Harnessing Thermal Energy: Essentials Course on Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for Sustainable Cooling
Written by: Jean de Dieu Iyakaremye
In the era of rising climate concerns, the push for cleaner, more sustainable cooling solutions is not just a technical challenge but also a global imperative. "Cold-chains" refer to integrated networks of refrigeration, storage, and transportation infrastructure designed to maintain precise temperature control for perishable goods, such as food, vaccines, and other temperature-sensitive products, ensuring their quality, safety, and efficacy throughout the supply chain. These systems are vital to health, nutrition, and economic development. However, traditional cooling methods are energy-hungry and often environmentally harmful. One promising solution lies in phase change materials (PCMs), and in Africa, a pioneering effort is leading the way.
What are PCMs and why do they matter?
Phase change materials are substances that absorb or release significant amounts of latent heat as they change phase at specific temperatures, typically from solid to liquid or vice versa. Examples include water/ice, paraffin-based PCMs, salt hydrate PCMs, eutectic solutions, and bio-based PCMs. When integrated into cold-chain systems, PCMs can maintain goods at the right temperature using far less energy than traditional cooling methods. This makes them especially attractive for applications ranging from refrigerated transportation to last-mile vaccine delivery.
The Clean Cooling Network (CCN) and Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES) showcase a number of state-of-the-art PCMs technologies in a training centre and demonstration hall located at the ACES Rubirizi Campus in Kigali. And it is here where the importance of PCMs in practical applications, and why they matter, can be learnt.
What does our PCM training offer?
The Essentials Course on Phase Change Materials (PCMs) at ACES, combines hybrid lectures led by Dr Jean de Dieu Iyakaremye, with hands-on learning activities and a problem-based solving approach. During the training, participants explore the science of PCMs, their thermodynamic behaviour, selection criteria, and system integration. Practical sessions include PCMs melting/freezing curve experiments, cold box trials, and a collaborative group design challenge.
This approach not only builds knowledge but also empowers refrigeration technicians, project engineers, cold-chain operators, environmental officers, and entrepreneurs to confidently integrate PCMs-based solutions into real-world systems. Beyond classroom theory, CCN/ACES facilitates on-site technology demonstrations, showing how PCMs-powered refrigerated systems, transport boxes, and solar powered freezer-based PCMs and IoT are enabled in practice. These demonstrations enable training participants to witness:
- Reduced energy consumption through load-shifting and improved compressor cycling.
- Lower spoilage rates for perishable foods and vaccines.
- Improved system reliability even in areas with unreliable power.
Collaboration and Policy Leadership: The training course on essentials of PCMs is not just technical, it’s also strategic in that it highlights the critical role of PCMs in building resilient, low-carbon cold-chains. By completing the course, participants position themselves at the forefront of sustainable cooling innovation with the skills required to help deliver national and regional goals for reducing food loss, protecting vaccines, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The training also fosters a network of practitioners and decision-makers who can influence policy and project design in agriculture, health, and energy sectors, ensuring PCMs integration becomes a mainstream solution.
This is not only a training course but also an invitation to join a growing community of innovators leading the PCMs revolution. Graduates of this program leave with practical expertise, a professional network, and a clear pathway to scale PCMs-based solutions - a direct contribution to strategies on food security, health system resilience, and energy efficiency.
How to apply for the PCM course?
Apply to the Essentials Course on Phase Change Materials (PCMs) course by October 20th, 2025 and unlock the power of thermal energy with Phase Change Materials — where science meets sustainable cooling!