Status
Market Ready
Deployed In
India
Partners
Solar Vaccine Fridge
The Problem
Each year anywhere from 25-50% of all available vaccines in developing countries must be discarded due to spoilage. This results in the death of nearly 1.5 million children who would have otherwise received the immunization needed for preventable diseases.
Without a power source, vaccine fridges on the market today are not viable solutions for off-grid clinics.
Our solution: replacing electricity with solar
ITT's solar-powered vaccine fridge bypasses the need for constant power and gives these clinics the technology they need to deliver lifesaving vaccinations.
ITT's 15L solar-powered vaccine fridge is designed for remote, off-grid clinics that have unreliable access to electricity. It satisfies WHO's PQS criteria and uses a unique thermal geometry to maintain its temperature without batteries. Once it cools down to the right temperature, anywhere between 2-8°C, it can stay in that range for more than five days without any power, in ambient temperature as hot as 43°C. This technology was developed in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
ITT is currently working with Godrej to prepare the product for at-scale manufacturing and deployment. However, the technology lends itself to other uses. Using the same innovative thermal geometry, we have developed a low-cost freeze-proof vaccine carrier, ergonomically designed to preserve vaccines beyond the last mile.
The Impact
The lack of a reliable end-to-end cold chain has been one of the most significant hurdles to delivering vaccines. Solving this problem can help prevent the deaths of 1.5 million children, mostly under the age of 5, who die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases.
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