NIGHTCOOL: Deployment of FREECOOL+ for night cooling strategies in Africa

The primacy of developing and accelerating the delivery of Net Zero solutions in Africa is underscored by the alarming impact of climate change in countries such as Kenya. In addition to temperature rises, increased floods, droughts and storms have dealt harsh socio-economic consequences in both urban and rural areas. Whilst Africa's 4% contribution to global warming(1.45 billion tonnes) is low in comparison to other nations, the existing warm-climate means that it is poorly suited to cope with the consequences of climate change, already experiencing intense fallouts of environmentally damaging carbon emissions.

To temper the effects of climate change by supporting Africa to transition to Net Zero solutions, the development of innovative passive technology is necessitated. This project targets the cooling industry, traditionally dominated by AC usage, responsible for approximately a quarter of Kenya's GHG emissions. In alignment with the Kenyan Government's plans to cut carbon emissions by 32% by 2030\. and the National Action Cooling Plan, focus is on the development and expansion of a passive air-cooling technology that can entirely replace, or significantly reduce, the rising demand (in response to temperature increases) for energy-intensive air-conditioning. FREECOOL+ is based on patented technology, first developed under an Energy Catalyst Grant and trialled in north-west Kenya. The system, which has been specifically designed as a lower-cost alternative to the parent product (FREECOOL), to meet the needs of the African market, entails a roof mounted wind tower, heat pipes and a cold sink to continually cool the incoming air, providing fresh air supply and cool environments by up to 15 °C.

This project will further the development, testing and demonstration of FREECOOL+ to accelerate uptake and widespread roll-out, particularly focussed on night-time cooling. The system will be trialled in a variety of real-world settings (including accommodation blocks/offices/healthcare facilities) in both urban and rural areas. Independent verification from the BRE indicated that FREECOOL+ has capability to achieve sufficient air-cooling at night-time, without support from any mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, working in tandem with AC units, FREECOOL+ can dramatically reduce power-demands, lowering carbon emissions and mitigating pressure on over-stretched power-grids.

This is a high-impact, disruptive technology proposal, that presents a viable conduit to cut/lowering Kenya's carbon emissions; appealing to African markets as a low-cost, effective solution.

Project leaders will be Free Running Buildings, an SME with extensive experience and expertise in passive ventilation technology, in partnership with the University of Sheffield and Enso Ventures in Kenya.