Photovoltaic (PV) for Health Centers - Project Experience

This articles aims at compiling experience from past and ongoing PV programmes for rural health centers. For each project the following issues are covered:

I) Project Approach,

II) Project Outputs & Technical System Details,

III) Evidence for Impacts, and

IV) Lessons Learned.

GTZ-PREEEP, Uganda

Project Approach

PREEEP has supported a number of social institutions in Uganda with access to solar energy (health centres, boarding schools, vocational training centres, orphanages). This has been done through extension of subsidy to these institutions. GTZ operations are currently focused on Northern Uganda, but institutions in other district can also receive support. However, to qualify for this subsidy, a number of conditions need to be fulfilled. These are listed below;

• The institution should be located in Northern Uganda or another district where PREEEP is already active
• The institution could be a boarding school, a health centre, a vocational training centre or an orphanage.
• The institution should be located not less than 5 km from the nearest grid and should also not be in an area earmarked for grid extension in the next 10 years. If the grid is nearby and the costs for grid connection are low, PREEEP can also support grid connection.
• The institution should be willing to contribute a percentage of 20% of the overall cost of the proposed system and will be responsible for operation and maintenance.

Process:

• GTZ identifies institution /institution applies to GTZ
• Check whether selection criteria are fulfilled
• GTZ conducts survey of electricity requirements; this includes a sketch of the premises with measurements and distances between buildings
• GTZ designs the system and calculates the estimated costs incl. the 20% financial contribution by the institution
• GTZ gets back to the applicant and checks whether the institution is ready / able to pay the contribution and in which time frame (payment in instalments is possible); for public health centres, the partner is the District Health Office
• GTZ and institutions sign MoU that includes the amounts to be contributed by both partners and the payment schedule
• Institution transfers financial contribution to GTZ account
• GTZ launches procurement process
• Local company installs
• GTZ inspects installation
• Monitoring visits / impact assessment

 

Note that the institution is required to meet the costs for operation and maintenance, which includes replacement of batteries after approx. 4-7 years. This is a major reinvestment! It should also be noted that the institution has to stick to the uses that the system was designed for. Connecting additional buildings and appliances is not possible! If the institution wants to use computers or other appliances that require a lot of power, they should buy energy efficient ones from the start (e.g. laptops). If they want to use inefficient appliances, the system has to be much bigger and is therefore significantly more expensive for both parties.

Project Outputs & Technical Details

Total number of electrified institutions since 2006: 73, of which 55 are Health Centres (category II and III, see table below for definition). The remaining institutions are schools (mostly secondary boarding schools), orphanages, vocational institutions and youth centres. In the current programme phase (since June 2008) 32 solar PV systems have been installed in rural health centres.

Structure and health infrastructure of National Health System in Uganda

Health unit	Physical structure/ services	Beds	Location	Target population
HC I (VHT)	None	0	Village	1,000
HC II	Outpatient services only	0	Parish	5,000
HC III	Outpatient services, maternity, general ward and laboratory	8	Sub county	20,000
HC IV	Outpatient services, wards, theatre, laboratory, blood transfusion	25	County	100,000
General Hospital	Hospital, laboratory, X-ray	100	District	100,000 to 1 million
RRH	Specialist services	250	Region (3 – 5 districts)	1 - 2 million
NRH	Advanced tertiary care	450	National	Over 20 million

 

The average size of solar PV system installed is 630 W_p. The systems range from 160 W_p to 2580 W_p. The earlier systems were standardized in terms of size (one system for lighting, one for cooling, if applicable one for staff quarters). Since 2008 the individual energy needs of each health centre are assessed and systems designed accordingly. Since then, system size has increased in comparison to the earlier systems.

The installed systems are majorily AC systems. However, until last year (2009), the project still opted for DC systems in staff quarters and health centers that only needed electricity for lighting. The DC option has proven to be, albeit more efficient and cheaper, less convenient and effective. DC bulbs are more expensive than AC bulbs. Health Centres are hence less likely to replace blown DC bulbs than the cheaper AC bulbs. Furthermore, some Health Centres work with small appliances such as electric microscopes that do not consume a lot of energy and are therefore not covered in the energy assessment. These small appliances can only be used on AC power. In the staff quarters, DC systems have proven ineffective, because users do not make use of their DC sockets because they do not know where to buy the right adapters for radios and phone charging (some radios also don’t have the right outlets). Therefore since mid 2009 only AC systems are installed in Health Centres and their adjacent staff quarters. However, overusage is more frequent on AC systems than on DC ones.

The typical connected appliances range from light bulbs (CFLs from 5-14 W depending on purpose – security light, general room lighting, medical spot light), energy efficient computers and printers, DC refrigerators to small medical equipment such as electric microscopes. Because GTZ PREEEP requires a 20 % contribution by the district government responsible for the Health Centres, the size and number of connected appliances also depends on the district’s budget and willingness to spend money.

The average cost for equipment and installation rank at 11 EUR per Wattpeak (30,000 Uganda Shillings).