Former Kansas City firefighter Edward Collins was looking for a way to help his community through the coronavirus pandemic. "That public service side, I don't think it ever gets out of your blood," he says.
When he realized that vaccine freezers could only preserve their contents for as long as power sources stayed charged, Collins recognized an opportunity to help.
"We determined through WHO that currently 50% of all vaccines get thrown away worldwide due to improper temperature and handling," he explains.
Collins put together a team to develop a system for supplying reliable energy to freezers maintaining ultra-low temperatures.
The team ultimately designed freestanding units called Vaccine Pods, contraptions capable of using solar energy and wind energy to generate sufficient power for freezers contained within them.
Batteries to store the energy produced. Vaccine Pods also come with back-up generators.
Originally intending to serve remote areas within the United States, the company now anticipates market growth in Africa.
"The amount of vaccines that are actually reaching people's arms over there is almost nil." Collins notes. "They need a solution for the power problem."
- Edward Collins, Founder and CEO, Vaccine Pods
