Backing the rural health center in battling with the COVID-19 through pay-as-you-go solar home system
Introduction
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 43% of the total population is electrified, and only 28% of healthcare facilities have reliable electricity, this leads to serious problems, including the spoiling of medicines and the inability to use essential medical and diagnostic devices; even the lack of basic lighting and communications can complicate treatments, especially emergency procedures. Lack of electricity limits working hours and inhibits the deployment of medical technology.[1]
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented disruptions around the world, poor rural communities are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 because most farmers often are older than average and hence more vulnerable to the virus, and the effects of COVID-19 are anticipated to cause a further shock on the income level of the farmers and influence their purchasing power.[2]
PayGo
Pay-as-you-go solar home system seems the perfect solution for solving the problem on the aspect of power supply and affordability, however, if you do a research on the available pay-as-you-go solar home system in the market, you will find that the majority of the pay-as-you-go solar home system in the market is only capable of powering the small load like phone charging, lamp, fan, and TV, but none of them can power the refrigeration device, which is critical for a rural health center store the vaccine and medicine. A typical fridge consumes a lot of energy, which is far more than the common pay-as-you-go solar home system can provide, they are many reasons behind this, some being lack of technology, some with different market focus.[3]
The challenges of electrifying rural health center
Challenge 1: Design & Maintenance
Traditional solar power system requires technical design and maintenance, a lack of this will ultimately ‘have a negative impact on the reliability of the power supply’.
Challenge 2: Theft
Theft of system components could be a major problem in some rural areas; especially the high-value part like PV panel and batteries, most traditional system has no anti-theft mechanism.
Challenge 3: Reliability
The reliability and quality of the power supply can have numerous negative impacts and concerns, it might damage some voltage-sensitive equipment when there is a sudden power failure.
Challenge 4: Affordability & Financing
For the traditional system, the capital costs and operating costs need to be financed effectively, the affordability stopped most rural health centers from accessing solar power.
Challenge 5: Cost Performance
For a remote rural health center, no matter using diesel-powered generator or the traditional component-based solar power system, the cost performance is low because the affordability limits the accessible power option, traditional AC appliances with high power consumption means bigger battery and solar panel required, it’s extremely important to make every cents count.
Case Study:
| Challenges |
Design & Maintenance |
Theft |
Reliability |
Affordability & Financing |
Cost Performance |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micenergy solutions[4] |
Micergy solution - scientifically designed plug & play solar home system
|
Micergy solution - tamper-resistant solar home system
|
Micergy solution – powerful solar home system & energy efficient fridge
|
Micergy Solution – Pay-As-You-Go Solar Home System Pay-as-you-go technology embedded allows the rural health center to pay the solar home system by installment |
Micergy Solution – All-In-One Solar Home System Package
|
Micergy is a next-generation off-grid solar solution provider, instead of focusing on the common solution as most players did, we listen to the market critical demand and think about the future demand, so we choose the most difficult route and invest on R&D the most powerful pay-as-you-go solar home system of the industry, we can proud to say, the refrigeration demand by rural health center can be easily fulfilled by Micergy MP2.[5] |
| Other solutions... |
References
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- ↑ Micergy is a next-generation technology company dedicated to designing and manufacturing of Pay-As-You-Go Solution and Off-Grid Solar Solution. We will update the latest product and insights of the off-grid solar sector, welcome to follow us and learn more about how to select your off-grid solar products. Welcome to visit www.micergy.com to learn more about Micergy.
- ↑ Reference missing
[Edit section: Further Information] Further Information
- Pay-as-you-go Approaches (PAYGO)
- Access to modern energy and the impact on health
- Energy for Rural Health Centers
- Photovoltaic (PV) for Health Centers - Project Experience
- Webinar on Powering Humanitarian Health Operations - Q&A
- Market Development of PAYGO
- PAYGO Approaches: Overhyped or Justified
- Advantages and Disadvantages of PAYGO Approaches
- Fee-For-Service or Pay-As-You-Go Concepts for Photovoltaic Systems
- Publication - Energy Access and Off-Grid Solar Use in Uganda: Examining Solar Adoption and the Role of Flexible Payment Mechanisms as a Driver for Energy Access
- SPIS Toolbox - Pay-Per-Use Business Model
- Role of Supporting Environment in Fostering Pay-as-you-go Approaches (PAYGO)
- Publication - The Fight for Light: Improving Energy Access through Digital Payments
- Publication - Mobile-enabled Energy for Humanitarian Contexts: The Case for Pay-as-you-go Solar Home Systems in Kakuma Refugee Camp
