New sustainable off-grid cooling solutions for hospitals in Africa

Rural and remote health facilities in Africa require sustainable off-grid energy supplies and water free of bacteria and viruses. The EU-funded SophiA project will develop containerised solutions for hospitals using natural refrigerants, solar thermal energy and photovoltaics. This will make it possible for health care units to access carbon-neutral energy for electricity, heating and the cooling of medicine, as well as safe and clean drinking water, increasing quality of life in a sustainable way. 

The systems will be manufactured in Africa, and they will be tested at four rural hospitals in remote regions of the continent. Project results will accelerate sustainable development, growth and economic transformation in Africa.

SophiA system enables African people access to off-grid carbon-neutral electricity, heating and cooling of food and medicine as well as safe and clean drinking water, increasing quality of life in a sustainable way. Broad implementation of SophiA systems will bring vast environmental, economic, social and especially health benefits. It will be demonstrated at 4 rural health facilities, i.e. where aid is most needed, in 4 different climate regions, by providing sustainable solutions appropriate to the African context. 

The innovative, affordable and efficient SophiA renewable energy solutions will support Africa in achieving sustainable development growth and economic transformation. SophiA systems will be developed by a multi-national interdisciplinary team of 13 partners well balanced between academia and industry, and Africa and Europe. The African manufactured SophiA systems will for the first time provide an innovative solution based on low GWP natural refrigerants that covers cooling in 4 temperature ranges: air conditioning for surgery / intensive care unit, for medicine/food at +5ºC, blood plasma (-30ºC), sensitive medication (e. g. Covid-19 vaccine) at -70ºC, in a cascade refrigeration system with highly efficient thermal energy storage. 

Based on the results from 4 field tests, a modular containerized version will remain operational as demonstrators for the purpose of showrooms after the project. A training guidebook will enable local companies to build SophiA on site, as to set up local value-chains in different African countries creating numerous jobs. Capacity building and appropriate financing solutions will be ensured by the involvement of private and public European and African organisations. The SME-partners from Europe will have the opportunity to generate growth by entering new market segments. Everflo as main partner driving SophiA commercialization ensures to transfer that enormous market of over 100 B ? (SOM) to economic value for EU and Africa.

Partners

• HOCHSCHULE KARLSRUHE
• OST - OSTSCHWEIZER FACHHOCHSCHULE
• MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
• FONDATION 2IE ASSOCIATION
• STEINBEIS INNOVATION GGMBH
• Ministry of Public Health
• INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL DU FROID
• OPERIEREN IN AFRIKA EV
• EVERFLO(PTY)LTD
• KOVCO PTY LTD
• THERMOCOIL PTY LTD
• MARTIN SYSTEMS GMBH
• SIMPLY SOLAR SCHEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSULTING
• RAACH SOLAR GMBH

Start date: 1 October 2021 - End date: 30 September 2025