Solar Jooce

HEALTH IN FRAGILE CONTEXTS CHALLENGE: 

In my native Nigeria 13,000 out of 36,000 health centers have no electricity per Vanguard news article of March 22, 2022 titled "ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria to electrify 2,700 healthcare centers". The article also states that the modest goal of electrifying only 2,700 health centers is going to span a period of 4 years. In a country of over 210 million people no healthcare center can afford to be without electricity.

Some major challenges include project cost, logistics, deployment and maintenance. The typical electricity solutions in Nigeria deploy solutions using 220 volts Alternating Current (AC). Conventional solutions in tough operating environments such as Nigeria can be expensive and often get derailed particularly when lengthy time frames are involved.

Solar Jooce on the other hand offers functional solar power solutions using Direct Current (DC) appliances that are basic but more reliable, easy to deploy and require virtually no maintenance. We deploy solutions we see as sturdy life rafts rather than luxury liners. Our DC based solutions are better suited to alleviate the electrification issue on a much wider scale, on a much shorter time scale, and at a small fraction of the cost compared to conventional 220 volt solutions.

Solar Jooce has successfully tested this theory by sailing to a poor off-grid community Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) on Sogbokoji island, Nigeria where we custom installed basic DC lighting and phone charging capabilities. We converted Solar Jooce founder's photography lamp holder into a DC solar powered theater light for the delivery room and placed T8 LED lighting tubes at the PHC entrance, doctor's office, nurse's station and recovery room. Phone USB charging capabilities as well as a DC fan were also installed by Solar Jooce at Sagbokoji PHC. No inverter was required and the installation cost only about 20% of a conventional solution. Deploying a customized DC solution enabled Solar Jooce place Sagbokoji PHC on the first rung of the energy access ladder in the shortest possible time at a fraction of the cost of conventional power solutions.

The Solar Jooce Direct Current (DC) solution is inspired by power applications found in Recreational Vehicles (RVs). Some RV equipment run on 12 volt Direct Current (DC) and are perfectly functional. RV equipment are powered by on board batteries and are recharged by the RV's alternator. Solar Jooce adopted the concept of functionality found in Recreational Vehicles and adapted it to service in healthcare using solar panels to recharge batteries instead of alternators used by RVs.

Low voltage DC appliances are often not as powerful of conventional Alternating Current (AC) 120 or 220 volt appliances but deliver much needed functionality in difficult operating environments. Solar Jooce has successfully operated a wide range of DC appliances such as lights, fans, fridge, laptops, Microwave simultaneously on a single 200Ah battery with no inverter and a relatively small solar array of 300 watts.

Modelling our healthcare solar power solutions after the functionality found in RVs lowers the cost and sustainability barriers to adopting solar power in healthcare.

In the Vanguard newspaper of March 22, 2022 it was stated that 13,000 out of 36,000 health centers in Nigeria have no electricity. In a country of over 210 million people that is unacceptable.

Solar Jooce DC solar powered solutions are less complex than conventional AC power solutions and have the advantages of lower cost and are rapidly deployable.

Doctors and patients will benefit from having access to functional solar powered appliances and applications. 

Solar Jooce founder David Agbakoba has focused on social causes dating back to October 1996 when he received a British Council award for a contest titled "Focus on our environment". In October 2010 Solar Jooce was cited in a CNN iReport titled " Why Nigerians are left in the dark".

Solar Jooce has collaborated with NGOs across 36 states of Nigeria including the federal capital territory (FCT) to pinpoint areas of greatest need among healthcare facilities, small businesses and schools.

Solar Jooce has tested and tweaked our Recreational Vehicle (RV) inspired solar powered Direct Current (DC) concept on regular two and four bedroom homes to siimulate healthcare scenarios.

Direct contact with communities across the country over the years has helped shape our adoption of customized frugal and functional solar powered DC solutions. 

Our vision is that our solar powered DC solutions will accelerate the adoption of reliable, rapidly deployable solutions that can be replicated across geographies. We consider our DC power solution for healthcare to be the first rung on the energy access ladder. 

The Solar Jooce DC solar power solution could be the backbone which enables unserved and underserved healthcare facilities leapfrog into the age of telemedicine.

30,000 inhabitants who depend on the Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) powered by Solar Jooce in Sagbokoji in Nigeria.

Solar Jooce aims to build on its successes and refine our RV inspired solar powered DC design into a template for rapid mass deployment of low cost and functional power solutions.

We aspire to scale our frugal and functional solar DC power solutions with financial, technical and legal support. 

Inspired by the use of Direct Current (DC) applications in Recreational Vehicles (RVs) Solar Jooce aims to achieve functionality by shedding traditional constraints in the design and delivery of power solutions in healthcare. For instance appliances do not have to run on 120 or 220 volts they just need to be functional.

Working with solar powered DC appliances is significantly more efficient than conventional AC appliances. Solar Jooce has successfully operated a wide range of DC appliances simultaneously on scaled down battery banks and solar panels arrays with no inverter as opposed to less efficient AC equipment that require larger battery banks, solar arrays and inverters.

In harsh operating environments Solar Jooce DC solutions can deliver functional lighting in healthcare facilities in the range of 50 to 100 lux for sustained periods using significantly less resources than AC solutions. Most procedure rooms utilize 300 lux of lighting with AC power but cannot match the longevity of DC even with the support of larger battery banks.

Solar Jooce does more with less using DC technology which lends itself to mass access to affordable power. 

In a year Solar Jooce aims to refine and codify frugal and functional solar DC powered solution template for healthcare facilities operating in harsh conditions.

In five years Solar Jooce will aspire to make frugal and functional solar DC powered solutions the backbone of telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI) supported healthcare in fragile contexts.

Every time the resident Doctor at Sagbokoji sends Solar Jooce pictures of babies delivered under solar DC theater lights that were modified from photography lamp holders.

Solar Jooce's solution is well suited to developing countries because it places the solution within the control of healthcare personnel. Solar powered DC gets users on the first rung of the energy access ladder. It is a mass customizable solution that is designed to deliver frugal and functional power.

Neither healthcare staff nor patients ever asked Solar Jooce what voltage operated the phone charger, lights or fan installed by us in the clinic. 

Solar Jooce utilizes the superior efficiency of DC versus less efficient AC to deliver functionality and impact at significantly lower cost.

Our mission at Solar Jooce is based on collaborative effort and we continuously strive for input from the broadest possible pool of potential collaborators.

Solar Jooce tests solar DC deployments extensively and duplicates its successes.

Solar Jooce will offer paid product placement and endorsement opportunities to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of DC equipment used in the design of our solar DC solutions.

Solar Jooce solar DC solution is pre revenue.