Skip the GridĀ is an initiative focused on bringingĀ solar powerĀ to health care systems and otherĀ critical infrastructureĀ in West Africa. Most clinics andĀ many hospitalsĀ around the worldĀ are off theĀ grid,Ā relying onĀ generatorsĀ whereĀ fuelĀ is difficult andĀ costlyĀ to deliver.Ā Hospitals often mustĀ shut downĀ their power system for periods of time toĀ conserve fuel. Vaccines areĀ jeopardized,Ā and operations become riskierĀ with intermittent or no power.
WithoutĀ consistentĀ and reliable power, rural communities face anĀ uphill battleĀ in managing very realĀ health challenges. Photovoltaic (PV)Ā micro-grids represent a sustainable, long-term solution that free up capital for directĀ health care initiatives, as well asĀ mitigateĀ numerous untold environmental, social, and health costs.
Ā How Skip the Grid Got StartedĀ
The Skip the Grid initiative was inspired by a Women of the ELCA trip to Phebe Hospital in 2012. At the end of the trip, women from the NE MN Women of the ELCA asked Dr. Jefferson Sibley, a doctor at Phebe hospital, what he saw as the biggest need at the hospital. His answer – reliable energy.
When the Women of the ELCA returned home to Minnesota, they called on RREAL for help.
TheĀ Rural Renewable Energy AllianceĀ (RREAL) is a nonprofit organization that has been fighting energy poverty with solar power since 2000.Ā Skip the GridĀ is an initiative RREAL shares inĀ collaborationĀ withĀ the Lutheran Women of the ELCA to bring solar power to the health care sector in West Africa. These solar projects have attracted support from hundreds of donors andĀ internationalĀ acclaim.
PV for Phebe
The first Skip the Grid project was built in rural Liberia at Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing. The Women of the ELCA and RREAL worked together to raise funds for the Phebe array, which is now producing power. The solar electric array at Phebe provides up to 77% of the hospitalās daytime electricity needs, reducing operations and maintenance costs. Commissioned in 2017, the project resulted in reduced fossil fuel energy consumption and realized energy efficiency upgrades using renewables and powered equipment with the solar electricity power surge. Cost savings from the array are $35,000 US annually with carbon emission reductions of 198,196.28 pounds and x-ray machines can be used. The added benefits of solar allow Phebe to expand the vital health care it provides and reduce pollution.
Skip the Grid provided solar technical training to the electrical and generator staff at Phebe hospital as well as local Liberians who helped RREAL install the Phebe system. Six months after the installation, in October 2017, two of the hospital technical staff members ventured to RREAL’s home in Backus, Minnesota to participate in a two-week Solar Energy International (SEI) technical training course. The Women of the ELCA hosted the visiting Africans by offering their homes as lodging and providing meals for the trainees and trainers. The trained Phebe technicians are now sharing their knowledge to build solar on rural Liberian clinics, maintain PV micro-grid systems, and support the construction of future Skip the Grid projects.
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In November 2017, RREAL and the Women of the ELCA traveled back to Liberia to participate in aĀ ribbon cutting ceremonyĀ for the Phebe Hospital array. Many people were there, including Nobel Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian Minister of Health, many bishops, two RREAL staff, and nine members of the Women of the ELCA.
During the ribbon cutting visit, RREAL traveled to Curran Hospital to complete a site assessment and develop relationships with the staff.Ā Current for CurranĀ is the next project that will empower a rural Liberian hospital to expand its vital health care services to the poorest people’s through Skip the Grid.
Current for Curran
The next Skip the Grid solar project will be at Curran Hospital in Liberia, aĀ 125-bedĀ hospital facing significant economic and health care challenges.Ā CurranĀ Hospital is a regional referral hospital for 17 clinics and health centers in Lofa County, Liberia. Curran currentlyĀ dependsĀ solely on expensive, polluting, and unreliable diesel generators. These generators often fail, and doctors are forced to deliver babies or complete surgeries using only a cell phone lightĀ or flashlight. Watch the Curran Hospital videoĀ here.
Without a reliable source of electricity, Curran struggles to meet the daily health care needs of its patients. We can do better.Ā ProjectĀ Current for CurranĀ will bring clean,Ā reliable solar energy with battery storage to the essential rural hospital in Zorzor City, Liberia.
These are our three specific and measurable objectives forĀ Current for Curran:
1.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Raise $750,000 by October 31, 2018 to cover all project costs
2.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ship array components, balance of system, and build materials to Liberia by November 30, 2018
3.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Build a 150-kW solarĀ micro-gridĀ with battery power system at Curran Hospital by March 31, 2019
We are grateful for Skip the Grid project partners who invest in the health of our worldās most vulnerable people as care for creation. Liberia, the fourth poorest country in the world, is recovering from a long civil war and the Ebola crisis. Please support Skip the Grid. Follow StG onĀ FaceBook. RREAL and the Women of the ELCA seek your partnership and support of thisĀ innovative solar micro-grid solution for Curran Hospital and the global citizens it serves.
Submitted: March 25, 2018 by Vicki OāDay Development Director at RREAL vicki@rreal.org
RREAL is located in Backus, MN. We partner with the Women of the ELCA of Minnesota.
As part of the Sustainability/Environment Table workgroup to implement the Earth Charter, the Delaware-Maryland Synod Creation Care Ministry decided to focus on principles 7.a. and 7.b. under II. Ecological integrity.
