Driving Impact: Ecozen’s Scalable Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Our work has positively impacted over 12 lakh lives and reduced over 2 million metric tons of GHG emissions, including 660,000 metric tons in 2024 alone. These milestones represent more than numbers—they show how purpose-driven innovation can transform lives.

What sets Ecozen apart is our focus on scalable solutions that empower individuals and communities. From sustainable cooling that minimizes food wastage to driving renewable energy adoption, we create meaningful daily impacts. Our expertise now extends to advanced motor and control systems and innovative cooling technologies, solidifying our position as a leader in climate-smart solutions.

Empowering Change: Ecozen’s Global Impact Through Innovation and Collaboration

Whether through sustainable cooling to reduce food wastage or enabling renewable energy adoption, we make a tangible difference every day. Our solutions have expanded to advanced motor and control technology and cooling technology.

Our progress has been driven by collaboration—working closely with governments, international organizations, and community leaders to build ecosystems where sustainability thrives. Moving ahead, our focus is on expanding our product portfolio with innovative solutions to address evolving challenges, building strategic partnerships to strengthen collaborations and amplify impact, and scaling our presence globally to reach regions where our technologies can drive the greatest transformation.

Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: The Power of Innovation and Collaboration

In line with the United Ntions Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are committed to ensuring affordable and clean energy, promoting responsible consumption, and fostering climate action for a sustainable future.

Transformational change takes time, collaboration, and a shared vision. With every innovation, we move closer to a world where sustainability is the norm, not the exception. Together, we can build a sustainable tomorrow.

Here’s to building a sustainable tomorrow, one solution at a time.

Agriculture forms the bedrock of India’s economy. The Indian Economy Review estimates agriculture to constitute 18 per cent of India’s GVA in FY24. While the sector grew at an average annual rate of 3.7 per cent from FY15 to FY23, the potential is still huge. India is the largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices globally and the second-largest producer of fruits, vegetables, tea, farmed fish, sugarcane, wheat, rice, cotton, and sugar. Agriculture exports have surged in recent years, reaching ₹4.2 lakh crore in FY23. What is holding back agriculture is low productivity due to a range of factors with a shortage of storage and processing infrastructure one of the key issues.

Initiatives by the Indian Government

The government is actively promoting digital inclusion and mechanisation to foster productivity. The launch of the digital platform e-NAM (National Agriculture Market), making drone technology affordable to farmers, linking 62,318 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies with NABARD through a single National Software Network to improve credit delivery, creation of Agristack for planning, monitoring, policy-making, strategy formulation, and implementation of schemes. However, continuous innovation and technology adoption are essential to meet the growing demands for diversified and nutritious food baskets.

Ecozen’s Impact with deep Agri-Tech

It is in this area that the private sector has been making bold strides. An example is Ecozen, a start-up conceived by three IIT Kharagpur alumni that has revolutionised the agricultural landscape with its cutting-edge climate-smart technologies. Devendra, Prateek, and Vivek, the trio behind Ecozen, turned down lucrative job offers abroad to realise their vision of empowering Indian farmers with sustainable technological solutions.

Ecotron – Smart Solar Powered Pump Controller Set

Ecozen launched its first product, the Ecotron solar irrigation pump controller that leveraged the power of renewable energy. The pump quickly set new standards in agricultural efficiency, revolutionising irrigation practices and freeing farmers from being dependent on the supply of electricity from the grid and saving the cost of fuel for generators to run the pumps. Over 1.6 lakh units have been deployed, not just in India but worldwide, enhancing farm yields and highlighting the potential of renewable energy in agriculture.

Ecofrost – World’s Leading Solar Powered Cold Storage

However, Ecozen’s ambition did not stop at irrigation solutions. They decided to address the critical challenge of post-harvest losses accounting for around 30% of India’s food waste primarily due to a lack of storage and processing infrastructure. The development of Ecofrost Solar Powered Cold Rooms was a game changer. The portable cold storage rooms have helped to preserve perishable goods, dramatically reducing food waste and increasing farmers’ incomes. To date, over 900 Ecofrost cold rooms have been deployed across more than 10 countries, helping to save over 20,000 tonnes of food from being lost.

