Newdigit, a Lagos-based clean energy company, is transforming healthcare in Nigeria with its modular Just Add Water system, which delivers reliable electricity, medical-grade oxygen, and clean water to hospitals. Supported by the Powering Healthcare Innovation Fund, the technology integrates solar power with Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology, enabling hospitals to generate their own energy and essential medical supplies, while also offering applications for agriculture and other industries.
Many Nigerian hospitals face frequent grid outages of 8–10 hours daily and rely on polluting diesel generators as backup. According to Derick Nwasor, Newdigit’s co-founder and CEO, Just Add Water provides a sustainable solution that powers critical hospital equipment, produces life-saving oxygen onsite, and recovers clean water, improving overall healthcare delivery.
The system works by combining a PEM electrolyzer, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, with a PEM fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity, all powered by a solar array. This setup provides 12–15 kW of continuous clean electricity, 10–40 litres per day of medical-grade oxygen, and clean water as a by-product. Its plug-and-play design enables rapid installation and easy scaling for additional facilities.
Currently, Newdigit’s systems are installed in three hospitals across Lagos, serving over 24,000 patients annually. In its first year, the technology is expected to generate approximately 274 MWh of clean electricity and prevent more than 150 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Hospital staff and local technicians are being trained to operate and maintain the systems, ensuring sustainability and local ownership.
Joy Princess, Newdigit’s COO, stated that the company aims to expand its reach to at least 1,000 hospitals across Nigeria by 2030, improving healthcare outcomes for millions of patients every year.
This project is part of the Powering Healthcare Innovation Fund, launched by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) with support from UK aid through the Transforming Energy Access initiative. Newdigit was one of three grantees selected from 84 applicants, receiving a USD 50,000 grant to implement its clean energy and oxygen system. Charlie Knight, SEforALL’s Senior Energy Officer, highlighted that the project demonstrates how renewable energy and innovation can simultaneously address electricity, oxygen, and water needs, strengthening resilient health systems across Africa.
