Solar Health Covid Response
THE QUESTION
Can a pay-as-you-go solar system provide reliable energy to rural, off-grid health posts in Zambia?
LOCATION: Zambia
SECTOR: Health
TECH: Solar Energy
TIMELINE: June 2020 - Closed
PIONEERS: Matimba Changala, Silke Seco-Grutz
PARTNER: SolarAid
The Challenge
Limited access to electricity is one of the key challenges of Zambia’s health sector, which has been heightened by a climate-change induced drought that limited the capacity of hydropower dams which supply the country with 80% of its power. Only 35% of health facilities in rural areas have access to the electricity grid, which hinders their abilities to quickly and efficiently respond to the rise of COVID-19 cases in Zambia. While a few clinics in Zambia have attempted to use off-grid solar power, these have a history of failure as the solar systems fail over time with limited access to technicians, finances and spare parts.
The Idea
This pilot is testing pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar systems in rural, off-grid, health posts in Zambia. If successful, the PAYG system will enable healthcare facilities to benefit from the electricity without having to own and become experts on the system. Solar systems that are designed to power lights, mobile phones, and televisions for off-grid households are repurposed to power medical appliances instead. The pilot team is collecting key data to demonstrate the immediate and long-term impact the solar system can have on health metrics and the range of health services available, the success (or lack thereof) of the PAYG business model and how these systems can be rapidly deployed and maintained by local solar companies.
All photos on this page were taken by the pilot’s implementing partner, SolarAid. This pilot is ongoing and key learnings are forthcoming. Stay tuned!
Read more
Learn more about the electricity challenge in Zambia — “Can combining the latest energy efficient medical appliances with Pay-As-You-Go solar home systems be a game changer in rural, off-grid clinics in Zambia?”
Read the key learnings from the pilot’s first installation — What we’ve learnt so far