Empowering farmers: the impact of geothermal technology

A new geothermal cold storage initiative in Himachal Pradesh is set to change the game for Indian farmers, slashing post-harvest losses and boosting rural incomes

Project InnerSpace has launched its GeoFund programme, with the first funded initiative breaking ground in Tapri, Kinnaur—an apple-growing region in northern India. The Tapri Geothermal Cold Storage Project, spearheaded by clean-tech company Geotropy, aims to provide farmers with reliable, low-cost cold storage and crop drying using geothermal energy.

GeoFund is designed to support pilot projects that showcase the power of geothermal energy to drive economic growth, particularly in underserved rural areas. By using philanthropic funding to de-risk early-stage ventures, the programme aims to unlock global models that are scalable and sustainable.

“A widely recognised barrier to the rapid expansion of geothermal energy is the lack of pilot projects to demonstrate impact across the various technologies, applications, geologies, and geographies globally where it could be most impactful in economic development, energy security, and prosperity,” said Jamie Beard, Executive Director of Project InnerSpace.

The Tapri facility will offer 500 tonnes of cold storage and fruit dehydration capacity, allowing apple growers and horticulture farmers to store and preserve their harvest, reduce waste, and sell at higher prices outside of the harvest glut. Currently, the absence of affordable, dependable cooling forces many smallholders to offload crops quickly, often at a loss.

“This project is about more than just building a cold storage unit—it's about making sure our community can create economic growth by tapping into its geothermal potential,” said Vijay Chauhan, CEO of Geotropy. “Our farmers already see the value of this work, and we now have a waiting list for people to use the facilities.”

The model has potential well beyond Tapri. Project InnerSpace sees massive scalability across millions of hectares of global farmland, particularly in regions where post-harvest losses hinder food security. GeoFund will open-source data and collaborate with partners to replicate the model in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.