Rapid Response: Off-Grid Mobile Medical Hubs in Ukraine
Summary
In 2023, Sesame Solar committed to send four mobile, quickly-deployable sources of clean energy in the form of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) using Mobile Solar Nanogrid technology to address humanitarian challenges facing Ukraine during and after military attacks. These Mobile Nanogrids are created to generate and store 15-150 kWh of clean power using solar, green hydrogen, and battery storage inside a dual/tri axle trailer or Conex/ISO shipping container. Each of the Nanogrids are configured with turnkey solutions, including medical hub, clean water filtration, communications, office, and device charging, and can act as a triage center or workspace. These mobile, renewable, off-grid power solutions are shipped ready-to-use, and can be set up by one person in less than 15 minutes. In partnership with Direct Relief, these mobile nanogrids will be deployed and managed by local non-profits that they have regularly worked with inside Ukraine.
Approach
Sesame Solar commits to send four mobile, quickly-deployable sources of clean energy in the form of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) using Mobile Solar Nanogrid technology to address humanitarian challenges facing Ukraine during and after military attacks. These Mobile Nanogrids are created to generate and store 15-150 kWh of clean power using solar, green hydrogen, and battery storage inside a dual/tri axle trailer or Conex/ISO shipping container. The interior space of each of the Nanogrids are able to be configured with turnkey solutions, including medical hub, clean water filtration, communications, office, and device charging, and can act as a triage center or workspace.
These mobile, renewable, off-grid power solutions are shipped ready-to-use, and can be set up by one person in less than 15 minutes. This project will expand the ability of Direct Relief and other local organizations to respond to the many casualties of war and suffering citizens, and to remain in place for an extended period in remote areas, or under austere conditions, when grid power is unavailable or unreliable, and then efficiently distributed to locations in need, such as Polvana, Dnipro, Uman, and Chernivsti.
Through Direct Relief, these mobile nanogrids will be deployed and managed by local non-profits that they have regularly worked with inside Ukraine. Direct Relief is a recognized international partner of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and supports several groups in Ukraine and regionally with requested medical aid – including trauma kits, cancer drugs, insulin, antidotes used in chemical attacks, and more. In addition to $750 million in medical aid they provided to Ukraine through December 2022, Direct Relief has provided more than $20 million in financial assistance, including direct cash aid to support local healthcare organizations to help Ukrainian refugees obtain needed medications at no cost.
Action Plan
The quarterly action plan for this project is as follows:
2023 Q4: Kickoff Meeting, securing donors
2024 Q1: Project Planning and scope finalization
2024 Q2: Production and Testing of Mobile Nanogrids
2024 Q3: Ship and deploy 1st Mobile Nanogrid to Ukraine
2024 Q4: Ship and deploy 2nd Mobile Nanogrid to Ukraine
2025 Q1: Ship and deploy 3rd Mobile Nanogrid to Ukraine
2025 Q1: Ship and deploy 4th Mobile Nanogrid to Ukraine
2025 Q2+: Provide ongoing support as required
Background
Since the beginning of the war on Ukraine, the Ukrainian people have endured daily bombing, shelling, round ups, assassinations, and other crimes against humanity. Amongst the devastation and destruction one thing has become abundantly clear: the need for basic services, including power and medical support is urgent and great. The regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kirovohrad consistently experience intermittent power outages and cannot effectively predict when they will happen or for how long. Additionally, estimates identify about 1.5 million people were intermittently without power and experiencing blackouts. NPR also stated that, “The Ukrainian government has repeated calls for citizens to ration their electricity consumption, announcing a schedule of rolling blackouts if the grid reaches capacity. Ukrenerho warns that power outages may last from 8-10 hours per day where power lines are still intact. Areas that sustained more damage may go without electricity for much longer.”
This directly affects disaster relief agencies trying to assist with food, water, and medical intervention (especially hospitals, maternity wards, and NICUs) . Making matters worse, most air raid sirens don’t have the electricity to warn of other potential airstrikes, so citizens are encouraged to keep their mobile phones charged to receive emergency alerts or listen for vehicle sirens. Ukraine and the relief agencies serving them require sustainable off-grid power, clean water solutions, every day medical assistance, and other disaster response services to help mitigate the humanitarian challenge facing these citizens now, and in the foreseeable future, as it remains under military attacks.
Ukranians living in battle zones lack access to other essential services, including medical facilities, consistent drinking water supply, food supply, and more. Facing bombings and other conflict activities that result in serious harm to human health, consistent access to energy is essential to the provision of life-saving medical care.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
Sesame Solar seeks financial resources to address funding gaps for the deployment of Mobile Nanogrids for Disaster Response and for the four non-profit agencies in Ukraine that Direct Relief works with to continue to provide boots on the ground support for the citizens of each town
Sesame Solar is offering best practice information and implementing partnership for humanitarian response in Ukraine. They will work with all parties to find and deploy resources.