On August 13th, 2024, Oliver Schmid, a third-year PhD candidate from Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA), made made quite an impression at the 16th IIR-Gustav Lorentzen Conference on natural refrigerants.
As the Technical Project Coordinator of the SophiA project, Schmid delivered a 20-minute presentation titled “SophiA: Sustainable Off-Grid Solutions for Pharmacies and Hospitals in Africa – Laboratory and Field Test Data of Three Stage Cascade System with CTES“.
During his talk, Oliver Schmid provided an in-depth overview of the SophiA project, which aims to deliver sustainable energy solutions to healthcare facilities in Africa. He highlighted key project developments, including the first demonstration site in Burkina Faso, and upcoming plans for installations in Cameroon, Malawi, and Uganda. He focused on the three-stage cascade system with Cold Thermal Energy Storage (CTES), presenting laboratory and field test data that underscored the effectiveness of the project’s approach in delivering off-grid cooling solutions for critical healthcare infrastructure.
In a separate workshop during the conference, Oliver Schmid also participated in a session on decarbonisation titled “Decarbonization through Adapting Low-GWP Refrigerants in the SophiA Project“. This session explored the role of low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants in the SophiA project and highlighted their potential in reducing the carbon footprint of cooling systems. Schmid also presented sister projects, INDEE+ and ENOUGH, which are similarly focused on sustainability and energy efficiency.
The SophiA project, along with these sister initiatives, is part of a broader effort to enhance energy efficiency in off-grid healthcare settings, using advanced cooling technologies and sustainable refrigerants. Schmid’s contributions at the conference underscored the importance of these initiatives in tackling the dual challenges of energy access and climate change.
The IIR-Gustav Lorentzen conference remains a leading platform for discussions on natural refrigerants and their role in sustainable cooling solutions, with the SophiA project standing at the forefront of efforts to provide reliable and eco-friendly solutions for Africa’s healthcare sector.
