Solar-Powered Hospitals Saving Lives in Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) South Kivu province, Doctors Without Borders teams are finding a cheaper, more effective, and sustainable solution for powering  remote hospitals through solar power, according to an article on the Africa News website.

“The key areas for saving lives in a hospital are the operating room and the intensive care unit, and these require a continuous and reliable power supply,” said Doctors Without Borders medical coordinator in DRC, Chiara Domenichini.

Until recently, existing power systems and batteries made solar power unviable in terms of price, capacity, and lifespan for uses such as powering a remote hospital.

The installation at a hospital consists of 100 solar panels and seven batteries capable of accumulating the necessary energy to run the facilities for two full days.   

U.S. hospitals are also saving energy with solar installations. A year into using solar panels, the CentraState Medical Center in Highland, Fla., saw a $300,000 reduction in energy costs, according to an article on the HealthTech website.  

Read the full Africa News article.