Photo source: UOSSM
Having most of the country’s electrical grid destroyed after over 6 years of conflict, a hospital in Syria will be the first institution to pilot a solar project with an aim to save thousands of lives.
Hospitals and various other infrastructure have had to rely on diesel generators over the last while, leading to fuel shortages and price inflation. Medical charity, UOSSM (Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations), aims to change this by leading The Syria Solar Initiative project to assist with reliable electricity for institutions in need. The initiative will include fitting the hospital with 480 solar photovoltaic panels and 288 batteries capable of fully powering the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This will assist operating rooms and emergency departments during diesel shortages.
“In our department, we have a total of six incubators. Electricity is critical for the functioning of these incubators,” said neonatal nurse with UOSSM, Mohamad Dirbas.
Electricity must be available continuously without shut down or cut-off. Even if the electricity was to shut down for half an hour, it can cause sever problems. Children in incubators need a constant temperature.
“Syria is in one of the best regions globally to harvest solar energy, and needs to be leveraged. The goal now is to empower the health system by scaling the solar project to at least five other critical hospitals. Our dream is to see every medical facility in Syria running on clean, sustainable energy,” said Tarek Makdissim, Project Director at UOSSM’s Syria Solar Initiative.UOSSM is projecting saving 7,000 litres of diesel fuel and severely cutting energy costs with this project. The hospital they will pilot the project with will rename nameless in order to protect the staff and facility from attacks.
