Briefs: Solar vaccine fridges for hot countries

Storing vaccines can be difficult in areas with insufficient electric grids, and renewable energies are increasingly being used as a solution. Two companies specializing in renewable energy technologies are to supply vaccine fridges to Nigeria and Haiti. True Energy has signed a USD 600 000 deal with the World Health Organization (WHO) to send solar fridges to Nigeria. Each fridge comes equipped with a 130-watt polycrystalline solar array and 2 ultra heavy duty sealed batteries. Electron Solar Energy, a Miami based distributor of alternative energy systems, is to supply 100 complete renewable solar energy systems for the medical sector in Haiti. Other companies provide similar equipment: Dulas Ltd., for instance which recently signed a deal for solar ice chests with the Health Ministry of Ghana, has installed thousands of solar vaccine fridges in Western and Eastern Africa regions.