Coolar

What Coolar does

Coolar is a Berlin-based climate technology company founded in 2014 that develops electricity-free cooling systems powered by solar thermal energy. Its core technology is a water-based adsorption cooling cycle that uses silica-gel as the adsorbent and water as the sole refrigerant, eliminating batteries, electronics, rotating parts, and hazardous refrigerants. Through the EU-funded ARCTICOOL research project, Coolar developed an innovative double-lift (two-step) adsorption process that maintains medical-storage temperatures of 2–8°C even under 43°C ambient conditions. The company is organized as Coolar UG (haftungsbeschränkt), a private German limited liability company, with a 1–10 person team led by founder/CEO Julia Römer (previously holder of patents for industrial cooling components), co-founder Roland Kühn (TU Berlin refrigeration researcher), co-founder Christoph Göller (former Robert Bosch Asia-Pacific marketing for cooling compressors), and co-founder Kilian Mähne (mechanical engineering).

The company serves three distinct customer segments with three product lines. Its primary market is off-grid healthcare facilities in developing regions needing reliable vaccine and medicine storage — Coolar claims one 90-litre fridge can cool vaccines for approximately 1,000 children per year and targets a global market of roughly 1 billion people without electricity and without cooling access, alongside GAVI's $650 million forecasted investment in cooling for 53 developing countries. The second product, the Coolar Camping Cold Box launched in March 2025 with European camping-vehicle market leader Erwin Hymer Group SE, delivers four days of battery-free off-grid cooling using silica-gel and water thermo-physical energy storage. The third, announced in October 2024 and in development with Investitionsbank Berlin and EU co-financing, is a hybrid air conditioning system driven by waste heat.

Coolar monetizes through hardware sales across all three product lines via enterprise field sales for medical deployments in Global South regions and channel partnerships for consumer camping products. The company is funded almost entirely through non-dilutive grants — including Expo 2020 Dubai's Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant, EU Eureka Eurostars / Horizon 2020 (ARCTICOOL), IBB Pro FIT, and BMBF-administered programmes — with no disclosed equity rounds or commercial revenue. Field validation to date includes a 2017 Turkana (Kenya) health-facility study, a 2019 Tenerife prototype test (cooling below 8°C at 36°C ambient), and ongoing camping cold-box testing with Erwin Hymer. The company remains at a very early commercial stage with no public pricing disclosed.

Name

Coolar

Legal name

Coolar UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

http://coolar.co/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coolar is a Berlin-based climate technology company that develops electricity-free, water-based adsorption cooling systems for off-grid healthcare facilities, camping applications, and waste-heat-driven air conditioning. Founded in 2014, it sells sorption refrigerators powered by solar thermal energy with no batteries, electronics, or hazardous refrigerants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar-thermal adsorption cooling appliances

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Thermochemical Energy Storage (Sorption, Chemical Looping) (EUAFANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE), Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Solar-powered refrigerators
• Adsorption cooling technology
• Off-grid medical cooling
• Water-based sorption cooling
• Electricity-free refrigeration

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical refrigerators: Sale of electricity-independent refrigerators for vaccine and medicine storage in off-grid healthcare facilities. The system is powered by solar thermal hot water and operates without electricity, batteries, or harmful refrigerants.
2. Camping cold boxes: Portable cooling solutions for camping enthusiasts that provide 4 days of off-grid cooling without batteries, harmful refrigerants, or compressor noise. Currently in testing phase with Erwin Hymer Group SE.
3. Air conditioning systems: Hybrid air conditioning systems using sorption technology powered by waste heat. In development since spring 2024, targeting both developing regions and developed markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coolar develops and sells electricity-independent cooling appliances powered by solar thermal energy. Its core offering is a water-based adsorption cooling refrigerator for vaccine and medicine storage in off-grid healthcare facilities, extended into a portable camping cold box with thermo-physical energy storage and a hybrid waste-heat-driven air conditioning system.

