While substantial progress has been made in health facility electrification in recent times, challenges persist, particularly in regions with weak infrastructure and limited financial resources.
The business-as-usual approach is proving inadequate and out of date. The sector is lagging behind in the adoption of new ideas and innovations that can help it scale and become more sustainable.
The Powering Healthcare Innovation Fund is a small-grants facility, offering grants in the range of USD 50,000 to 100,000 aimed at unlocking out-of-the-box opportunities and ideas, thereby growing innovation in the sector. This initiative is funded with UK aid from the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access Initiative (TEA) programme.
Applications for this funding cycle is closed. If you’re interested in applying for the next cycle in 2025, please write to us at poweringhealthcare@seforall.org.
Winners of the Innovation Fund 2024
BSUL is installing biogas generators to provide power for lighting, sterilising medical equipment, running medical refrigerators and laboratories in three off-grid health facilities in the Imvepi Refugee Settlement. Together with Inclusive Energy, who are providing and manage digital data tools to monitor biogas usage, they will also train health facility managers to use biogas safely.
The Masontsika Bazary (Powerhub), a hybrid model combining Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) and Pico PV Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) systems, is being installed in 12 health facilities in off-grid villages. The solar system will power medical equipment while also charging solar pico lights that the community can rent on a PAYGO basis and enabling a mobile charging station for the public, providing income to the health facilities for operating the Bazary.
Newdigit’s 'Just Add Water' zero-emission electrical generators, leverage highly efficient Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell technology and solar panels, to provide reliable electricity and medical grade oxygen for patient life support. They will be installed at three hospitals in Lagos and Ogun State, who will pay a monthly fee for electricity on a lease-to-own basis.
