Image credit: Newdigit
Newdigit, a leading organization continuously focusing on integrating clean energy into the agricultural and healthcare sectors, claims that they are evolving healthcare in Nigeria with medical-grade oxygen and a reliable source of electricity in hospitals via a creative clean energy system. This approach is largely supported by the primary round of the powering healthcare innovation fund. The project improves healthcare delivery with a robust modular solution empowered by sustainable sources like solar and water energy.
Co-founder and CEO of newdigit, Derick Nwasor, said, “The organization engineers and manufactures advanced proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, relevant components, and electrolyzers. This contributes to both agriculture and healthcare, large and small-scale applications as well.”
According to Derick, their ‘just add water’ innovation is ultimately engineered for the healthcare sector and merges solar power with the PEM technology to create clean water, oxygen, and electricity, all the important resources for the healthcare facilities. He further explained that the system adds three major components: a PEM fuel cell, which is a hydrogen conversion for reliable electricity; a solar PV array, which strengthens the entire process with renewable energy; and a PEM electrolyzer, which separates water into oxygen and hydrogen.
The newdigit’s just add water system has been installed in three hospitals across Lagos, Nigeria, delivering to the merged patient population of more than 24,000 individuals annually. Derick precisely mentioned that by setting low dependency on the unreliable grids and costly diesel generators, the system will enable around 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year and generate an estimated 274 MWh of clean electricity in their first year of effective operation. He added, “Newdigit is providing training to local technicians and hospital staff to maintain and operate the system.”
He added, “Most of the hospitals in Nigeria face unstable grid electricity with 8-10 hours of power outages daily that helplessly force them to depend on the polluting diesel generators for backup. With the innovation of ‘just add water’, hospitals can have powerful critical equipment, recovery of clean water, and can create life-saving oxygen on-site, to bolster excellent healthcare services.”
The components together deliver 12-15 kW of continuous, clean power and 10-40 liters of medical-grade oxygen per day to the hospitals as a byproduct. The system also includes a plug-and-play design for immediate installation and seamless expansion.
Holding M.Pharm in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chandni crafts cutting-edge, research-driven healthcare news for Towards Healthcare, combining scientific depth with innovative storytelling to simplify complex topics for global readers.
