In Tashkent, a 402 kW rooftop solar PV system supplies around half of a cold-storage facility’s electricity needs. The company estimates that the 1.72 billion Uzbek soum investment delivers about 600 million soums in annual economic benefits, EastFruit notes, citing Kursiv.
Keeping storage rooms at −15 to −18°C around the clock, throughout the year, is expensive. The pressure is greatest in summer, when temperatures in Tashkent rise above 40°C and refrigeration equipment runs hard. For warehouse operators, electricity is one of the largest operating costs.
Family-owned SABR AGRO INVEST PLUS set out to reduce that bill through on-site solar generation. A 402 kW grid-connected solar PV system was commissioned on the roof of its cold-storage complex in autumn 2024. Nearly two years on, company director Jamoliddin Adilov shared what the system has delivered.
SABR AGRO INVEST PLUS provides warehousing services across around 4,200 sq m of storage space, including approximately 1,800 sq m of refrigerated and freezer rooms. About 1,200 sq m is currently maintained at −15 to −18°C, while roughly 600 sq m operates between 0 and +5°C. The company plans to expand its freezer capacity to 1,500 sq m.
Safia Cafe & Bakery, one of Uzbekistan’s largest confectionery chains, rents around 800 sq m of freezer space to store frozen fruit and berries, including cherries, raspberries and apples. The facility has also added blast-freezing equipment. It can now receive fresh produce, freeze it on site and move it into long-term storage. Adilov estimates that electricity accounts for around 30–40% of the operating costs of this type of business.
Solar Nature designed and installed the system. It comprises 756 panels with a total installed capacity of 402 kW. The grid-connected, or on-grid, system has no batteries: solar electricity first serves the facility’s refrigeration equipment, while any surplus is automatically exported to the grid. The business draws electricity from the grid when solar generation is insufficient or unavailable.
Before designing the system, the project team reviewed the facility’s hourly and seasonal electricity demand, equipment capacity and potential panel locations. The initial design envisaged higher capacity, but it was adjusted to the roof’s available area and structural limits, as well as building and seismic safety requirements. Using the roof also avoided significant shading from nearby buildings and trees, without taking up additional land.
The facility uses around 120 MWh of electricity in July and 126 MWh in August. In those same months, the solar system generates 70–80 MWh. According to Adilov, winter electricity consumption falls by a factor of 2.5 to three. Solar output also declines as daylight hours shorten and cloudy weather becomes more common. For a cold-storage operator, the seasonal match matters: solar generation is highest when the need for cooling is greatest.
In 2025, the complex consumed around 824 MWh of electricity, while the solar system generated 572 MWh—equivalent to almost 70% of annual consumption. The facility did not use all of that output on site. On average, 75–80% of solar generation served its own needs, with the remainder exported to the grid. The system therefore covered an estimated half of the complex’s electricity demand. The actual share varies with the operating load of the rooms and equipment.
The project cost 1.72 billion soums. The company estimates its combined annual economic benefit at around 600 million soums, from both avoided grid purchases and revenue from surplus electricity. Depending on the month, exports to the grid generate around 10–20 million soums. The original payback estimate was approximately 2.5 to three years.
The company did not set out to become an electricity producer. Exporting surplus power adds to the project economics, but the main benefit is lower energy costs for the cold-storage operation.
The system was installed without batteries. At this scale, adding energy storage would have significantly increased the upfront investment and extended the payback period. The company reports no major issues with grid supply, and a diesel generator covers short outages. “We needed a reasonably short payback period so that the system would start delivering real savings quickly,” Adilov says.
Solar generation is only one part of the facility’s energy strategy. The walls, roof and floors of the cold rooms are insulated with polyurethane to limit heat entering from outside. With the doors closed, the rooms can maintain the required temperature for two to three days during a power outage. For cold storage, reducing the amount of energy needed is as important as securing a lower-cost supply.
The system does not require a dedicated full-time employee. A facility electrician monitors it, while a mobile application provides data on generation, site consumption and electricity exported to the grid. The main routine task is cleaning the panels. Because the site is in an industrial area with relatively high dust levels, they are cleaned roughly every two to four weeks, depending on the season. Solar Nature provides technical support. The company says the panels carry a 12-year manufacturer’s warranty and have an expected service life of about 25 years; the inverters have a five-year factory warranty and an estimated service life of 10–15 years. The installer’s warranty covers system components for up to five years, depending on the maintenance agreement.
Calculations under the FAO/EBRD project “Greening the Horticultural Value Chain” estimate that on-site use of solar electricity has avoided around 450–500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions associated with grid electricity since the system was commissioned in autumn 2024. The estimate is based on the facility’s actual generation and self-consumption data. It counts only the solar power used by the business; electricity exported to the grid is excluded.
Uzbekistan’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC 3.0, sets a target to reduce the carbon intensity of GDP by 50% by 2035 compared with 2010. The document identifies improved energy efficiency and wider use of renewable energy as part of the response. It reports that the energy sector accounted for around 64% of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.
SABR AGRO INVEST PLUS is building another block of cold and freezer rooms with a total area of around 1,800 sq m. Most of the new space is also planned for storage at −15 to −18°C. As the facility expands, its electricity demand will rise, allowing more of the current system’s surplus to be used on site. The company plans to install a second rooftop solar system of at least 300 kW on the new building.
The company’s experience illustrates the commercial case for solar in cold storage: the investment began as a way to cut costs, while the reduction in electricity purchases also lowered the carbon footprint of storing produce.
Information for this article was provided by the FAO/EBRD project “Greening the Horticultural Value Chain” in Uzbekistan. Figures for annual economic benefits and payback are the company’s estimates.
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