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Coronavirus: Solar fridge firm set for role in Covid-19 fight
Jun 4, 2020
A firm that produces solar-powered fridges to keep vaccines cool in the world's most remote outposts could play a key role in fighting coronavirus.
Dulas has been working with global vaccine alliance Gavi, exporting its products to Africa, Asia and South America.
The technology is essential to keep vaccines preserved in places with unreliable power supplies.
For them to work they must be kept between two and eight degrees Celsius.
This is also likely to be the case for any future Covid-19 vaccine.
Ruth Chapman, managing director of Dulas, which is based in Machynlleth, Powys, said: "During the day solar panels generate the power needed to keep the fridge at the right temperature and the vaccines viable.
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"The solar panels also freeze packs of a special liquid that keep the fridges at the correct temperature during the night."
The fridges shifted from being battery to solar powered "around 2015".
"They go to really remote locations, sometimes carried on people's backs for a couple of hours, to meet the needs of a remote health centre for example in very tropical conditions," Ms Chapman said.
Image copyright Dulas Image caption The company has been building vaccine fridges for more than 30 years
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