This brief is the one of four practical guides developed by the Energy Opportunities for Agricultural Systems and Food Security Project (E4AS). Funded by USAID’s Africa Bureau with field work in Senegal and Kenya, E4AS is implemented by Green Powered Technology in partnership with ACDI/VOCA. The objective of E4AS is to expand and focus information related to how clean energy (CE) and energy efficiency (EE) can strengthen post-harvest value chains and reduce loss in sub-Saharan Africa, while also contributing to low emission development strategies (LEDS) and incorporating gender-aware strategies.

Solar energy from the sun can be captured to generate both electricity (solar electric) and heat (solar thermal). Solar electric can be used to provide renewable power to replace traditional fossil fuel based forms of power generation. Solar thermal energy can be used to provide primary and supplemental heat in a wide range of applications from space conditioning in buildings and heating of swimming pools, to specific applications in a variety of industrial processing operations.

This technical brief discusses the use of solar thermal in the dairy processing industry and how solar thermal can reduce milk pasteurizing and processing costs, particularly for small-scale processors in a sub-Saharan African context.