Load Shedding ‘Forces’ Pregnant Patients to Leave

Modern hospitals require a continuous supply of reliable electricity to best cater to the needs of their patients. Hospital equipment, like respirators, health monitors, ultrasound scanners, and laboratory machines, necessitates electricity to function as effectively and efficiently as desired. Intensive care units, gynaecology sections, operating theatres, recovery rooms, neo-natal sections, and offices & clinics need power to keep patients stable and comfortable, and doctors and medical staff productive. Even a momentary power outage can have serious effects on the health of the patients and the operations of the hospital at large.

A city in one of the emerging countries in Asia has been suffering from a power supply shortage that has placed its healthcare facilities, especially the ones operated by the local government, in dire straits. Owing to the lack of electricity, and the consequent constant load shedding and blackouts, gynaecology departments in certain public hospitals have been forced to refuse new pregnant patients and discharge existing ones, advising them to instead seek medical help from private hospitals which may have electricity to support their specialized medical needs. Sunil, whose pregnant wife was admitted in one of the public hospitals, rued, “We came to this government hospital to avail of affordable medical care, but there has been no electricity the entire day.” He added that due to the absence of appropriate care and the discomfort brought about by heat and humidity, his wife’s condition had fast deteriorated. “Now,” he said, “because there is uncertainty when the power will be restored, we don’t have any choice but to transfer to a private hospital and hope that they have local generators that function. We will surely pay a higher price, but that’s another challenge altogether.”

Commenting on the situation, the Chief Medical Officer of the said hospital, explained, “We have a local generator for emergency. Unfortunately, it is not functional as of the moment as there were some technical glitches. We will have it fixed and try our best to have the power supply restored.” When asked when power can be restored, he vaguely said, “When the generator is fixed, then the power will be restored.”

In times of power supply insufficiency, load shedding and regular electricity outage, governments, utilities and stakeholders in the healthcare sector will find an immediate effective power solution in hiring the services of temporary electricity providers. Reliable electricity is needed to power hospitals and healthcare facilities, and renting large-scale power plants can guarantee a constant supply of power even to expansive facilities without the need to spend scarce CAPEX. Rented power plants offer economy and flexibility, because governments, utilities and allied stakeholders can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants as the generators run, and they can choose to add power modules to the rental power plants as their requirements increase.

Rental power plants are not only reliable and fuel efficient, they also have less impact to the environment. Modern rental generators boast of cleaner operations, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or a blend of gas and diesel. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that temporary power stations, like those running on natural gas, can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment.

Electricity powers hospitals and healthcare facilities so that they offer the full extent of medical services required by patients. A power interruption, regardless of its duration, can negatively impact the health of patients and the operations and facilities of hospitals. While waiting for the completion of permanent solutions to electricity supply problems, renting large-scale power plants can bridge the gap in power anytime and anywhere in the world.

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Will Blackouts Dim the Future of the Next Generation?

Worsening electricity shortages across many of the world’s developing countries are choking off progress in the education sector

Ayana, an engineering student from a town in Africa, would like to be a power plant engineer, having been through the horrors of persistent blackouts and load shedding. 

“I’d like to be an electrical engineer, because I would love to solve the power supply problems of my town, or maybe my country,” she said. She entered the technical university with high hopes: Months before classes started, her school had been outfitted with new computers, engineering laboratory equipment and electrical machines, and had been connected to the grid with the help of a rural electrification agency. “Our classes were productive, because we were working on our computers, spending fruitful hours in the lab and actually performing experiments,” she said, recounting her experiences prior to the prolonged rain-less season that has shrouded her country.

“Now,” she continued, “we are fast growing frustrated with what we are doing in school.” Owing to the lack of electricity due to shortage in hydropower, Ayana’s class regularly skips experiments, causing her and her classmates’ marks to flop. “We are like learning from our imagination. How could we master practical and technical subjects on paper? But, what can we do? Our machines and lab equipment just won’t work without power.”

Imamu has just earned his degree in Education from an African university. He wanted to teach young children, so he can take part in the formation of their values and learning. But, regularly disrupted classes and the lack of power and water in schools have gradually caused a change of heart. 

