An update on our battery demo at Kukuna Health Clinic in Sierra Leone and the impacts of sustainable, scalable battery solutions on rural healthcare in Africa.
Over the last year we have been trialing Aceleron Li-ion batteries, as “drop-in” replacements for a dead lead acid bank, improving reliability and availability of electricity on the Kukuna Health Clinic’s off-grid system. We are delighted to report that the project, in partnership with Energicity & Aceleron, has delivered significant improvements in conditions and quality of care at the clinic in northern Sierra Leone. We recently talked with Energicity’s Technical Operations Lead for the site, Raphael George, to learn more about the impacts achieved at the clinic.
Commenting on the results of the improved power supply at the clinic, he said: “Enabled by Vittoria Technology’s innovative Battery Bank Africa service, the Kukuna clinic has unlocked a new era of healthcare service. With the seamless replacement of a dead lead acid bank with Aceleron’s Li-ion batteries on Energicity’s Solar PV system, we have recharged not just our energy storage system but also our commitment to superior patient care. Since their arrival in October 2022 the batteries have increased uptime by about 45% and provide around 19 kWh of daily energy to the clinic’s critical work, ensuring basic life saving services like lighting, equipment sterilization and vaccine cold chain remain available even when the sun isn’t shining.”
Raphael George
Impacts
Read about the arrival and installation of the batteries: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6985218420619247617
Raphael also shared feedback from clinic staff, reporting that, in addition to sterilization and cold chain improvements, increased access to electricity has improved communications, workplace morale and the quality of maternal care. Staff said that they have seen an increase in women giving birth at the clinic, 3-4 per night, now that the maternity ward has 24-hour access to lights and electricity. This improvement in care has, according to staff, led to the Kukuna Clinic being the maternal healthcare facility of preference for those in the region.
Our work at the clinic continues. Later this year, our project consortium will deploy Aceleron battery expansions to trial “modular” capacity upgrades increasing equipment and services available. The Kukuna Clinic shows the critical role of sustainable battery storage in realizing the full range of benefits of rural electrification. In spite of this, there remain significant financing, technology and logistical obstacles to affordable advanced storage for off-grid energy access projects in Sub-Saharan Africa – something we call the “battery barrier”. At Vittoria Technology we are building Battery Bank Africa to address these obstacles.
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