Refrigeration provides a wide range of benefits, from improving human health and productivity, to reducing the domestic burden on women and children, who are usually responsible for food gathering and preparation.
Refrigerators, however, are one of the most challenging off-grid appliances to design and develop to be both energy efficient and cost-effective. Therefore, the global market remains in the early stages of development, often leaving consumers with expensive, inefficient, and faulty products.
The Global LEAP Awards identify the most energy-efficient, off- and weak-grid appropriate refrigerators, helping companies, investors, and others make better, faster, business decisions. Complementary programs – like innovation prizes and results-based financing – help scale the market for high quality products.
Current Competition
If efficient, appropriately-priced products become accessible to all households that have the purchasing power to buy a refrigerator, spending could increase from $75 million today to $1.1 billion by 2020, even despite lower per-unit costs.
Global LEAP is accepting nominations for another round of highly energy-efficient, durable, off- and weak-grid appropriate refrigerators from 8th November 2018 through 18th January 2019. All nominated products undergo testing by accredited laboratories for their efficiency, durability, and other aspects of product performance (e.g. cooling capacity, autonomy). A panel of off-grid market experts will also evaluate products.
To find out more about the competition including timeline and benefits to the winners and finalists, please review the 2019 Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Refrigerator Competition Terms and Conditions.
Past Competition
The 2017 Global LEAP Awards included the first off-grid refrigerator competition. A complete of list of Winners and Finalists, including product performance data and sales contact information, is available in the Global LEAP Off-Grid Refrigerator Buyer’s Guide.