The refugee crisis in Europe is growing. The UN says in 2016, 5.2 million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries due to war and persecution.
According to The UN Refugee Agency, “More than 375,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh in the last month alone.”
The United Nations, NGOs and government organizations provide emergency response, education and tools to rebuild. However, as the number of refugees increases the resources of the organizations are stretched.
The Guardian reported in 2017 that, “migrants are still living in sewage-flooded tents and many children have no protection… the Refugee Rights Data Project, argues that refugees’ human rights have been breached because they do not have access to a standard of living adequate for their personal security, health and wellbeing.”
Aldelano Solar Cold Chain Solutions can help organizations provide more sustainable, robust and portable solar solutions to refugee camps. Our products can assist with:
Solar Atmospheric Clean Water & Ice:
UNICEF delivers about 3.5 million liters of water to Za’atari, a refugee camp in Jordan, which residents collect from tanks, and removes 2.35 million liters of wastewater.
Aldelano’s Solar WaterMaker extracts water right from the air! The WaterMaker provides fresh, clean water that is totally independent of any power grid or water system. Different models can create 30 to 1,000 gallons of clean water per day and up to 2,300 lbs. of ice.
Solar atmospheric water generation means less plastic waste and quick access to clean water for those in need. The Solar WaterMaker requires little to no maintenance which also means savings that can be repurposed for other refugee needs.
Solar Power:
According to the UN in 2016, “About 10% of refugees have reliable access to electricity for lighting, heating, cooking and powering. 80% of those in camps rely on firewood for cooking and heating and, as a result, an estimated 20,000 people – primarily women and children – die prematurely each year due to the pollution from indoor fires”.
The Aldelano Solar PowerPak is a solar power converting station that collects solar energy and converts it to usable AC power for use with virtually any electric device. They can power everything from a small home to an entire village. All units are customized to meet the electrical needs of the region and the specific needs of the customer.
Access to electricity raises the standard of living for refugees and increases opportunity for greater resources that require stable power.
Solar Cold Storage:
Refugee camps struggle with food waste and proper storage. Without electricity, many camps cannot store food properly.
The Aldelano Solar ColdBox is an industrial-grade, portable, solar-powered cold storage mini-warehouse that provides a completely renewable power source, refrigeration and freezing capacity. Temperatures range from -10 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit within a 20 or 40ft shipping container.
The Solar ColdBox can be used for food or medicine. Solar powered cold storage helps food retain greater nutritional value through proper storage and provides medical professionals with proper storage for medicines and equipment.
Sustainable solar resources are one step towards increasing the quality of life for displaced individuals. LA Times reporter Erik Kirschbaum visited the Moria camp on the Greek Island of Lesbos after a fire on Sept 20th 2016. He said, “the stench of human waste, rotting food and dirty, sweat-drenched clothes mixes with the swirling smoke from makeshift campfires.” Aldelano Solar Cold Chain Solutions aims to provide robust resources that can decrease food waste through cold storage, increase access to clean water as well as ice, and provide enough solar power to support an entire village.
Citations:
Banning-Lover, Rachel. “Greek Refugee Camps Remain Dangerous and Inadequate, Say Aid Workers.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Feb. 2017, www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/feb/10/greek-refugee-camps-dangerous-inadequate-aid-workers.
“Broad Coalition Calls for Refugees’ Energy Needs to Be Met.” United Nations, United Nations, 16 Sept. 2016, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/09/broad-coalition-calls-for-refugees-energy-needs-to-be-met/.
Winsor, Morgan. “This Is Home.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 18 Sept. 2016, abcnews.go.com/International/deepdive/syrian-refugee-children-photos-this-is-home-42066342.
