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diy solar

Solar Powered Shipping Container Medical Clinic

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Aug 17, 2021
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I have been working on several medical clinic projects recently and wanted to share with the forum and see what everyone though as well as get any suggestions for improvements/changes that can made in the future.

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Here is a couple shots to show one of the clinics getting unloaded in Ghana, and the inside before it was shipped out. Each clinic is made into two exam rooms, one office, and a bathroom. Once these arrive the windows, doors, and exhaust will be cut out and a metal roof will be added on top of the container.

These will all be operated by the Yonkofa Project which provides medical clinics and supplies to rural communities in Ghana, Africa. Several shipping containers of medical supplies were already being sent to Ghana each year so the idea of converting the container into a medical clinic was brought up. Another group Unto The Least of His Ministries is doing the conversions and I got involved with them during the first build where I helped with the electrical. After the first container was complete, the idea of solar was brought up as many of these will be in locations without power or with unreliable power. I was tasked with doing the solar and have been learning as much as I can ever since. What you see here is the fifth solar clinic completed. Because of the power requirements, and equipment being provided from USA and international sources, two power system are needed, 120v 60hz and 230v 50 hz. The system will mainly be powering lights, box fans and small medical equipment. So far I have been learning everything solar myself and was thrilled to find this forum. Any suggestions or improvements for the future clinics would be greatly appreciated.

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4x- Hanwha Q Cells Q.PEAK DUO-G6+ 350w Mono Solar Panel
Midnite Solar MNPV3 Combiner Box + 2x 15 Amp 150VDC Din Rail Mount Breaker
IronRidge XR-100 Racking
These will be mounted on top of a metal roof that will be over the top of the shipping container once everything is completed.

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The Solar closet is in the back of the container, 34” Width 28” Depth 8’ Height. The closet on this container was lined with galvanized sheet metal and the back wall is ¾ plywood.

Samlex PST-1500-24VDC 1500 Watt - 120VAC 60hz Inverter

Cotek SP700-224 24VDC 700 Watt - 230VAC 50hz Inverter

Midnite Solar MNEDC-Quad Enclosure + 100a & 60a breaker

Victron Energy Blue Solar MPPT Charge Controller 100V 50A

Midnite Solar Baby Box + 60Amp 150v Din Rail Breaker

4x- C&D UPS12-1000MRXF 12v 254 Ah AGM 2016 Manufacture Date. I have been choosing used AGM batteries to try and save some costs. These are the oldest I have put so far because it’s all I could get at the time, the last two containers had 6x 190 Ah PowerSafe AGM 2020 Manufacture Date.

IMG_20210831_143440639.jpgIMG_20210831_143447864_HDR.jpg

Displays for the charge controller and inverters in plastic case

AC Infinity AIRTITAN T8 Ventilator Fan

These are just now beginning to reach their destinations and get setup so hopefully I will be getting some feedback soon on how everything is working soon. Thanks for looking and I will update as the project continues.
 
That is really cool! The only suggestion that comes to might right away is I would figure out a way to mount the solar on top of the container so you get above the shading unless there is some reason not too (high winds?).
 
That is awesome! That setup can basically be duplicated anywhere medical is needed. I bet you could seal that unit up and even use it for field surgery in an emergency. Very nice work!

The pictured structure looks like it would support enough panels to even run a small split unit AC if needed. You would need the batteries to power it at night, but even if just used during the day powered off the sun, it would keep the room very cool.
 
Currently 10 are planned as OBGYN clinics in Ghana but we will probably continue building them for other purposes and locations when these are complete.

I am considering going with used solar panels on the next clinic 2000-3000w to have enough power for a vaccine freezer and additional fans or mini split. If I go this route, I will probably go with a Growatt all in one unit but I have yet to test or do much research on these.
 
Have you been in contact with any company in Lagos? Noticed a lot of solar suppliers have branches there whenever buying something from China. Or even Accra, googling brings up some results. The local expertise may be useful.
 
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I am considering going with used solar panels on the next clinic 2000-3000w to have enough power for a vaccine freezer and additional fans or mini split. If I go this route, I will probably go with a Growatt all in one unit but I have yet to test or do much research on these.
I am very happy with my used Trina panels. I paid less than $600 shipped for 12 of them (only using 9). I think the Growatt will work perfect as long as you are not pulling more than 2kwh. You could always add a small generator to keep the fridge/AC going at night if needed.
 
Have you been in contact with any company in Lagos? Noticed a lot of solar suppliers have branches there whenever buying something from China. Or even Accra, googling brings up some results. The local expertise may be useful.
I have not contacted any companies abroad yet. Since everything is on a such a small scale right now it has been easier to source from the US. But I will definitely look into this for future projects. I will also need a good local source to locate replacement parts down the road.
 
I am very happy with my used Trina panels. I paid less than $600 shipped for 12 of them (only using 9). I think the Growatt will work perfect as long as you are not pulling more than 2kwh. You could always add a small generator to keep the fridge/AC going at night if needed.
I am currently testing some used Trina panels and a deep well pump that will be sent with this container, as well as some on a few personal projects. I have been very happy with them and think they would be a great option for these clinics. I have not considered the small generator option yet but I think that would be a great idea, especially if running a vaccine fridge.
 
