Kalam is first buyer of SolarChill vaccine cooler

New Delhi, Nov 1 (UNI) President APJ Abdul Kalam has become the first buyer of the innovative and environment-friendly SolarChill technology for refrigeration.

SolarChill was conceived as a vaccine cooler for remote areas in developing countries where power supplies are inadequate and erratic.

The device was installed in the President's estate clinic this afternoon.

This new technology will give a much needed boost to public health programmes in remote areas of developing countries where due to lack of cooling, vaccines supplied often become unfit to be administered to patients.

The machines would operate on solar energy, using environmentally-safe refrigerants, bypassing the use of lead batteries and can also be plugged into the electricity grid.

The technology is publicly-owned and will soon be freely available for any company in the world interested in producing the units.

Once it receives the WHO approval, partners will work with interested refrigerator manufacturers, ministries of health and environment and other foundations in order to commercialise it and send it across the globe.

The innovative refrigeration technology developed by an alliance of seven international organisations, NGOs and private sector has won the prestigious 2006 Cooling Industry Awards in the category "Environmental Pioneer" for refrigeration.

The partners in the 'SolarChill Vaccine Cooler&Refrigerator Project' are the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Greenpeace International, United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO), GTZ Proklima, Programmes for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH) and the Danish Technological Institute.

Organised annually by RAC magazine in the United Kingdom, the Cooling Industry Awards recognise developments of new technology and approaches that protect the environments.

The SolarChill Project was one of 12 winners, alongside some of the world's biggest retailers, major end-users and refrigeration professionals.

Mr Rajendra Shende, Head of UNEP's OzonAction Branch, which is one of the prime movers of the SolarChill project, said he firmly believes it is not necessary to return to the 'caves' to protect the environment as some may think.

''We can use modern technology with innovative techniques that are environment-friendly, pro-poor, health-focussed and pro-development at the same time,'' he added.

He said successful public health programmes rely on supply of high-quality vaccines that need continuous cooling to remain effective.

Many regions in the world with non-existent, inadequate or intermittent electricity supply cannot provide the required constant refrigeration, known as the 'cold chain', resulting in millions of dollars of spoiled vaccines each year or a total absence of vaccination programmes, he said adding, SolarChill will help remedy this.

SolarChill project is a multi-partner, public-private initiative which contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, specifically reducing child mortality, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership.

UNI NAZ PA RK2008