

Swiss Partners
Ökozentrum Langenbruck,
www.oekozentrum.ch,
Christian Huber
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Documentation
Swiss Contribution
The Ökozentrum has been successfully and continuously committed to the use and expansion of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency in the food production area for over ten years in developing countries.
Description
This REPIC project aims to establish a local production of energy efficient heat pump fruit dryers (HP Dryer) in Burkina Faso. In a first REPIC phase in 2011, the Ökozentrum in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences, Buchs SG (NTB), developed a HP Dryer which was specifically made for subtropical conditions. It is a convincing product due to the resulting dry material’s high quality, as well as its performance and energy efficiency. Thanks to the new drying system with heat pump technology, operating costs and CO2 emissions can be reduced by more than 50%.
Through the Swiss know-how and technology transfer, resident refrigeration specialists shall be enabled to create and market the HP Dryer locally. The HP Dryer dissemination shall strengthen local small businesses, as well as the livelihoods of fruit dryer producers and their employees.