specifically for small and medium farmers. This is our most advanced field ready solution for off-grid rural cold chain – compact, modular, clean and truly farmer-centric. It’s reliance on heat, not electricity, makes it most economically viable cold storage system in India.  

Why this matters 

India loses a huge proportion of fruits and vegetables produced every year due to lack of reliable on-farm cold storage units. Most existing cold rooms are: 

• Grid-dependent 
  
• Electric battery dependent (expensive recurring cost and limited capacity) 
  
• Too large and unaffordable for a typical farmer 
  
• Clustered near cities or highways, not in the villages where crops are harvested 

Our Anjanthali installation shows that this doesn’t have to be the case.

A decentralised, scalable cold storage model 

This project demonstrates a small yet scalable model that can be replicated across the country: 

• The system is built around a field of solar thermal concentrating collectors installed on the rooftop. 
  
• The solar field powers a refrigeration system that cools a well-insulated cold room. 
  
• The cold room is designed for farm-level use, ideal for vegetables, fruits, flowers and other perishables. 

Arktik’s cold storage unit is best suited for individual farmers and farmers’ groups/cooperatives offering a unique on-farm solution to reduce transport losses and instantly store produce immediately after harvest. A typical system can store up to 5 metric tonnes of fruits and vegetables. 

Completely off-grid: cold storage where there is no electricity 

One of the most powerful aspects of this system is that it can operate completely off-grid. 

Because the cold room is driven by solar energy: 

• it can be installed in regions with weak or no grid connectivity 
  
• farmers are protected against electricity cuts and diesel price fluctuations 
  
• no monthly or yearly electric bill 
  
• almost zero operating cost 

This makes modern cold storage possible even in villages that have never had reliable power – unlocking the benefits of crop saving and better price realisation, without adding to India’s carbon emissions. 

Reliable 5 °C storage throughout the day 

The Haryana installation is designed to maintain around 5 °C inside the cold room for 24X7 operation throughout the year by combining: 

• smart solar thermal design 
  
• appropriate refrigeration technology and 
  
• good insulation and controls.  

The system keeps the temperature stable so that farmers can store their produce safely, reduce spoilage and avoid distress selling. 

Supporting India’s goals: less food waste, lower emissions 

The Government of India has made clear commitments to: 

• reduce post-harvest losses, 
  
• expand cold storage capacity, and 
  
• decarbonise the energy system.  

Arktik’s solar heat run cold storage solution sits exactly at the intersection of these priorities by: 

• directly reducing waste via preserving perishable crops,  
  
• adding cold storage capacity in locations where conventional infrastructure is hard to build, 
  
• running on renewable heat, helping to decarbonise agriculture and rural infrastructure rather than locking in diesel or coal-based electricity.  

Our Haryana project is a fully operational commercial unit that shows this vision is practical, not just on paper. 

What’s next? 

With this successful commissioning, Arktik is now ready to: 

• deploy similar systems in all rural parts of India 
  
• customise cold room sizes up to 300 m³ capacity 
  
• partner with interested FPOs, cooperatives, NGOs, Agri enterprises and government agencies aiming at clean, reliable cold storage for farmers 

If you’re working on reducing food waste, improving farmers’ income or building sustainable rural infrastructure, we’d love to collaborate.  CONTACT US 

Arktik is ready in its gear to revolutionise India’s rural cold chain.