A Nigerian technology firm, Newdigit, has begun installing a solar energy system that provides reliable electricity, medical oxygen and clean water to hospitals in Lagos State.
In a statement in Lagos on Monday, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Newdigit, Mr Derick Nwasor lamented that many hospitals face daily power cuts of up to 10 hours, forcing them to rely on polluting diesel generators.
He said that his company’s ‘Just Add Water’ system combines solar energy with Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology to produce electricity, oxygen and water onsite.
Nwasor explained that the initiative which supported by the Powering Healthcare Innovation Fund, has already deployed in three hospitals in Lagos, and delivers up to 15 kW of continuous electricity, 10–40 litres of medical oxygen daily and a steady supply of water.
He added that the solar energy system is designed to reduce hospitals’ reliance on unstable grid supply and diesel generators.
“With Just Add Water, hospitals can power essential equipment, produce oxygen and recover clean water, improving healthcare services,”
“It is expected to serve more than 24,000 patients annually, cut over 150 tonnes of carbon emissions and generate 274 MWh of clean energy in its first year”, he stated
Also speaking, co-founder and Operating Officer of Newdigit Technologies, Ms Joy Princess, revealed that the company plans to expand to 1,000 hospitals nationwide by 2030.
Mr Charlie Knight, Senior Energy Officer at SEforALL, said the project demonstrates how renewable energy can strengthen healthcare delivery in Africa.
“This shows how clean technologies can provide reliable electricity, oxygen and water, which could be revolutionary in building resilient health systems,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the project received a 50,000 dollars grant from the Powering Healthcare Innovation Fund, launched by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) with support from UK aid under the Transforming Energy Access initiative.