Solar Cool Chain / Model Note
Model note

A 50-ton cold-chain unit.

The model note shows the assumptions behind Solar Cool Chain: hub use, handling services, buyer flow and timing.

Back to project Request model review
50 tWorking unit
3Service streams
5 yrsModel horizon
Bangladesh Solar cool-chain hub model for produce aggregation.
Base case

A 50-ton hub is the working unit.

These figures are model assumptions and remain planning inputs until site-level field data is available.

Base asset 50

Tons of hub capacity used as the working unit for service assumptions.

Farmers per hub 250+
Loss averted 1,500+ t
Emissions estimate ~400 t
Model horizon 5 yrs
Service logic

Three streams, one working asset.

The model stays useful when the service logic is easy to read.

Service stack 3

Cooling service, handling service and buyer channel. The hub only works when all three work together.

Cooling service Capacity x utilisation x weekly movement. This is the base storage service path.
Handling service Grading and packing service. This depends on buyer demand for sorted produce.
Buyer channel Produce sold through the marketplace or anchor-buyer channel.
Assumptions

What must hold in the field.

The first field phase validates whether growers, operators and buyers can hold the model under real seasonality.

Utilisation Model assumption Base assumptions require steady use across crop cycles.
Service uptake Model assumption Handling service only matters if growers and buyers value graded produce.
Payment cycle Field phase Payment timing must be short enough for operators and producer groups.
What changes

The hub earns through use, handling and buyer flow.

The service logic is plain enough for a field decision.

Where the model can break

  • 01Cold-room capacity sits idle outside peak harvest windows.
  • 02Handling service weakens when buyers place no premium on graded produce.
  • 03Buyer-linked service depends on real orders.
  • 04Long payment cycles strain the hub operator.

What the first field phase has to prove

  • 01Which crops and weeks keep capacity moving.
  • 02Which services growers will pay for after first use.
  • 03Which buyers place repeat orders through the hub.
  • 04Which tariff and payment terms keep the hub stable.
Operating asset

Capacity needs service design.

The model improves when storage, handling and buyer demand are designed together.

Static capacity

  • Storage utilisation moves with seasonality.
  • Handling service has weak uptake.
  • Buyer flow sits outside the hub.

Operating asset

  • Tariffs follow use patterns.
  • Grading and packing are sold with storage.
  • Buyer orders move through the hub.
Validation gates

Use the model to shape the field phase.

The first hub answers the field questions before the format is repeated.

01

Utilisation

Weekly use is checked by crop and producer group.

02

Handling

Grading and packing uptake is measured by buyer order.

03

Buyer flow

Repeat orders show whether the hub can anchor demand.

04

Payment cycle

Payment timing is checked against operator and grower needs.

05

Energy

Solar generation and backup costs are recorded by week.

06

Tariff

Pricing is adjusted after real use and service uptake.

Partner ask

Build the field phase around the working assumptions.

The review needs hub operators, producer groups, cold-chain engineers, anchor buyers and model reviewers.

Request model review Back to project
01 | Price

Set tariffs against expected crop weeks.

02 | Prove

Run storage, handling and buyer flow together.

03 | Repeat

Scale after the assumptions hold in field use.