In rural and off grid communities in India, unreliable electricity and inadequate cold storage severely limit the safe storage of vaccines and medical supplies. In areas like Kottampatti block in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, interruptions in the cold chain can cause vaccine spoilage, which then leads to missed immunizations.
IEEE Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology Chapter, in partnership with Renaissance Trust, is developing a Modular Solar Refrigeration System to provide reliable, off-grid vaccine storage for primary health centers. The system uses solar panels and battery storage to power refrigeration around the clock, with Phase Change Materials providing passive cooling backup during outages and IoT sensors triggering offline alerts if temperatures drift away from the safe 2–8°C range.
This project was made possible by $2,100 in funding from the Industry Applications Society (IAS), an EPICS in IEEE partner.