Fans are one of the most overlooked, life-saving cooling solutions, but most fans on the market are too energy-intensive to pair with off-grid solar systems
Fans play an important and potentially life-saving role in many rural global communities as a cost-effective, low-energy cooling solution, preventing heat-related health conditions, and reducing mortality and morbidity during severe heat waves.
Fans are frequently in high demand among off-grid and weak-grid consumers in hot or humid climates. However, unlike on-grid markets, the majority of fans in the off-grid retail market are not marked with a declared energy performance value – fans can be energy-intensive and can quickly deplete off-grid energy systems’ limited energy supply. The lack of a clear performance rating on the product package makes it difficult for distributed energy service companies and consumers to evaluate quality or energy consumption into purchasing decisions or make meaningful comparisons between products.
The Global LEAP Awards administered the off-grid fan competitions in 2016 and 2017 to identify a pool of energy-efficient and best-in-class off-grid-appropriate fans in the world. Winners and Finalists of the Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Fan competition were identified through a combination of testing by accredited laboratories for their energy performance, quality, and reliability, and an evaluation by a panel of off-grid market experts. The Global LEAP off-grid fan test method heavily leverages existing internationally accepted test methods for fans, such as IEC. In some cases, the referenced methods are modified for off-grid appropriateness.
A complete list of Winners and Finalists of both the 2016 and 2017 Global LEAP Off-Grid Fan Competitions – including product performance data and sales contact information – is available in the Global LEAP Off-Grid Fans Buyers Guides.