Moving beyond informal action: sustainable energy and the humanitarian response system

Advancing Solar Energy for Primary Healthcare in Developing Nations: Addressing Current Challenges and Enabling Progress Through UNICEF and Collaborative Partnerships

This comprehensive document explores the intersection of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global transition to renewable energy, with a particular focus on solar energy. The text emphasizes the critical role of reliable and sustainable energy, especially solar power, in achieving health-related SDGs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It discusses the challenges faced by healthcare facilities in these regions, emphasizing the importance of uninterrupted electricity for critical medical equipment and services. The document highlights the increasing significance of solar energy globally and its potential to address challenges in the healthcare sector. The International Energy Agency's (IEA) estimation that solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has become the cheapest source of electricity is discussed, along with the World Bank's active role in supporting solar energy projects in developing countries. The document presents the current status of solarization, emphasizing the exponential growth of solar capacity and generation. It also discusses global initiatives such as Mission Innovation and the contribution of various international aid organizations, including Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Power Africa, Lighting Global, SolarAid, UNDP - Solar for Health (S4H), and the World Bank. A significant portion of the document focuses on the role of solar energy in healthcare, detailing successful solarization projects in India, sub-Saharan Africa, and other regions. It addresses the challenges of implementing solar PV projects in healthcare facilities, emphasizing the importance of maintenance and proper management. The document also provides insights into the contributions of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in advancing solar-powered health systems, emphasizing its support to over 80 countries in solarization and off-grid energy solutions for healthcare. In conclusion, this article emphasizes the need for collaboration among international aid organizations, governments, and development partners to ensure universal access to reliable and sustainable electricity, particularly in healthcare facilities. It underscores the importance of long-term planning, sustainability, innovative business models, and awareness campaigns to achieve scalable and impactful results in the intersection of solar energy and healthcare delivery.

Enhancing the environmental sustainability of emergency humanitarian medical cold chains with renewable energy sources

Purpose

Emergency humanitarian medical cold chains (HMCCs) depend heavily on their supporting energy services due to end-to-end temperature requirements in volatile disaster situations. Most energy sources powering emergency HMCCs are fossil-based due to well established processes, regardless of their environmental impact. In response to the recent energy crisis and climate change, a solution to tackle this issue relies on renewable energy sources (RES), whose use has increased to promote climate resilient development. Nevertheless, RESs’ capacity to replace conventional energy services in emergency HMCCs remains poorly understood. This study aims to investigate opportunities for, and barriers to, increasing the use of RESs in emergency HMCCs, thereby enhancing their environmental sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of academic and practice literature, interviews with expert practitioners on emergency HMCCs and sustainable energy, and case study examples, this research aimed to analytically generalise the phenomenon by investigating opportunities for, and barriers to, increasing the use of RESs in emergency HMCCs. The phenomenon is illustrated in a novel framework of typical HMCC, that forms a contextual basis for future research.

Findings

A conceptual framework of typical emergency HMCC shows energy-consuming sections where RES can best be increased. This research is put forth in four propositions to manage the opportunities and barriers of the transition.

Originality/value

This research is, to the best of the author’s knowledge, the first attempt to operationalise sustainability by linking energy with HMCCs’ logistical activities in complex emergency settings. The cross-findings from literature, example cases and interviews together demonstrate the need to increase the use of RES in HMCCs, and how to do it.