Solar ambulance travels 800km in Kenya to bring healthcare to remote areas
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Students from Solar Team Eindhoven in the Netherlands tested their Stella Juva solar-powered ambulance in rural Kenya, specifically in the Narok region, to determine if it could deliver healthcare to communities without reliable electricity.
The team partnered with Amref Health Africa to evaluate the vehicle’s performance in a real-world setting, including the community of Mosiro where the local health center lacks an electrical connection.
Stella Juva can deploy additional solar panels when parked, transforming into a mobile clinic capable of powering medical equipment like ultrasound machines, portable X-ray devices, defibrillators, and refrigeration for medicines. During a two-day test, the ambulance’s panels generated more electricity than the medical instruments consumed while stationary, though the vehicle did not produce more energy overall during travel.
The developers estimate the ambulance could potentially serve around 200 people over two days, though no actual patient consultations took place during the trial. The Stella Juva uses 542 solar cells and a 50 kWh battery, weighing 1350 kilograms and measuring five meters long. The team reports a potential range of 715 kilometers on paved roads and 360 kilometers off-road under favorable solar conditions, but these figures are still preliminary.
The project addresses a wider issue of healthcare access, as the World Health Organization estimates nearly 1 billion people in low- and lower-middle-income countries rely on health facilities with unreliable or no electricity.
