In countries prone to blackouts from extreme weather events (and in some cases solar flares) battery backups could provide a viable alternative to keep the medical support systems for vulnerable family members functioning. As climate change is set to increase the frequency and severity of weather-related blackouts, a study from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health examined the value of battery backups.
Millions of people are reliant on home medical equipment – the elderly, ill people, many of whom are poor or otherwise vulnerable. Medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, nebulisers, ventilators, and dialysis and sleep apnoea machines often have no backup power in case of an outage.
In a 2019 wildfire which caused power outages, many vulnerable residents reported complications, such as one man who awoke, unable to breathe when his sleep apnoea breathing machine stopped functioning.
Community centres such as schools are often turned to for services when power fails, such as using their refrigerators to store food, but many do not have backup power.
“Climate change coupled with aging energy infrastructure is driving extreme weather-related power outages, as we’ve seen recently in Texas,” said study co-author Diana Hernández, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, “The technology to improve resiliency and energy independence exists, and it needs to be made more accessible to those who could most benefit. Battery storage units, particularly those powered by the sun, are a critical tool to help vulnerable individuals and communities survive the climate crisis.”
In the US territory of Puerto Rico, following the widespread destruction of the electrical grid by Hurricane Maria, many residents used solar panels instead of diesel generators due to ease of use, low cost, and not emitting fumes that exacerbate asthma and other lung conditions
A review of literature showed that blackouts can result in negative health consequences ranging from carbon monoxide poisoning, temperature-related illness, gastrointestinal illness, and mortality to cardiovascular, respiratory, and hospitalisations for kidney disease, especially for individuals dependent on electrically powered medical equipment.
Beyond electrical backup, in the US, older adults, poorer families, and individuals of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic race/ethnicity are also less likely to have emergency supplies of food, water and medicine in the event of disaster.
Overall, the researchers found that more work is needed to better define and capture the relevant exposures and outcomes. “There is urgent need for data to inform disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response policies (and budgets) in an increasingly energy-reliant world,” said first author Joan Casey, PhD, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Mailman School.
Eskom in South Africa is already facing a shortfall due to users abandoning its services for solar power generation, forcing tariff changes and increases. An uptake of battery backups to complement the solar panels may greatly alleviate vulnerabilities of people dependent on medical equipment in an uncertain power supply environment, as well as improving resilience to natural disasters, without the health hazards of generators.
Source: News-Medical.Net
Journal information: Mango, M., et al. (2021) Resilient Power: Battery storage as a home-based solution to address climate-related power outages for medically vulnerable populations. Futures. doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2021.102707.
