Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool
Driving down MSF’s carbon emissions through the adoption of solar-powered ACs
MSF (the Sweden Innovation Unit, MSF Operational Center Paris, and energy referents from across the movement) teamed up with Arup in autumn 2020 to develop the Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool, which was released in October this year. The modelling tool provides a high-level feasibility assessment for installing any type of air conditioning (AC) system and aims to promote the uptake of solar ACs at field level and reduce our carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. The tool has been developed in the context of the Solar AC Project.
Let’s start with the why
ACs are essential where medical needs call for controlled temperatures, such as in pharmacies, operating theatres and laboratories. However, powering these ACs is not always a straightforward process in remote locations where MSF provides medical services. Grid electricity is limited in many areas, forcing facilities and AC systems to depend on diesel generators.
Today, ACs are one of the main consumers of fuel and, subsequently, CO2 emissions within MSF. Energy referents in the MSF Energy Working Group have conservatively estimated 35 per cent of all CO2 emissions within MSF at field level to be related to diesel generator powered AC.
Further, MSF’s use of AC is predicted to increase considerably in the coming years due to rising temperatures and our aim to improve our facilities for patients and staff.
MSF teams across the movement are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and making the shift from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. This recent article explores the role of energy transition within MSF’s planetary health developments.
The Solar Air Conditioning Project
The Sweden Innovation Unit (SIU) began exploring innovative ways to convert solar energy into the energy needed to power ACs through the Solar AC project in 2018. The project is led by the SIU and MSF Operational Center Paris and has received funding through MSF Transformational Investment Capacity (TIC).
In preparation for the project, a group of MSF referents assessed the possibility of converting energy from the sun to electricity that can power ACs. They concluded that the daytime electricity needs of many MSF facilities in warmer countries can be covered by energy from the sun. Timing also turned out to be on their side, the technology needed to launch a pilot exploring the efficiency of solar-powered ACs in the field already existed on the market. The suitability of this kind of application was, however, unknown before this project
Keeping in mind that some buildings require 24-hour cooling, the energy referents involved in the Solar AC Project also configured hybrid systems that can use generators or other power sources when needed. The hybrid solution ensures safe temperatures around the clock in the most demanding facilities such as pharmacies, operating theatres and laboratories.
For more information about the Solar AC Case, check out the 4-minute summary below or go to the Case Page.
Successful pilot served as a proof-of-concept study
A pilot was carried out in Haiti in 2018-2019 and served as a proof-of-concept study, providing strong evidence that solar-powered AC solutions in remote off-grid locations can reduce dependency on generators.
Implementing solar air conditioning systems comes with a number of advantages, including:
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Each solar AC unit is estimated to save between 1-2.5 tons of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission each year.
Lower MSF’s fuel dependency, which is important in remote and difficult-to-access places and projects. Transporting fuel to places where there are poor or no roads is very resources demanding. Further, transportation is another main driver of fuel consumption within MSF field operations.
Offering possibilities for cost savings. By lowering our fuel dependency, we can also lower our operational costs. Fuel is often expensive in many of the countries where MSF works. In tropical climates, the time to repay the installation costs of solar AC solutions can be a short as one year for projects with medium to high fuel consumption.
The AC technology itself is only one aspect of implementing efficient AC solutions. The pilot in Haiti confirmed that we need to provide comprehensive guidance and support to our colleagues in the field to enable and motivate them to install solar and hybrid AC solutions sustainably. Beyond focusing on the AC system itself, you have to, for example, look at how the room you are cooling is insulated and ensure that the temperature is not set lower than necessary. The Solar AC Sizing Tool takes this type of external parameters into account.
Solar AC Sizing Tool
Identifying innovative solutions to pressing problems is the first critical step in any change process. Still, meaningful and lasting change can only occur when these solutions are operationalised and adopted at scale – this is where the Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool comes into play.
The pilot in Haiti faced some initial uptake challenges. To speed up scaling, dissemination and overall usage of the project’s direct solar and hybrid AC solutions, the SIU and MSF Operational Center Paris teamed up with Arup to develop the Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool in autumn 2020.
The tool provides a high-level feasibility assessment for installing any type of AC system. It helps users make data-driven decisions on how, when, and where to use solar-powered solutions by providing a structured method for sizing ACs and instant feedback on the parameters you enter (e.g. type of insulation of the building, wall material and thickness, orientation of the building, and location of structures.)
The purpose of the tool is not to cover all aspects of temperature control installations but to guide you forward as it teaches you about diverse energy efficiency measures.
As the world moves to achieve its net-zero carbon emissions, there is a need to shift to digital solutions to help optimise, automate and streamline design processes. The ambition is for the Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool to be used beyond MSF, acting as a reliable modelling solution for other organisations that work in a similar context.
You can test the Solar Air Conditioning Sizing Tool here. If you have any questions about the tool, please email marpe.tanaka@stockholm.msf.org. For more information about the Solar AC Sizing Tool, check out the 3.5-minute video below which was created to present the tool during this year’s MSF Scientific Days.