“I would have loved to teach children here in my country, but I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place”, he said, adding that the pressing electricity problems were driving him away. “Because power only returns in the evening, I have to begin my classes at night. But, it’s not possible. It is not safe, and I have to be with my family.” He said that if the dire power situation continues, he might eventually be left with no choice but to move to neighboring countries where wages for teachers and working conditions in schools are better.

Electricity has gradually become a scarce commodity in many emerging countries, largely owing to shortage in hydropower and unstable power infrastructure. With the effects of blackouts and load shedding growing more pronounced in the education sector, industry experts and stakeholders fear for the next generation.

“Schools are hit hard by this ongoing energy supply situation,” said a member of an Educators Union. “Many developing countries are burdened with unemployment, and for some, the key to have better chances of finding a suitable job is obtain qualifications in science, engineering and business. But, while quality science, engineering and business education received a notable boost some few years ago, these days, it may have hit a formidable roadblock in blackouts.”

Solving the educational conundrum cannot wait for years nor decades. To keep up with the rapid evolution of knowledge and of the world itself, students and educators alike have to be abreast of the developments with the help of computers, mobile devices and other modern electronic equipment.

In times of persistent load shedding and regular blackouts, governments, utilities and stakeholders in the education sector will find an immediate power solution in hiring the services of temporary electricity providers. Reliable electricity is needed to power computers, run science and engineering laboratories and keep the school environment conducive to learning. Renting large-scale power plants can guarantee a constant supply of power to educational facilities without the need to spend scarce CAPEX in building permanent power stations. Governments, utilities and other stakeholders will appreciate the fact that they can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants as the generators run, and that they can choose to add power modules to the rental power plants as their requirements increase.

Rental power plants are not only reliable, they also have less impact to the environment. Modern rental generators boast of cleaner operations, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or a blend of gas and diesel. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that temporary power stations, like those running on natural gas, can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment.

“I feel sad even considering moving to another country to teach other children,” said Imamu. “I feel that as a citizen of my country, I have a role to play in its progress and in the development of its children and people. I still want to stay here. I hope the situation will be better in the coming weeks…”

“I am excited to actually use the computers and the lab equipment we have in school,” said Ayana. “I still believe that when I finish school, I will be a productive electrical engineer. I don’t only dream for my personal success; I envision my town emerging from poverty with reliable electricity.”

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Drones to Replace Manual Work in Power Plant Inspections?

With their temperatures surging up to a thousand degrees Celsius, power plants need to be regularly and closely monitored for eventual wear and tear. US researchers claim drones can do it precisely, efficiently, quickly and safely...

Thoroughly inspecting power plants usually involve the dangerous tasks of climbing scaffolds and entering dark areas with temperatures-comparable-to-an-oven over at least a month. That practice may soon be a thing of the past.

Researchers at the University of Georgia in the USA have developed a sonar navigation system for drones that aims to improve the safety and efficiency of power plant inspections.

Looking to bats?

The objective of the team was to develop a navigation system that would eventually allow drones to replace manual work in power plant inspections. It, however, was not that easy.

The team had to face the challenge of developing a technology that could provide a reliable and precise signal despite the harsh environment of the generators. In the process of evolving the technology, the team found out that electromagnetic and material interference makes GPS and some navigation techniques difficult to use. The solution? The team looked to bats.

“It’s based on how bats navigate in a cave,” succinctly explained one of the researchers. The team developed a drone with a 360-degree rotatable scanner that sends ultrasound beams to the walls that could reflect pulse signals back to the sensor. This allows the team to accurately map the interiors of the steam rooms.

Replacing manual inspections with drones?

The team claims that with the use of the drone that they developed, inspections can be done within a day, instead of weeks or months. They added that since generators need not shut down during the “drone inspections”, the technology could increase power plant efficiency and save money.

Epilogue: Safety... everyone, everyday

Inspecting power plants, with the harsh environment inside the equipment and the dangerous procedures involved in the process, could pose serious risks to engineers and inspection professionals. In this light, all entities involved in the inspection of power stations should adopt an occupational health and safety (OH&S) policy to prevent injury and ill health to their workforce. All managers and supervisors should be responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained in approved work procedure and that they follow safe work methods and related regulations.

All stakeholders should be required to support the OH&S program of their companies, and health and safety should be a part of the daily routine of all staff members. 

OH&S is at the core of Altaaqa Global’s culture. To learn more: http://goo.gl/UxJgzb

To know more about the story: http://goo.gl/W0SL3g

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