In some of Malawi’s most remote health posts — where fewer than 4% of rural facilities are connected to the national grid — women once gave birth by candle or torchlight. In 2025, with solar-powered “suitcases” and larger photovoltaic systems, these solar clinics in Malawi can refrigerate vaccines, light delivery rooms at night and power vital diagnostics around the clock.

Bringing Light to Rural Clinics

Malawi still faces stark energy inequities: only 11% of the population has grid access (4% in rural areas) and 13% of public health care facilities have no electricity, while another 32% rely solely on unreliable diesel generators. Unreliable power severely hampers vaccine storage, nighttime deliveries and emergency care—contributing to one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios.

In August 2024, We Care Solar launched its Light Every Birth initiative in partnership with Malawi’s Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Momentum 1-Tiyeni Project. By mid-2025, teams had installed 800 solar suitcases — compact panels, batteries and LED lights — in rural clinics across all three regions and 28 districts. These units provide at least 12 hours of reliable light per night, power fetal monitors and charge mobile devices for telemedicine calls.

Complementing this, the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) Solar for Health programme has supplied and installed larger photovoltaic systems at secondary clinics and district hospitals. A 2020 feasibility study reported that 13% of Malawi’s 568 public health care facilities lacked electricity and another 32% depended on diesel, while only 21% had solar systems; UNDP estimates a full solar installation yields a 100% return on investment within 2 to 3.5 years through fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs.

Measurable Health Impacts

At more than 100 rural health centers, We Care Solar and the Judith Neilson Foundation support safer deliveries for at least 80,000 women annually. Midwives report that nighttime delivery complications have dropped by 60% since lights were installed and vaccine cold rooms maintain the required 2–8 °C range, reducing stock loss from 15% to under 1%.

A 2022 report by SolarAid and Mzuzu University found that 76% of off-grid solar systems in Malawian clinics fail within two years because of a lack of maintenance. Their joint pilot introduced local technician training and remote monitoring, achieving 90% system uptime after one year. Scaling this model, UNDP’s capacity-building component trains community-based technicians — 50% women — to install, maintain and repair both Solar Suitcases and larger photovoltaic (PV) arrays.

Sustainable Partnerships and Policy

In late 2023, Malawi’s Ministry of Health adopted a sustainability plan: by 2030, all public clinics will transition to hybrid solar–grid systems, with district health offices responsible for preventive maintenance. This aligns with the national target of 70% off-grid electrification by 2030.

International partners—USAID, UNDP, GIZ and the European Union (EU)—have coordinated through a technical working group to standardize equipment lists, set up long-term supplier agreements and develop an energy-as-a-service model that removes upfront costs for clinics. Community volunteer committees oversee solar equipment maintenance, ensuring that local voices guide the programme’s evolution.

A Model for Low-Income Regions

Off-grid solar clinics in Malawi reveal how decentralized renewable energy can transform health care in low-income settings. Indeed, by combining compact solar suitcases for basic lighting and power, larger photovoltaic systems for refrigeration and diagnostics and strong local capacity-building, clinics gain the reliability once thought impossible beyond the grid. As rural facilities report improved maternal outcomes, reduced vaccine spoilage and greater staff retention, this model offers a scalable blueprint for other countries with similar energy and health care challenges.

– Alexander Broermann

Alexander is based in Frankfurt, Germany and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr