Innovative projects for countries with high ambitions

In 2019, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimated that 40 per cent of the twelve million tonnes of fruit and vegetables produced in Kenya every year spoil after harvest due to technical problems or insufficient storage and cooling facilities.

These post-harvest losses are not only a risk for food security and the economic livelihoods of the people: fighting these losses also makes an important contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, since the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter is a major source of methane emissions.

The project aims to introduce and expand solar-powered cold chains in the agricultural sector in order to reduce post-harvest losses especially in horticulture, but also in dairy and meat production. The offer addresses small farming enterprises and their agricultural cooperatives in Nakuru and Meru, two large agricultural areas in Kenya.

The NSP supports service providers offering cooling facilities such as solar-powered refrigerated warehouses to and between the respective farming sites or end markets. As part of its technical support, the NSP provides information to farmers regarding post-harvest management with the aim of inducing a fundamental change. The project’s financial mechanism aims at long-term risk minimisation for the agricultural sector by means of loans and a guarantee fund.

The NSP seeks to reduce about 495,000 tonnes CO₂ equivalents in total and to create 3,900 tonnes of climate-friendly cold storage capacity.

Further information on the outline …

Costa Rica aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. Key sectors such as industry, transport and agriculture are to be decarbonised for this purpose. As the country has produced 98 per cent of its electricity using renewable energies in the past six years, the government also intends to rely on green hydrogen: a national hydrogen strategy is to be adopted in 2022.

The NSP intends to promote the production, distribution and use of hydrogen in selected sectors in order to accelerate the market maturity of green hydrogen applications. As part of the technical cooperation, the government will be provided with support in establishing favourable conditions for the production and consumption of green hydrogen and in developing business models for its use in various sectors. The financial mechanism of the NSP comprises targeted incentive systems for production facilities and consumers in the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Further information on the outline ...

36 per cent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the energy sector in Nepal are attributable to the transport sector. The country’s NDC envisages that 20 per cent of public transport will be electronically operated by 2025.

The NSP supports public transport operators in the funding and use of more than 3,000 electric minibuses and charging stations. The purchase and operation of the vehicles and charging stations is promoted by subsidies and a guarantee fund with the intention of minimising the risk of private investments in this sector.

At the same time, the NSP promotes reforms in the policy, regulatory and authorisation fields. It is also setting up a special department for e-mobility in the government. The measures create environmentally friendly workplaces, promote entrepreneurship in the green transport sector and increase the options for commuters, crucial aspects for Nepal's economic recovery.

The goal of the NSP is that by 2030, 85 per cent of all newly purchased minibuses in Nepal will be electrically powered and 1.78 million tonnes of CO equivalents will be directly saved over the lifetime of the vehicles.

Further information on the outline ...

In Kenya, emissions from the transport sector are rapidly increasing. They are the second largest group responsible for greenhouse gases at approximately 13 per cent. It has therefore been identified as a priority sector in the updated NDC commitments and the National Plan of Action on Climate Change.  

About 72 per cent of Kenya’s population lives in rural areas, with a low number of vehicle owners amounting to 28 vehicles per 1,000 people. In the light of increasing motorisation, e-mobility offers a huge opportunity to take a leap forward: especially in the segment of two and three-wheel vehicles, there is a need for an accelerated transition to e-mobility.

The NSP is formulating framework conditions for the promotion of e-mobility and establishing supply chains for the production and assembly of economically priced, electrically powered two and three-wheel vehicles. This not only reduces emissions, but also generates jobs in the environmental sector and boosts industrial growth.

The NSP will combine financial and technical measures in order to initiate this process. On the financial side, it will create several instruments such as subsidies and loans for the production and purchase of electric two and three-wheel vehicles with the aim of stepping up supply and demand. The technical measures set in at the national and sub-national level and cover a broad spectrum - from tax incentives to the establishment of charging infrastructure, innovation promotion and qualification programmes.

The target of the NSP is that 15 per cent of all registered two and three-wheel vehicles in Kenya will be electrically powered when the project reaches the end. Of these vehicles, 80 per cent are to be manufactured in Kenya, which is expected to create about 3,500 new jobs.

Further information on the outline ...