Community cooling projects can also provide additional revenue streams to business or municipalities while offering a valuable service to the community. They make a strong business case for communities to eat fresh, locally-grown foods, which would spur more investment in small specialty farms, which would lead to improved food quality and a reduction in global warming caused by transporting and storing foods. This type of energy-efficient community cooling hub would be especially beneficial in rural areas where the food chain is difficult to access. It could also meet a broad range of cooling needs in developing rural communities such as medicine and vaccine storage.
For community cooling to happen on a large scale, it requires partnerships across industry, government, universities and financial institutions. It may seem like a long shot, but with a growing population in the face of a climate crisis, we need to work together to ensure we continue to thrive.
Want to read more about the sustainable refrigeration and cooling? Check out our three-part series on Cooling as a Service.