Solar Bweramule Cooperative

Direct: 

• Contribution to the decarbonization in Uganda, avoiding CO2 emission: the switch to solar energy will allow the cooperative to run on clean energy only, eliminating the consumption of 3.800 liters of diesel a year that will avoid the emission of 10.2 tons of CO2/year. 

Indirect: 

• Better work conditions in the cooperative: the installer will install two street lighting modules at the facility at no extra cost. By increasing the lighting around the plant with external safety lights, the cooperative members will have safer operation hours, especially loading milk to the buyers’ trucks during late evenings. 
• Support of economic activity: milk producers can reach higher income as a result of increased reliability in storage and supply and fetching a better price with milk processors. 
• Positive impact on people’s lives: the cooperative currently has 163 members and over 380 non-cooperative farmers termed as “out producers”, with a combined labor force of around 700 people that will be positively affected by this project. 
• Job generation:  with this solar cooling project, it is estimated that the cooperative operation hours will increase, and so will the volume of milk to be processed and the people working in the cooperative. In the long term, the cooperative estimates to create over 400 direct and indirect jobs at the farms, shops, and processing plant. 
• Impact on the local community:  with the increase in job creation there can be a trickledown effect on the local community, through stabler financial conditions to families involved with the cooperative. 
• Steps towards gender equality: the cooperative plans to bring on women to leadership positions and has promised to work towards achieving gender balance in the core management positions.  
• Reduction of food waste: estimates show that currently 35% of all milk production in the Rwenzori region is wasted due to 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 reduction of the milk waste to minimal levels. 

Direct: 

• Contribution to the decarbonization in Uganda, avoiding CO2 emission: the switch to solar energy will allow the cooperative to run on clean energy only, eliminating the consumption of 3.800 liters of diesel a year that will avoid the emission of 10.2 tons of CO2/year. 

Indirect: 

• Better work conditions in the cooperative: the installer will install two street lighting modules at the facility at no extra cost. By increasing the lighting around the plant with external safety lights, the cooperative members will have safer operation hours, especially loading milk to the buyers’ trucks during late evenings. 
• Support of economic activity: milk producers can reach higher income as a result of increased reliability in storage and supply and fetching a better price with milk processors. 
• Positive impact on people’s lives: the cooperative currently has 163 members and over 380 non-cooperative farmers termed as “out producers”, with a combined labor force of around 700 people that will be positively affected by this project. 
• Job generation:  with this solar cooling project, it is estimated that the cooperative operation hours will increase, and so will the volume of milk to be processed and the people working in the cooperative. In the long term, the cooperative estimates to create over 400 direct and indirect jobs at the farms, shops, and processing plant. 
• Impact on the local community:  with the increase in job creation there can be a trickledown effect on the local community, through stabler financial conditions to families involved with the cooperative. 
• Steps towards gender equality: the cooperative plans to bring on women to leadership positions and has promised to work towards achieving gender balance in the core management positions.  
• Reduction of food waste: estimates show that currently 35% of all milk production in the Rwenzori region is wasted due to 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 reduction of the milk waste to minimal levels.