UK, India partner to advance clean cooling tech

Researchers from the UK and India have joined hands to advance clean sustainable cooling technology which would save farm produce from spoiling without harming the environment. The experts will work with various state governments to develop a Centre of Excellence that will demonstrate innovative and integrated solutions for creating cooling solutions for farmers without compromising climate goals. The UK-based Birmingham Energy Institute in collaboration with the New Delhi-based Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF) has initiated the programme to advance the use of new technology among farmers to help meet their rising demand for cooling sustainability. The experts will conduct a workshop, hosted by the Haryana government, in Chandigarh on September 10 to engage the regional agricultural community. A similar workshop will be held in Delhi on September 12. Professor Toby Peters, from the University of Birmingham, said: "In India, up to 50 per cent of food is lost post-harvest primarily because of lack of cold chain. We cannot address rural poverty without cold chains extending the life of crops while connecting farmers to markets. "A seamless cold chain will reduce food loss. It will raise farmers' income and give them bigger markets, whilst expanding their selling range. But at the same time, it must be clean and sustainable cooling - we must not replace a social crisis with an environmental catastrophe.”