Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SophiA (SUSTAINABLE OFF-GRID SOLUTIONS FOR PHARMACIES AND HOSPITALS IN AFRICA)
Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-03-31
Rural areas across Africa still lack access to health care, schools, clean water and infrastructure, which leads to higher number of illness and poverty compared to urbanized regions. Sub-Saharan Africa has around 98,7452 to 120,000 (22,000 hospitals and 98,000 health posts) (public) health facilities of which approximately 26% have no access to electricity and only 28% of health care facilities, on average, had reliable electricity among the 8 countries reporting data. The African continent is predicted to be home to over half of the expected global population growth between 2015 and 2050, highlighting the importance of addressing population health in Africa for improving public health globally. Good health is a precondition for development. Medical health care has to cope with the poor electricity and water supply in the remote and rural areas of Africa. As a consequence, small local medical care centers often operate with polluted water, no cooling (of medicine), no air-conditioning, poor sanitizing etc. Half of the people living in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity, but have an enormous renewable energy potential, which just began to be harnessed successfully with off-grid solar PV throughout the region.
The objective of the SophiA project is to provide sustainable off-grid energy supplies, refrigeration, clean and safe water for rural and remote health facilities in Africa. SophiA will develop containerised solutions for hospitals using natural refrigerants, solar thermal energy and photovoltaics. The SophiA systems are reliable, modular and easily integrated into existing buildings and infrastructure. The systems will be manufactured in Africa, and they will be tested at four rural hospitals in remote regions of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi and Uganda.
The overall objectives of the project are therefore:
• To develop renewable, flexible and modular plug-in energy systems based on photovoltaics and thermal energy, which are adaptable, scalable and easy to integrate without the need to re-design existing infrastructrues.
• To design, build and test control and energy management systems towards ensuring cost efficiency and reliability
• To provide safe and clean water for all, including safe, pathogen free cold drinking water as well as deionized water and steam/hot water for medical care centers.
• To develop and test an innovative, solar powered refrigeration system using low Global Warming Potential natural refrigerants, providing a three-stage cascade refrigeration system and reliable cooling at +5°C, -30°C and -70°C.
• To develop new business and job opportunities, by using local resources in the manufacturing and installation of the SophiA systems.
• To develop materials and opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building, by involving local workforce in the installation process of the containers, as well as through dedicated trainings.
• To perform social acceptance studies to understand the acceptance of innovation and renewable-based solutions providing access to clean energy and safe water in the African continent
• To assess the sustainability of the SophiA solutions in environmental, social and economic terms, as well as provide roadmaps towards upscaling and uptake of the solutions.
The objective of the SophiA project is to provide sustainable off-grid energy supplies, refrigeration, clean and safe water for rural and remote health facilities in Africa. SophiA will develop containerised solutions for hospitals using natural refrigerants, solar thermal energy and photovoltaics. The SophiA systems are reliable, modular and easily integrated into existing buildings and infrastructure. The systems will be manufactured in Africa, and they will be tested at four rural hospitals in remote regions of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi and Uganda.
The overall objectives of the project are therefore:
• To develop renewable, flexible and modular plug-in energy systems based on photovoltaics and thermal energy, which are adaptable, scalable and easy to integrate without the need to re-design existing infrastructrues.
• To design, build and test control and energy management systems towards ensuring cost efficiency and reliability
• To provide safe and clean water for all, including safe, pathogen free cold drinking water as well as deionized water and steam/hot water for medical care centers.
• To develop and test an innovative, solar powered refrigeration system using low Global Warming Potential natural refrigerants, providing a three-stage cascade refrigeration system and reliable cooling at +5°C, -30°C and -70°C.
• To develop new business and job opportunities, by using local resources in the manufacturing and installation of the SophiA systems.
• To develop materials and opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building, by involving local workforce in the installation process of the containers, as well as through dedicated trainings.
• To perform social acceptance studies to understand the acceptance of innovation and renewable-based solutions providing access to clean energy and safe water in the African continent
• To assess the sustainability of the SophiA solutions in environmental, social and economic terms, as well as provide roadmaps towards upscaling and uptake of the solutions.
During the period M1-M18, the SophiA project partners advanced towards all project goals and objectives. The main results achieved by each of the work packages of the project are detailed below:
• WP1: A thorough needs assessment from several health stations in the demonstration countries was performed, with the goal identifying the most suitable health station in which the SophiA systems would be installed and demonstrated.
• WP2: Different weather databases were analyzed and a simulation model was written to obtain the temperature, humidity, radiation and precipitation data at the anticipated location of the container. Based on this data and the customer needs from WP1, the power consumption of the water and cooling container was calculated. The power consumption led to the PV system and solar thermal design for each container.
