Energy efficiency enables distributed off-grid renewable energy systems—from solar home systems to renewable micro-grids—to deliver energy services that otherwise might be economically or technically infeasible in resource-constrained settings. When super-efficient appliances are used, the total cost of solar home systems and their associated appliances can be reduced by as much as 50% (Phadke et al. 2015). The authors of this paper will first explore the broader interplay of energy access and energy efficiency for off- and weak-grid settings by sharing learnings from the Efficiency for Access Coalition and the UK aid funded Low-Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) program. To serve as a concrete example among off-grid appliance technologies, this paper will then explore the work of LEIA and other Coalition partners to accelerate cost and efficiency improvements in off-grid refrigeration. Refrigeration presents significant technical challenges to off-grid energy systems because of high-energy demand in addition to the lack of consistent and comparable performance data to help market stakeholders make effective and informed decisions about product selection. To help address this knowledge gap in the market, this paper presents the findings of a baseline product testing effort used to establish a foundational understanding of the field performance of commercially available off-grid refrigerators. The paper further explores the role of innovation cash prizes in catalyzing technology innovation and market expansion of off-grid refrigeration analyzing them through the lens of the Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP) Off-Grid Refrigerator Competition.

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离网制冷技术的发展状况和创新：从当前举措中学到的经验教训

能源效率使分布式离网可再生能源系统（从太阳能家用系统到可再生微电网）能够提供能源服务，否则在资源受限的环境中，这些服务在经济或技术上是不可行的。当使用超高效能的设备时，太阳能家用系统及其相关设备的总成本可减少多达50％（Phadke等人，2015）。本文的作者将首先分享效率访问联盟和英国援助资助的低能耗包容性家电（LEIA）计划的经验，首先探索离网和弱电网环境下能源获取与能源效率之间更广泛的相互作用。作为离网应用技术中的具体示例，然后，本文将探讨LEIA和其他联盟合作伙伴的工作，以加快离网制冷的成本和效率改善。除了缺乏一致，可比的性能数据来帮助市场利益相关者做出有效，明智的产品选择决策外，制冷对离网能源系统提出了重大的技术挑战，原因是能源需求高。为了帮助解决市场上的这一知识鸿沟，本文介绍了基准产品测试工作的发现，这些工作用于建立对商用离网电冰箱的现场性能的基本了解。