Product overview

Coolar offers a portfolio of sorption-based cooling products that operate without electricity by using solar thermal energy and water as a refrigerant. The core product line includes the Coolar Refrigerator for medical storage in off-grid clinics, the Coolar Camping Cold Box for mobile recreational cooling, and a Hybrid Air Conditioning System for residential/commercial space cooling applications. All products utilize adsorption cooling technology that requires no batteries, electronics, compressors, or hazardous refrigerants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coolar Refrigerator Electricity-independent medical refrigerator using a water-based adsorption cooling cycle powered by solar thermal hot water; designed for vaccines, medicines, and food storage in off-grid regions; operates without batteries, electronics, rotating parts, or hazardous refrigerants.
• Coolar Camping Cold Box Mobile, battery-free cooling solution for campers and overland travelers using silica-gel and water thermo-physical energy storage to provide up to four days of autonomous cooling after a single heat input, without harmful refrigerants or compressor noise.
• Hybrid Air Conditioning System Hybrid air conditioning system with a sorption circuit powered by waste heat, using water as a sustainable refrigerant to reduce energy consumption and eliminate HFC refrigerants in space cooling for buildings.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions 10x lower than conventional fridges
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Erwin Hymer Group SEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean market leader for camping vehicles is collaborating with Coolar to test and develop mobile camping applications for the water-based adsorption cooling system. First tests have shown the system can withstand night-time freezing temperatures. The partnership explores the camping cold box product for outdoor enthusiasts seeking battery-free cooling.
• Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATB in Potsdam serves as an independent scientific partner for testing the 180-litre prototype. Operating conditions under which Coolar's system will be used are being simulated to focus product development on actual market needs.
• dena (German Energy Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development Partnerdena German Energy Agency powers the SET Award (Startup Energy Transition Award) and cooperates with the World Energy Council. Coolar is a participant/supporter of SET Award activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sure Chill: UK-based manufacturer of off-grid vaccine refrigerators using a thermal storage cooling technology. Directly competes with Coolar in the same off-grid healthcare cold chain target market with WHO PQS-prequalified products.
• Dulas: UK-based manufacturer of solar-powered vaccine refrigerators for off-grid healthcare applications. Directly comparable to Coolar in target market (Global South health facilities), technology category (solar refrigeration), and certification profile (WHO PQS).
• SunDanzer: US-based manufacturer of solar-powered refrigerators and freezers for off-grid applications. Direct peer to Coolar in solar refrigeration category with established presence in developing markets and humanitarian distribution channels.
• Vestfrost Solutions: Denmark-based manufacturer of solar-powered and energy-efficient refrigeration including WHO PQS-prequalified vaccine refrigerators. Direct peer competing in same solar refrigeration category and healthcare cold chain market.
• Sun Frost: US-based pioneer manufacturer of highly efficient solar-powered refrigerators for off-grid residential and small commercial applications. Direct peer in solar refrigeration technology category with long track record and overlapping energy-efficiency positioning.

Broad incumbents

• B Medical Systems: Luxembourg-based established manufacturer of medical cold chain equipment with WHO PQS-certified vaccine refrigerators. Competes with Coolar in the same healthcare customer segment with broader product portfolio and global distribution.
• Haier Biomedical: China-based global leader in biomedical cold chain equipment including ultra-low temperature freezers and vaccine refrigerators. Competes with Coolar in medical cold chain as a broad incumbent with significant manufacturing scale and WHO PQS certifications.

Regional players

• Godrej Appliances: India-based manufacturer with a solar-powered refrigerator line targeting Indian rural healthcare and off-grid applications. Comparable to Coolar in solar refrigeration technology but focused primarily on Indian market where Coolar does not yet operate.

Emerging players

• Promethean Power Systems: US/India-based manufacturer of thermal battery-powered refrigeration for off-grid dairy and medical cold storage. Comparable emerging player in off-grid cooling with similar thermal energy storage approach, though targeting dairy cold chain primarily.
• Ecozen Solutions: India-based climate-smart cooling company with solar-powered cold storage and refrigeration products for agriculture and rural applications. Comparable emerging player in off-grid solar cooling with overlapping technology approach and developing-market customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coolartech
• Facebookfacebook.com/coolar.technologies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coolar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coolar