• WP3: Based on the customer needs and the weather analysis at the anticipated location of the containers the cooling capacity of the three different temperature levels were calculated. A small climate chamber replaces the large container in the laboratory experiments and controllable resistance heaters simulate the heat flux going into the container at the sites. The three-stage refrigeration cascade system was built up in the laboratory. The thermal cold storage was developed and innovative charging process by a two-phase thermosiphon was simulated and tested in the laboratory. The electrical cabinet was developed and build in the laboratory. The control strategy was developed and programmed into the Siemens S7 controller.
• WP4: The water filtration system was designed based on the data acquisition at the hospital sites. Water samples were collected from all tapping points to analyze the heavy metal and bacteria pollution to equip the treatment systems accordingly. Capacitive deionization and ultra filtration modules were ordered and tested in the laboratory. A smart control strategy was developed and implemented in the controller.
• WP5: The SophiA containers were designed using SolidWorks and drawn in 3D, to ensure all aspects of the WP1-WP4 work were integrated, to visualize the systems and to issue manufacturing drawings. By M18, both the refrigeration and water containers are well under way, ready to be tested and soon to be shipped to the first demonstration site.
• WP7: Socio-economic analysis environmental impact assessment and life cycle costing analysis is being performed. Alongside this work, the development of an exploitation strategy, management of IPR issues and business definition for the SophiA results is underway.
• WP8: SophiA actively communicates and disseminates its results with materials and activities tailored to different audiences.
• WP1: A thorough needs assessment from several health stations in the demonstration countries was performed, with the goal identifying the most suitable health station in which the SophiA systems would be installed and demonstrated.
• WP2: Different weather databases were analyzed and a simulation model was written to obtain the temperature, humidity, radiation and precipitation data at the anticipated location of the container. Based on this data and the customer needs from WP1, the power consumption of the water and cooling container was calculated. The power consumption led to the PV system and solar thermal design for each container.
• WP3: Based on the customer needs and the weather analysis at the anticipated location of the containers the cooling capacity of the three different temperature levels were calculated. A small climate chamber replaces the large container in the laboratory experiments and controllable resistance heaters simulate the heat flux going into the container at the sites. The three-stage refrigeration cascade system was built up in the laboratory. The thermal cold storage was developed and innovative charging process by a two-phase thermosiphon was simulated and tested in the laboratory. The electrical cabinet was developed and build in the laboratory. The control strategy was developed and programmed into the Siemens S7 controller.
• WP4: The water filtration system was designed based on the data acquisition at the hospital sites. Water samples were collected from all tapping points to analyze the heavy metal and bacteria pollution to equip the treatment systems accordingly. Capacitive deionization and ultra filtration modules were ordered and tested in the laboratory. A smart control strategy was developed and implemented in the controller.
• WP5: The SophiA containers were designed using SolidWorks and drawn in 3D, to ensure all aspects of the WP1-WP4 work were integrated, to visualize the systems and to issue manufacturing drawings. By M18, both the refrigeration and water containers are well under way, ready to be tested and soon to be shipped to the first demonstration site.
• WP7: Socio-economic analysis environmental impact assessment and life cycle costing analysis is being performed. Alongside this work, the development of an exploitation strategy, management of IPR issues and business definition for the SophiA results is underway.
• WP8: SophiA actively communicates and disseminates its results with materials and activities tailored to different audiences.
SophiA will contribute to accelerating sustainable development, growth and economic transformation, and ensure improved access to energy and health services for all.
The expected results of the project, beyond state of the art, include:
• The SophiA refrigeration container systems: solar-powered, modular, plug-in cooling a systems able to provide cooling at +5°C, -30°C and -70°C by using natural refrigerants
• The SophiA water container systems: solar-powered, modular, plug in water purification systems to provide clean, cold drinking water and deionized water, as well as hot water and steam
• PV-MedPort: a PV-powered, adaptable stand-alone station
• Expert knowledge and experience in engineering, procurement, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the SophiA systems
• SophiA Handbook, incorporating materials to aid the understanding, maintenance and replication of the SophiA technologies
• Capacity building and training tools
Additionally, some of the technologies used in the containers, such as heat exchanger design, membrane modules and filter housing for ultrafiltration systems, steam generators, may be separately explored by project partners towards individual exploitation routes, including commercial or further research.
The expected results of the project, beyond state of the art, include:
• The SophiA refrigeration container systems: solar-powered, modular, plug-in cooling a systems able to provide cooling at +5°C, -30°C and -70°C by using natural refrigerants
• The SophiA water container systems: solar-powered, modular, plug in water purification systems to provide clean, cold drinking water and deionized water, as well as hot water and steam
• PV-MedPort: a PV-powered, adaptable stand-alone station
• Expert knowledge and experience in engineering, procurement, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the SophiA systems
• SophiA Handbook, incorporating materials to aid the understanding, maintenance and replication of the SophiA technologies
• Capacity building and training tools
Additionally, some of the technologies used in the containers, such as heat exchanger design, membrane modules and filter housing for ultrafiltration systems, steam generators, may be separately explored by project partners towards individual exploitation routes, including commercial or further research.