Solar energy can help keep health facilities alive worldwide
As governments design their coronavirus recovery packages, they are urged to include mini-grids and other clean energy for healthcare facilities
Barcelona — As Sierra Leone emerged from an Ebola epidemic in 2015, it was clear that health facilities lacking a reliable energy supply had been a big obstacle to treating patients. But putting solar panels on the roof of every clinic wasn’t the right answer either, as often such projects fall into disrepair within a year, said Nick Gardner, the Sierra Leone manager for the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Instead, the government and UNOPS decided to bring electric power to 94 communities — starting with their health centres — by using nearly $50m in aid funding to build solar mini-grid systems, seen as more sustainable. Fifty have now been switched on and handed over to companies, which are investing $14m of their own money and running them as businesses, charging customers fair tariffs...
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