Innovations Item Code: IN-2024-2100565
Sector: Health/Telemedicine
Description:
This present project aims to combat the problem by developing a mobile, smart and researchable solar-powered refrigeration system for vaccine preservation and storage. The mobile storage device of an off-grid photovoltaic cold-chain system for vaccine preservations will be developed with innovative cutting-edge smart energy storage systems using lithium batteries. Such will encourage decarbonization of power generation and widespread adoption and applications of highly efficient cooling systems, especially in low-income countries. Also, it is believed that such a leap into the cold storage system with improved battery storage capacity and quality while lowering the production cost significantly will facilitate the move towards effective vaccination programs in developing countries especially in remote areas.
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept (You have created something to show the innovation can work)
Problem:
The developments of various vaccines to combat epidemic and pandemic diseases are immense achievements in the 21st century. However, the indisputable energy production challenge coupled with the complex as well as super-cold storage requirements for vaccine storage and preservation in developing countries especially in remote areas have presented great encumbrances to effective vaccination and immunization programs. Such an ineffectiveness of the cold-chain system has led to various untimely deaths and alarming widespread diseases among rural dwellers. Transportation and distribution of vaccines in most developing countries are serious bottlenecks due to lack or inadequate transportation networks, uncertified airports for plane landing, and weak cold-chain infrastructure. It was revealed that about 25% of vaccines are degraded by the time they arrive at their destination. Exposing vaccines to temperatures outside their range causes damage to the vaccines even at a high spoilage rate. This results in an immense financial loss and a huge delay in vaccinations which consequently increases the death rate and causes slow economic outputs. This odious situation is because the investments in cooling technologies and cold-chain infrastructure lag behind the high-speed leap of vaccine development. Additionally, the fortification of the cold chain for the distribution, preservation, and storage of the vaccines requires a constant supply of electricity which is difficult to attain from the grid systems in most developing countries and remote areas where there is no access to the utility grid. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an effective cold-chain system to support an efficient health program in such countries. This present project aims to combat the problem by developing a mobile, smart and researchable solar-powered refrigeration system for vaccine preservation and storage. The mobile storage device of an off-grid photovoltaic cold-chain system for vaccine preservations will be developed with innovative cutting-edge smart energy storage systems using lithium batteries. Such will encourage decarbonization of power generation and widespread adoption and applications of highly efficient cooling systems, especially in low-income countries. Also, it is believed that such a leap into the cold storage system with improved battery storage capacity and quality while lowering the production cost significantly will facilitate the move towards effective vaccination programs in developing countries especially in remote areas.
Unique Selling Point: Following the proposed solution by UNICEF with the target aim to install 65,000 solar-powered cold fridges in low-income countries by the end of 2021 (The Financial Times, 2021), there are developments and deployments of solar refrigeration systems for better infrastructures not just for Covid-19 vaccines but also for other vaccines of similar requirements. However, the efficiencies of such solar refrigeration systems have been seriously hindered by the energy storage characteristics, the capacity of the available batteries, the mobility of the whole cooling system and the hostile weather conditions of Africa. Moreover, there is a challenge of integration/compatibility of relatively new emerging batteries for solar refrigeration systems. Consequently, the present project seeks to develop a mobile, smart and researchable solar-powered refrigeration system for vaccine preservation and storage. The mobile storage device of an off-grid photovoltaic cold-chain system for vaccine preservations will be developed with innovative cutting-edge smart energy storage systems using lithium batteries. Such will encourage decarbonization of power generation and widespread adoption and applications of highly efficient cooling systems, especially in low-income countries. Also, it is believed that such a leap into the cold storage system with improved battery storage capacity and quality while lowering the production cost significantly will facilitate the move towards effective vaccination programs in developing countries especially in remote areas.