Engineering Brighter Tomorrows (EBT) addresses the needs of educational and healthcare facilities in Zambia and Malawi through tailored solar energy solutions and digital inclusion. On June 27th, 2024, we held a webinar about how strategic solar energy projects can drive systemic change in the region and create lasting impacts in underserved communities. Here are some of the unanswered questions from the event.
EWB has meticulously selected the first 12 roll-out sites, including detailed energy audits for each. The installation of the first Pilot Site is now ready to begin at the Chimpanje Rural Health Centre in Nyimba District, in Eastern Province Zambia.
Programs and Project Director of EWB Zambia, Namoonga Shikapande, explains that there were many reasons why Zambia and Malawi were chosen for the Engineering Brighter Tomorrows (EBT) project. “First, Zambia and Malawi experience significant energy poverty and are in critical need for access to electricity. In particular, both countries face challenges in providing sustainable energy access in rural areas.”
Namoonga believes EBT would be able to address the economic impact. “In Zambia, only about 31% of the population has access to electricity, with rural areas being particularly underserved. This lack of access hampers essential services, including healthcare and education, and limits economic opportunities. Malawi faces similar challenges, with an electrification rate of around 15%, one of the lowest in the world. The reliance on biomass for cooking and the lack of modern energy services severely impact the quality of life and economic development.”
As work begins at the healthcare facility, the Chimpanje Rural Health Centre, to ensure stable electricity for the 6,277 residents it serves, read along to learn more about the current challenges faced by the communities in Zambia and Malawi and how EBT plans to tackle them, from fellow subject-matter experts, who joined us in the EBT Launch Webinar last month.
The Current Challenges:
EBT plans to collaborate with local organizations to align with government plans and community needs to enhance two main pillars, which are education and healthcare services.
When asked “How do you think projects like EBT can address these issues, and what are the main challenges that schools in your region face due to the lack of reliable electricity?”, Thomas Mkandawire, Senior Education Officer for Guidance and Administration from the Ministry of Education in Chipata, Zambia, responded:
“There are many challenges that can be effectively addressed through EBT and solar system packages. For example, learners would be able to benefit from using technological devices like computers, projectors and Internet connectivity, students would be able to conduct practical lessons in the Sciences, Home Economics, and Design and Technological studies where electric-powered equipment is utilized. For teachers, they would be able to adequately prepare for teaching/learning because they would be able to use their computers, which is difficult to do currently because of a lack of illumination at night and lack of Internet access. Apart from all those specificities, most rural schools are very far from the national power grid, therefore, a solar package will allow for more feasible and reliable electricity in education facilities.”
In terms of healthcare, the Nyimba District Health Director, Zambia, Dr. Martin Mbewe had an insightful answer to the question “How critical is reliable electricity for emergency healthcare services in rural clinics, and what improvements have you seen or anticipate with enhanced energy access?”
Dr. Mbewe answered that “reliable electricity is very critical in rural clinics because it will improve the quality of services being offered. Currently, most rural clinics in Nyimba are not able to run basic diagnostic tests as they are not able to use basic laboratory equipment due to a lack of reliable energy sources. Only 10 out of 27 healthcare facilities in the Nyimba region are on the national grid with reliable electricity. Provision of primary health care services such as immunizations also requires that a facility is able to store vaccines within the recommended temperature in the vaccine fridge, which can only be done so if there is a reliable source of energy to run the equipment.”
In terms of how to gain access to reliable electricity, Thomas Mkandawire and Dr Martin Mbewe both agreed that solar technology would be the most viable solution for the non-electrified facilities.
Dr. Mbewe responded that: “Looking at the current scenario in the country of power outages and the cost attached to taking hydro power to these rural facilities, solar tech will be both cost-effective and efficient. Especially since solar packages will not require monthly charges, this will lower the burdens on the facilities, which are already facing challenges due to the needs of the health centers from the small grants that they receive.”
Thomas agreed, “With climate change at play, dependence on HEP is slowly dwindling and there is plenty of sunshine here in Zambia that could allow for consistent power supply. The government has even directed all public institutions to consider shifting to solar energy because it is cheaper to maintain, but also clean energy that is renewable and sustainable, especially for the rural communities.”
Looking Ahead
Beyond acquiring a stable energy source and electricity, there are other problems that persist within Zambia and Malawi. One question frequently asked is if EBT is also able to focus on power storage - especially because Zambia actively exports surplus electricity to its neighbours, in contrast to Malawi. Others worry about power storage because both Zambia and Malawi experience approximately half a year of rainy spells which causes minimal daily sunshine hours.
To this, Brian Harrigan, CEO of EWB Canada, answered: “Indeed, power storage is a major challenge, which is why EBT will be sourcing enough high-quality battery storage capacity for each system. We intend to use lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are expensive relative to other battery types, but overall, a better option for low-resource settings. The system is designed to have approximately 24 hour storage capacity, even during cloudy or rainy days.”
The first facility where EWB will create change is the Chimpanje Rural Health Centre in Nyimba District, in Eastern Province Zambia. It faces an urgent need for a reliable energy source to illuminate its wards, especially the maternity ward, to ensure safe deliveries and emergency care at all hours and it is found that 1% increase in energy consumption implies a 5% decrease in infant mortality rate.
With EBT, EWB plans to provide uninterrupted care, day and night for the residents in Nyimba, power life-saving health equipment, increase staff retention, and enhance healthcare outcomes for the entire community. In neighbouring Uganda, there was a 61% drop in maternal deaths when rural health facilities were electrified, and these are the kinds of lasting impacts that we hope to bring to the communities in need.
Help us engineer brighter tomorrows and stay tuned for more updates on how EBT takes off on the ground!
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