Solar Buyende Cooperative

Direct

• Clean energy: The solar plant will produce 344,8 MWh per year, allowing the cooperative to run on clean energy only, and eliminating diesel consumption – a reduction of 9.125 liters/year that will avoid the emission of 24.45 tons of CO2 a year, the equivalent of planting 1.111 trees.

• Better working conditions: by increasing the lighting around the plant with external safety lights, the cooperative members will have longer operation hours especially loading milk to the buyers’ trucks during late evenings. The installer will install 3 street lighting modules at the facility at no extra cost.
• Greater financial autonomy: the cooperative currently has 60 members and over 175 non-cooperative farmers termed as “out producers”, with a combined labor force of around 250 people that will be positively affected by this project. Milk producers will get better income because of increased reliability in storage and supply knowing milk won’t go bad and fetching a better price with milk processors.
• More gender equality: the cooperative plans to bring women to leadership positions and has set itself a target of a gender balance of at least 40 % of the core management positions being taken up by women by 2025.
• Job generation: It is projected that with this solar cooling project, the cooperative operation hours will be increased and so will the volume of milk which will create extra job positions. In the long term, this will spur micro-processing of the milk to make products like yogurt, creating over 320 direct and indirect jobs at the farms, shops, and processing plants.

Indirect:

• Impact on the local community: with the increase in job creation, and a stable supply of milk, there will be a trickle-down effect on the local community whether it is tackling malnutrition or education access with parents now better equipped to pay for school fees.
• Reduction of milk waste: Estimates point to 35 % of all milk production in Buyende being wasted due to a lack of timely cooling. Solar coolers are reliable and can provide consistent cold storage for areas with no or unreliable energy access, offering significant impact potential on reducing milk waste to minimal levels.

Direct

• Clean energy: The solar plant will produce 344,8 MWh per year, allowing the cooperative to run on clean energy only, and eliminating diesel consumption – a reduction of 9.125 liters/year that will avoid the emission of 24.45 tons of CO2 a year, the equivalent of planting 1.111 trees.

• Better working conditions: by increasing the lighting around the plant with external safety lights, the cooperative members will have longer operation hours especially loading milk to the buyers’ trucks during late evenings. The installer will install 3 street lighting modules at the facility at no extra cost.
• Greater financial autonomy: the cooperative currently has 60 members and over 175 non-cooperative farmers termed as “out producers”, with a combined labor force of around 250 people that will be positively affected by this project. Milk producers will get better income because of increased reliability in storage and supply knowing milk won’t go bad and fetching a better price with milk processors.
• More gender equality: the cooperative plans to bring women to leadership positions and has set itself a target of a gender balance of at least 40 % of the core management positions being taken up by women by 2025.
• Job generation: It is projected that with this solar cooling project, the cooperative operation hours will be increased and so will the volume of milk which will create extra job positions. In the long term, this will spur micro-processing of the milk to make products like yogurt, creating over 320 direct and indirect jobs at the farms, shops, and processing plants.

Indirect:

• Impact on the local community: with the increase in job creation, and a stable supply of milk, there will be a trickle-down effect on the local community whether it is tackling malnutrition or education access with parents now better equipped to pay for school fees.
• Reduction of milk waste: Estimates point to 35 % of all milk production in Buyende being wasted due to a lack of timely cooling. Solar coolers are reliable and can provide consistent cold storage for areas with no or unreliable energy access, offering significant impact potential on reducing milk waste to minimal levels.