Photo: Gates Foundation
There was excitement in a small village in Malawi when the solar powered refrigerator arrived. Solar-powered direct-drive refrigerators connect directly to solar panels and store energy as ice, keeping vaccines at the precise temperatures needed to remain effective. When SDD fridges became available in some areas of Malawi several years ago, “community members mobilized themselves to help get the fridges to the health clinics,” says Mphatso Mtenje, who now is a consultant to UNICEF on vaccine management. In 2015, Malawi received its first grant to fund the installation of a few SDD vaccine fridges in remote areas and today, all 29 of the country’s district-level vaccine storage facilities use solar-powered units, with electricity available as backup. The fridges generate enough energy that they also help power clinic lighting, fetal doppler heart monitors, and other medical equipment. An added benefit is that using solar fridges cuts CO2 emissions significantly.
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