SOS Children's Village
Project location: Siddheswor, Achham District, Nepal
Project size: 1.6 kWp
Community Served: 17,653
Births per year: 120
Project summary:
ELSE, together with not-for-profit project developer SunFarmer, fundraised to build a solar PV project on a health clinic in Nepal. Diesel is difficult to find and procure, and the grid in Nepal is underdeveloped, with many communities having limited access. Power quality is very erratic, so people can't plan around availability - during the monsoon season, there may be 8 hours of power available, while in the dry season hydro may run for only 2 hours a day. In addition, grid voltage is very low so it is not possible to charge batteries.
For these reasons, a solar PV project is the perfect solution. The installation will power lighting, autoclave, suction and communications equipment.
In the original clinic, babies were born by flashlight and vaccines were left unrefrigerated, and often spoiled.
Thanks to all of the project sponsors for helping make this possible.
PROJECT SPONSORS
SunFarmer is a nonprofit that provides the capital and technical expertise needed to bring solar energy to hospitals, schools, and other institutions that lack reliable energy. Perhaps most important, they also provide the monitoring and maintenance support to ensure the system performs over the long-term. Learn more at www.sunfarmer.org.