Odisha x Ecozen – A power packed collaboration

Odisha has been at the forefront of Ecozen’s agricultural impact with its pioneering adoption of Ecozen’s solar-powered cold rooms. The State Government was encouraging farmers to shift from traditional paddy production to high-value horticulture crops and wanted a solution to the perishability challenge. It introduced solar-powered cold rooms as a part of the 5T transformation initiative and Ecozen set up units across the state.

This significantly enhanced the cold chain infrastructure, elevating it to international standards and enabling farmers to diversify into high-value horticultural crops. Ecozen also provides extensive post-harvest management training and farmers use the Ecofrost mobile app to efficiently manage their harvests, leading to increased profits and reduced waste.

The impact of Ecozen’s technologies is vividly illustrated in the story of Bijay Kumar Das from Keonjhar. By transitioning from paddy to vegetable cultivation and utilizing an Ecofrost unit, Das has seen his earnings multiply, showcasing the transformative potential of Ecozen’s solutions as a model for sustainable and profitable farming practices.

Technology has the power to shape a brighter, more sustainable future for agriculture. Ecozen is an example of how technological advancement can empower farmers and lead to a sustainable future for agriculture worldwide.

In the heartland of India’s agricultural prowess, a silent revolution is taking place that promises to transform the lives of farmers, retailers, and traders. Oorja Development Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. (ODSL) has pioneered an innovative approach to cold storage with Ecofrost Cold Room. Located near a bustling fruit and vegetable market in Samastipur, Bihar, Oorja’s cooling-as-a-service model is changing the game for fresh produce storage and distribution.

Cooling-as-a-Service: Empowering Agri-Entrepreneurs

At the forefront of this initiative stands Oorja Development Solutions India Pvt Ltd, a name synonymous with innovation and sustainable practices. ODSL operates on a unique “Cooling-as-a-Service” model, extending the benefits of their Ecofrost Cold Room to farmers, retailers, and traders. This service is a game-changer, enabling users to store their produce on a pay-per-use basis. The produce is stored until the optimal market conditions prevail, ensuring higher price realization and reduced wastage.

Ecofrost Cold Room: Where Quality Meets Innovation

The Ecofrost Cold Room, with a storage capacity of 5 metric tons, stands as a beacon of freshness and longevity for harvested produce. Situated strategically within 100 meters of the market, it offers convenience and accessibility to all stakeholders. The cold room is not just a storage space; it’s a guardian of quality. It allows farmers, retailers, and traders to preserve the value of their commodities until the time is right.

Farming for the Future: Empowering Farmers

For farmers, the Ecofrost Cold Room is nothing short of revolutionary. Imagine being able to extend the shelf life of your produce by up to 8.3 times while reducing wastage by a staggering 80 times. Mr.Rambabu Singh, a farmer who utilised the cold room, stored his cauliflower and witnessed an extraordinary 7.3 times increase in his profits. This technology doesn’t just store produce; it safeguards the livelihoods of those who bring food to our tables.

Retailers’ Resilience: Reducing Waste, Increasing Profits

Retailers, who are often caught in the struggle against time, find solace in the Ecofrost Cold Room. It is a lifeline for their unsold commodities, providing them with 1 to 3 days of extended freshness. By mitigating wastage, retailers like Mr. Abhishek Kumar, who stored pointed gourd (Parval) in the cold room, are witnessing a remarkable transformation. His waste losses plummeted by an astounding 80 times, painting a brighter financial picture.

Traders’ Triumph: Extending Profit Horizons

Traders, the conduits between producers and retailers, are experiencing a paradigm shift in their operations. The Ecofrost Cold Room allows them to increase the shelf life of their surplus commodities by 6 times and reduce wastage by 40 times. Mr. Vijay Kumar’s experience echoes this sentiment, as storing apples in the cold room led to a 3.3 times increase in his profits. This innovation elevates the entire supply chain, ensuring that everyone benefits from the bounty of the land.

