It’s been nearly two years since Hurricane Maria swept across the Caribbean, but Puerto Rico is still coming to terms with what happened. Enhancing Puerto Rico’s resilience to better prepare the island for future disasters would entail building a more robust electricity grid to help limit the damage and impact from extreme storms in the years to come.
Access to reliable electricity in health facilities is an important enabler of quality, essential health services for women, children, and families, and is necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal in both energy and health. Yet, it is estimated that tens of thousands of health facilities across low- and middle-income countries lack electricity and/or suffer from frequent and debilitating blackouts.
To help address this challenge, Sustainable Energy for All is helping build the evidence base and cooperation necessary to close the energy access gap in health facilities and advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
In support of the effort to improve access to quality, essential health care through universal electrification of health facilities by 2030, this website serves as a resource for those interested in the nexus of energy and health care, with a focus on knowledge-sharing and advocacy for access to energy in the health sector.
Featured Video
Health Champions Stand up for Clean Energy
Doctors, midwives, nurses, and healthcare workers everywhere need access to reliable power to treat patients and save lives. Yet, it is estimated that tens of thousands of health facilities lack access to basic electricity. Solar energy offers an opportunity to reliably and sustainably power health care – from lighting a delivery room to refrigerating vaccines. That’s why health leaders everywhere are raising their voices: We can’t achieve universal health coverage without clean energy.
Hear from health and energy champions who attended the Clean Energy for Health Care conference in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2019.
On the Blog
UNOPS – Lights Switched on for the First Time across Rural Sierra Leone
December 20, 2019 | Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio officially commissioned the turning-on of lights in 54 rural communities across the country this week, as a part of the Rural Renewable Energy Project (RREP).
TIME – Best Inventions 2019 (We Care Solar)
November 21, 2019 | We Care Solar has shipped nearly 4,000 units to 27 developing countries, putting an end to deliveries in darkness.
WRI – Powering Remote Hospitals with Solar
October 24, 2019 | Unreliable electricity is a common challenge for healthcare centers located in rural areas. Some health centers across Asia and Africa are increasingly turning to solar power to meet basic energy needs.
Lasting Impact: Sustainable Off-Grid Solar Delivery Models to Power Health and Education
This report helps decisionmakers design sound off-grid electrification projects for rural schools and health centers…
Chilling Prospects: Providing Sustainable Cooling For All
This report examines the importance of cooling for maintaining the refrigerated vaccine cold-chain.
50 Breakthroughs: Critical Scientific and Technological Advances Needed for Sustainable Global Development
This study identified 50 breakthroughs which can make a substantial difference to the lives of the poor…