I have not contacted any companies abroad yet. Since everything is on a such a small scale right now it has been easier to source from the US. But I will definitely look into this for future projects. I will also need a good local source to locate replacement parts down the road.
Ghana may also be a signature to an international agreement restricting the import of used electrical equipment.
 
Ghana may also be a signature to an international agreement restricting the import of used electrical equipment.
Thanks for the warning I will check into this, I would hate to have something get seized at the port.
 
Those are the wrong batteries to use as they are designed for low-cycle UPS backup high-rate use. You will cycle them out quickly.

The C&D battery you listed is of this type, and most likely the Powersafe too. Despite being very-high quality manufacturers, they are wrong for your application as they come from the cycle-limited UPS line, not the cycling type.

For instance, the C&D UPS12-1000MRXF is designed primarily to be a standby / emergency use with a float charge of 13.8v only. Yes, you will also see at 14.4v charge specification, but that is for equalization, and emergency cycle use for the primarily "standby" agm's, where placing them into cycle service and running out of those cycles quickly is a secondary concern.

By looking at these specs, one can become confused because they seem similar to what agm's designed for cycling is. But you have to be knowledgeable about the difference between ups and cycle use types of batteries, and not skim over the specifications.

Unless you are getting free discarded Telco-type UPS batteries for free, which these specific C&D's are, this will become costly as you cycle them and need replacing very quickly.
 
Thanks for the info, I am still new to this and trying to figure out how everything works. Since the batteries are the most cost prohibitive part of the system I have been going the cheap route.

I have been doing some research on alternatives but haven't committed to a better option yet. I'm considering something like the eg4 from signature solar, bigbattery.com or may a 12v option like the SOK or something similar. I would like to go with lithium but I am a little concerned with the safety aspect, especially with the cheaper options available. These will also be in remote locations and getting parts or replacement batteries through warranty would be tricky and time consuming.

My goal is to continue to improve these so once I come up with a solution I will plan on switching out the current batteries and moving the AGM's to a less critical application.
 
I have been working on several medical clinic projects recently and wanted to share with the forum and see what everyone though as well as get any suggestions for improvements/changes that can made in the future.

View attachment 62944View attachment 62945

Here is a couple shots to show one of the clinics getting unloaded in Ghana, and the inside before it was shipped out. Each clinic is made into two exam rooms, one office, and a bathroom. Once these arrive the windows, doors, and exhaust will be cut out and a metal roof will be added on top of the container.

These will all be operated by the Yonkofa Project which provides medical clinics and supplies to rural communities in Ghana, Africa. Several shipping containers of medical supplies were already being sent to Ghana each year so the idea of converting the container into a medical clinic was brought up. Another group Unto The Least of His Ministries is doing the conversions and I got involved with them during the first build where I helped with the electrical. After the first container was complete, the idea of solar was brought up as many of these will be in locations without power or with unreliable power. I was tasked with doing the solar and have been learning as much as I can ever since. What you see here is the fifth solar clinic completed. Because of the power requirements, and equipment being provided from USA and international sources, two power system are needed, 120v 60hz and 230v 50 hz. The system will mainly be powering lights, box fans and small medical equipment. So far I have been learning everything solar myself and was thrilled to find this forum. Any suggestions or improvements for the future clinics would be greatly appreciated.

View attachment 62946View attachment 62947
4x- Hanwha Q Cells Q.PEAK DUO-G6+ 350w Mono Solar Panel
Midnite Solar MNPV3 Combiner Box + 2x 15 Amp 150VDC Din Rail Mount Breaker
IronRidge XR-100 Racking
These will be mounted on top of a metal roof that will be over the top of the shipping container once everything is completed.

View attachment 62948View attachment 62949

The Solar closet is in the back of the container, 34” Width 28” Depth 8’ Height. The closet on this container was lined with galvanized sheet metal and the back wall is ¾ plywood.

Samlex PST-1500-24VDC 1500 Watt - 120VAC 60hz Inverter

Cotek SP700-224 24VDC 700 Watt - 230VAC 50hz Inverter

Midnite Solar MNEDC-Quad Enclosure + 100a & 60a breaker

Victron Energy Blue Solar MPPT Charge Controller 100V 50A

Midnite Solar Baby Box + 60Amp 150v Din Rail Breaker

4x- C&D UPS12-1000MRXF 12v 254 Ah AGM 2016 Manufacture Date. I have been choosing used AGM batteries to try and save some costs. These are the oldest I have put so far because it’s all I could get at the time, the last two containers had 6x 190 Ah PowerSafe AGM 2020 Manufacture Date.

View attachment 62960View attachment 62961

Displays for the charge controller and inverters in plastic case

AC Infinity AIRTITAN T8 Ventilator Fan

These are just now beginning to reach their destinations and get setup so hopefully I will be getting some feedback soon on how everything is working soon. Thanks for looking and I will update as the project continues.
super cool !
 
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