Impact through Ecofrost Cold Room usage

Table 2: Impact of Ecofrost intervention on Cauliflower storage by farmer Mr. Rambabu Singh

Impact of Ecofrost intervention on Pointed Gourd storage by retailer Mr. Abhishek Kumar

Impact of Ecofrost intervention on Apple storage by trader Mr. Vijay Kumar

A Win-Win Ecosystem: Nurturing Sustainability and Prosperity

The success of the Ecofrost Cold Room is not just measured in terms of produce preservation; it’s a testament to sustainable business practices. ODSL’s model doesn’t just benefit the end-users; it’s a source of revenue for them as well. By providing cooling-as-a-service, ODSL earns a monthly revenue ranging from INR 12,000 to INR 20,000. This circular economy not only supports the company but also uplifts the entire agricultural community.

In the bustling markets of Samastipur, Bihar, the Ecofrost Cold Room stands tall as a symbol of progress, sustainability, and shared prosperity. ODSL’s pioneering cooling-as-a-service model is a blueprint for innovation that holds the potential to transform the agricultural landscape across the nation. As we witness the transformation of produce storage, we also witness the transformation of lives – a true testament to the power of human ingenuity and collaboration.

By Hannah Blair, Communications Associate at CLASP, Efficiency for Access Co-Secretariat

Blue Sky Herbs, part of Kubali Limited, may be less than a year old, but no other farm in Laikipia County, Kenya can boast of hosting an advanced solar cold room unit. In the midst of lush and aromatic herb farmlands, the stark white ecofrost cold storage unit with sparkling new solar panels is hard to miss.

Although it is not the first off-grid cold storage unit on the continent, ecofrost is the first ecozen cold unit to make the journey to sub-Saharan Africa from the company’s headquarters in Maharashtra state, India. ecofrost is a portable, solar powered cold room with storage capacity of 5 metric tons. The unit works with efficient thermal energy storage and can reserve up to 30 hours of energy.

ecozen is one of the finalists participating in the CLASP-managed Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Cold Chain Challenge (OGCCC). The OGCCC is an international competition to identify and promote the most energy-efficient, sustainable and cost-effective technologies that can meet cold room storage requirements for fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. This October, innovation prizes will be awarded to the top three product winners to stimulate advances in cold chain technology markets.

The Efficiency for Access team traveled to Laikipia to meet the Blue Sky Herbs team, learn more about their unique challenges accessing reliable cold chain options, and install a remote monitoring system to evaluate the performance of the unit. The monitoring system evaluates various aspects of performance, including humidity, ambient and internal temperatures, solar energy production and consumption.

Like many of the other competitors operating in this final round of the OGCCC, ecozen faced extensive challenges transporting the unit across the Kenyan border. After spending more than four months with customs and border control in Mombasa, the unit finally arrived at Blue Sky Herbs in time for the biggest basil harvest of the year.

“We invested in importing this unit all the way from India because we could not find a better solution closer to home,” explained Kariuki. “We heard good things about the ecofrost — it was developed for very hot farming climates so we thought it would be a good fit for our environment.”

Prior to purchasing the unit, Kariuki estimated that the farm spent close to Ksh. 500,000 ($5,000 USD) on energy costs each month. Blue Sky Herbs relies on a grid connection, but frequent power outages leave the farm reliant on generators to power the facilities 2–3 days per week for up to eight hours a day. The farm currently operates two large cold rooms that require power 24 hours a day. However, temperatures within the cold rooms are inconsistent. Blue Sky has incurred significant losses due to temperatures within the rooms dropping too low at night and freezing the delicate herbs.

The farm currently produces eleven different types of herbs, each with their own specifications for harvest and storage temperature. Basil, the intended crop for ecofrost, must cool slowly and be stored at 10–12 degrees Celsius. In the previous harvest, basil was stored in a pack house, but temperatures were too high.

