Lauren Flanagan at the 2023 Clinton Global Initiative Press Briefing

Sesame Solar’s Co-founder and CEO Lauren Flanagan spoke at one of the press briefings at the 2023 Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September 2023. 

Sesame Solar was one of 140+ companies and nonprofits that declared their commitments to efforts in climate resilience, health equity and inclusive economic recovery and growth, including the launch of a humanitarian network as well as financial pledges in support of nonprofits working in Ukraine.Founded by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers dedicated to the idea that more can be accomplished together than we can apart.

The press briefing focused on some of the humanitarian work being done for Ukraine. In addition to Lauren, the other speakers in the panel were:

• Olga Rudneva, CEO of the Superhumans Center in Lviv Ukraine, a cutting edge hospital specializing in prosthetics, facial reconstruction and PTSD treatment for war injured individuals.
• Liev Schreiber, actor, director and writer, and the co-founder and board member of Bluecheck Ukraine. BlueCheck Ukraine identifies, vets, and fast-tracks urgent financial support to Ukrainian NGOs and aid initiatives providing life-saving and other critical humanitarian work on the front lines of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
• Mykola Kuleba, former Ombudsman for children with the President of Ukraine and the driving force behind Save Ukraine.

Sesame Solar has committed to donate four Mobile Nanogrids to Ukraine to provide off-grid renewable energy for disaster response and neonatal services. In Ukraine, three of the four Nanogrids can be customized to provide mobile power which can be used for disaster response, power outages, communications centers and more. The other Nanogrid will be designed as a mobile neonatal medical clinic, as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has created a challenging environment for expectant mothers and healthcare providers.

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Press Briefing Video and Transcript

Watch the video below and read the transcript of Lauren’s talk at the press briefing:

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00:06:45:14 – Lauren Flanagan

‍Hi, Lauren Flanagan, I’m co-founder and CEO of Sesame Solar and we are decarbonizing disaster response in off-grid power. We make Mobile Nanogrids that can be set up by one person in 15 minutes, and what’s a Nanogrid? It’s either in a shipping container like an ISO shipping container or a trailer.

‍It has a retractable solar array, has battery storage and green hydrogen. We also do atmospheric water generation. So this is a mobile power center. It could actually power your prosthetic making, leg making.

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00:07:19:26 – Olga Rudneva

‍We need to borrow, uh, sorry for interrupting. We need to borrow prosthetics itself because a lot of them need charging.

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00:07:26:06 – Lauren

‍That’s our job.

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00:07:27:21 – Lauren

‍Charges like your car, your whatever, your prosthetics. So it’s mobile power for devices, medical equipment, and also we generate water from air so we can have clean water, either distilled or we can make the water we need to make the green hydrogen. So it’s been my personal desire for as last year to try to get four of our Nanogrids into Ukraine.

‍One would be a mobile medical hub that would be maternal and neonatal care. So we have a lot of equipment, as you know, many hospitals have been damaged, a lot of maternity wards in hospitals have been destroyed and the others would be mobile power. We teamed up with another group, which is Direct Relief. It’s a large medical charity, and they have on the ground in Ukraine different nonprofits that they’ve been supplying medical equipment and supplies for the last-since the war began. Actually, they’re one of the largest private donors.

‍And so we’re using the CGI network to reach out, get out, let people know what we want to do to help get some donations so we can do this. We will donate a lot of it and do some of it at cost. These are expensive pieces of equipment, but they are energy independent. They can save lives and run indefinitely. And we would train and help everybody do it.

‍So we would put little mobile power plants in four different regions of Ukraine. So we’re excited about this because we know we’re going to help save some lives. Help people with rehabilitation needs, help them with power needs, you know, just any kind of humanitarian aid that can be done.

‍So this is very high tech stuff, right? But it’s something that is going to impact lives.

‍And we’re here to share this and see who wants to help us. You’re farther ahead. Much further ahead, you got your ambassador. But we’re looking for people who want to help us with this program to be successful in Ukraine. And that was my personal commitment that before the end of this year, we would do something and more.

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Sesame Solar’s Commitment to Ukraine‍

In conclusion, Sesame Solar's commitment to donate four Mobile Nanogrids to Ukraine represents a significant step towards addressing critical energy and healthcare needs in the region. These innovative Nanogrids, designed for off-grid renewable energy, will play a vital role in disaster response and neonatal services.

With three of the Nanogrids tailored for mobile power, they are versatile tools that can be deployed during emergencies, power outages, and even serve as communication centers, offering a lifeline to communities in distress. This adaptable solution promises to enhance the resilience of Ukraine's infrastructure and improve disaster response capabilities.

Notably, the fourth Nanogrid's transformation into a mobile neonatal medical clinic is a testament to Sesame Solar's dedication to addressing the unique challenges posed by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Expectant mothers and healthcare providers will benefit greatly from this initiative, as it offers a much-needed lifeline in a challenging environment.

Sesame Solar's commitment reflects a broader effort to support Ukraine in its path to recovery and resilience. It showcases the potential of renewable energy technology to make a positive impact on disaster response and healthcare services, demonstrating the power of innovation and humanitarian aid in times of crisis.

As these Nanogrids begin their journey to Ukraine, they carry with them the promise of brighter, more sustainable futures for the people affected by adversity, exemplifying the importance of global cooperation and innovative solutions in addressing pressing challenges.

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