March 1, 2023 – Nairobi, Kenya – Today, Deevabits and Amped Innovation announced its partnership and new cold storage offering, the EasyFreeze, in Kenya. Deevabits has sold and distributed 35,000+ solar systems across 12 counties, created over 450+ jobs, and provided access to electricity for over 175,000+ people. Deevabits has expertise in last-mile solar distribution and PAYGO financing to bring more energy access to off-grid communities.
There is growing demand for its high-performance solar-powered cold storage system. Refrigeration is key to improving public health through measures such as cold storage infrastructure for vaccines; improving livelihoods and incomes of small shop owners who sell cold drinks; and reducing post-harvest food loss for farmers.
"In Kenya, countless small businesses, particularly in off-grid or weak-grid areas, desperately require dependable and cost-effective cold storage solutions for meat, fish, perishable goods, water, milk and various beverages," explained David Wanjau, Founder and CEO of Deevabits. "It's essential for these business owners to have the freedom to manage their inventory according to their needs, rather than being obligated to purchase a certain amount of soft drinks monthly as a condition for acquiring refrigeration equipment. We are thrilled to introduce the EasyFreeze to the Kenyan market and collaborate with Amped, empowering our customers with greater autonomy and choice."
The EasyFreeze Advantage
The 100 liter EasyFreeze chest can run without sunshine for up to 40 hours, can refrigerate in less than 30 minutes (8ºC) and freeze in under 1 hour (0ºC). Most importantly, the EasyFreeze is up to 38 percent more affordable than other similar cold storage products on the market in Africa. Amped has carefully engineered a solution customers want and will continue to build upon its initial product offering which is:
Efficiency: At least 38 percent more efficient than leading competitors. Automatically runs at a lower duty cycle if there is insufficient solar to conserve the battery or when powered off to maintain battery integrity.
Autonomy: At least 89 percent longer autonomy than leading competitors. State-of-the-art thermal battery (propylene glycol) provides 40 hours of cooling without any power inputs after sundown or a power outage.
Speed: 2x-22x faster freezing capabilities.
Performance: Uniform temperature profile and quality tested up to 43°C for superior performance in hot climates.
Safety features including: tilt and travel operation cutoff, thermal & overcurrent shutdown and solar panel reverse polarity protection.
Eco-friendly refrigerant, r600a.
According to a recent Impact Report from Efficiency for Access, IKEA Foundation and UK Aid, the authors found that solar fridges are usually cost-prohibitive for rural Sub-Saharan Africa, retailing between $1,300-$2,000 per system. Since 2016, Amped has focused on designing and engineering products for extreme affordability and extreme environmental conditions. Amped’s novel integration of an ice battery in the EasyFreeze results in a $160 customer savings, allowing Amped to retail the EasyFreeze for less than $900 with PAYGo financing this year.
“Our goal is to build universally accessible products,” said Amped Innovation Co-founder and Co-CEO, Andi Kleissner. “With the EasyFreeze, we don’t want our trusted partners and customers to have to sacrifice quality for price, so we focus heavily on value-engineering designs with quality materials that enable best-in-class safety and performance.”
About Deevabits Green Energy
Deevabits is a for-profit social enterprise headquartered in Kenya that distributes and finances essential products and services to rural customers through a team of commission based village social entrepreneurs. Deevabits is committed to job creation for women and young adults, and enabling customers to grow their savings and improve their living standards.Learn more about Deevabits: https://www.deevabits.com/
About Amped Innovation
Amped Innovation is a public benefit corporation that builds affordable, reliable solar systems and appliances for small businesses and households in emerging markets. It’s sold over 217,000 off-grid solar home systems across 30 countries in Africa and Asia and continues to build its product line of highly-efficient solar powered appliances including refrigerators, fans and televisions. Learn more about Amped by visiting the Amped website and following Amped on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.