“By the time the basil reached our customers in Europe, it was wilted and bad. We ended up losing 34% of basil from that harvest season. It was very disappointing,” says Maurice Ngigi, Project Manager at Blue Sky Herbs.

With plans to expand production to meet the demands of the export market, Blue Sky Herbs hopes to increase its usage of renewable energy sources. If the ecozen unit proves to be a reliable and cost-effective alternative to grid power, the farm will invest in additional off-grid agricultural technologies, such as solar water pumps.

“We expect this unit will solve a lot of our problems. It is green, reliable, efficient, cost-effective, and will have less breakdowns than our other cold rooms,” Kariuki explained as he gleamed in the direction of the long awaited ecofrost unit. “We waited a long time and we are very glad it is here at last.”

The Global LEAP Off-Grid Cold Chain Challenge is a joint initiative with Energy 4 Impact, with the support of the Ideas to Impact programme, which is funded by the UK Department for International Development, and Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid Initiative. This October, innovation prizes will be awarded to the top three product winners to stimulate advances in cold chain technology markets.

Edit:

We bagged the 2^nd place in the Off-Grid Cold Chain Challenge!
ecozen’s unit was identified as having high technical performance, a short repayment period and incorporated sophisticated Internet of Things that was greatly appreciated by the farm user.

Of the 10 finalists selected to move on to stage 2, six were able to set up their cold storage units on location. Of these, only four could put their cold units to productive use.

An expert panel of four judges selected a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place solutions. The judges’ selections and the corresponding prize amounts awarded to each company are as follows:

• 1^st Place – ColdHubs – £75,000
• 2^nd Place – ecozen – £50,000
• 3^rd Place – FreshBox – £25,000
• Runner Up – Ecolife

Each of the four judges that participated have strong technical backgrounds in off-grid solar and cooling value chains.

Article originally published by Krishi Jagran

Rotting or ripening of fruits and vegetables is a big problem. The freshness of these fruits and vegetables gets lost before reaching the consumers. And the main problem is non availability of refrigerated trucks or vans and poor availability of electricity in all the places. The rotting of harvested crops also leads to a waste at a criminal level, especially for a country like India which has over 350 million extremely poor people, who are clearly unable to afford two square meals a day.

India loses nearly 38 percent every year of its total harvest due to a variety of reasons, mainly related to the lack of an efficient market linkage system as well as absence of a large scale climate-proof storage capacity. This severely impacts the incomes of a large majority of Indian farmers, of which nearly 86 percent barely manage to eke out a living, earning less than USD 1,000 a year for all their toil and effort.

With the rise in use of solar power, several Indian companies have developed storage rooms and cubicles, powered by solar energy, increasing the shelf life of the harvest nearly 10 times and boosting farmers’ incomes.

Energy expenses account for about 28-30 percent of total expenses in cold storage in India. This means that electrical energy is a major running cost to maintain the cold storage facility. Moreover, grid power supply in the rural areas is very poor with respect to its quantity and quality. This is one of the main reasons behind the abysmally low penetration of cold storage rooms in India and the clear absence of an integrated cold chain that can store, preserve and transport perishable goods like fresh vegetables and fruits.

But now, it is the same sun that could come to the rescue of the farmers and help them preserve their goods for a much longer duration, allowing them to benefit not only from market dynamics and sell their harvest only when they find a buyer at the right price. Over the last few years, the development of solar-powered storages have become a rage across the world, with numerous start-ups and established refrigeration companies alike offering several options for farmers to establish cooling rooms as per their needs.

The solar-powered cold storage offers an ideal response to the needs of Indian farmers as it adequately addresses the problem of post-harvest losses in fruits, vegetables and other perishable food. In these, the crop is placed in clean plastic crates, which are then stacked inside the cold room. This extends the freshness of fruits, vegetables and other perishable food from two days to about 21 days.

Cold rooms are well insulated in order to maintain the necessary temperature, often up to 8°C. The energy comes from the solar panels that are mounted on the roof-top of the cold room and is stored in high capacity batteries that feed an inverter, which in turn feeds the refrigerating unit.