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Meekatharra and Hambantota are two remote villages in Western Australia and Sri Lanka.
The goal of the team was to choose the best from two alternative energy projects, geothermal
energy and solar and design a system such that the two villages would be energy sufficient for
their basic electricity needs (lighting, fan, radio). We decided to design a cost effective simple
solar system as our primary system to which users could add solar panels and batteries if they
want to upgrade.(refer Table 2)
The team opted to choose solar energy, as when compared to geothermal energy the benefits
of solar we saw were,
Availability of high intensity Sunlight in both locations for most of the year.
Cheaper Maintaining costs and less technologically demanding
Doesn't take additional space or expensive equipment to produce energy(besides the
panel)
Doesn't emit harmful gases like in geothermal plants
Setting up costs are relatively cheaper
This project benefits the two villages in two ways. First, this system will lower the total
energy usage from the grid which also leads to a smaller carbon footprint. Second, this system
will have an educational display to teach visitors about solar energy. The display will show
visitors how solar energy is harvested and used, the many different applications of solar
energy and how cost effective the system can be. They could be used as model villages to
help make other villages around it energy sufficient and sustainable as well.
Solar panel:- This is the basic component as it is required to capture the solar energy from the
sun. Panels are always rated according to their rated power output. This rating gives us the the
amount of power the solar panel would be expected to produce in 1peak sun hour. We took
into account the peak sun hours of our specified locations which is mentioned later in our
report. When the panels are wired in series increase in voltage occurs while if connected in
parallel increase in current occurs.
Solar Regulator:- During our research we also learnt that total power output increases
increase in intensity and also decrease in temperature. To avoid overcharging, we put Solar
Regulator which ground’s all the extra voltage and current generated which is outside the
battery feed range. It also prevents from back feeding in the solar panel at night and prevent
battery from flattening. Not only this it act as cut-off when battery is fully charged. Solar
panels are rated by the amount of current they can receive from the solar panel.
Inverter:- This is a device which converts DC(Direct Current) to AC(Alternate Current).
Solar panels generate electricity in DC form. We prefer a pure sine wave inverter because
they supply power that is identical to the power from grid. Inverters are generally rated by the
amount of AC power they can supply continuously.
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Deep Cycle Solar Battery:- The power captured by solar panels has to be stored somewhere
to be utilized throughout the day. Deep cycle solar battery is the best option for this as they
are designed to discharge over a long period of time and can be recharged many times.To
ensure long battery life, batteries should not be discharged below 80% of their capacity. Also
its capacity is selected to have 2 to 3 days backup. (Solar System Basics)
Methods of Investigation
For a solar project to be feasible there has to be sufficient solar intensity for most part
of the year. So the first task of the team was to investigate on the average solar
intensities of the two selected locations. (refer Appendix B1)
Research was also carried out to determine which months had the lowest solar
intensity as we had to design a system that could be used even when there was little
sunlight. (refer Appendix B2 )
Research was also carried out on the Average monthly temperatures of the two
selected locations to plot a graphs of heat loss through a glazed window if the users
wanted to use Air Conditioning/ Heating. (refer Appendix D & E)
We also investigated the basic requirements each village needed and customised the
design to suit each village individually.
The team also decided to do some research on the spending power and the financial
support provided by the Govt. to the residents of the villages.
Let us assume that inverter efficiency is 70%. - Therefore required energy is 3115Wh/day
We assumed that at our both places receive peak sunlight for 5 hours.
Required solar panel input = (3115Wh / 5h) = 623W
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4. Select Solar Regulators
The rated short circuit current of the 225W solar panels is 5.87A each, giving a total of
17.61A.
We selected a solar regulator that is more than capable of handling the total short circuit
current: 17.61 x 1.25 = 22.0125A.
5. Select Inverter
Research showed that inverter that is more than capable of supplying the maximum
anticipated combined AC load is required. In this example, maximum load would occur if
both the Fluorescent Lights and fan were running at the same time. Load in this case would
be 36W + 100W = 136W.
Redarc 12v or 24v 350W Pure Sine Wave Inverter priced at AUD 430 is used.
Note: A pure sinewave inverter is the preferred choice, but if the budget is tight, a modified
sine wave unit could be used.
6. Select Battery
Battery was selected on the basis that it would be capable of supplying the total power usage
without being discharged more than 80%.
In most cases it is recommended that the batteries are sized such that they have around 3 to 4
days back-up capacity. This allows for days with low sunlight and reduces the daily depth of
discharge resulting in longer battery life.
Note: The 1.1 is used in this formula as batteries are generally only about 90% efficient.
Rebate program was offered by the government(Solar Homes and Communities Plan)-
up to AUD$8000
On 8 June 2009, this program was phased out, to be replaced by the Solar Credits
Program, where an installation of a solar system would receive 5 times as many
Renewable Energy Certificates for the first 1.5 kilowatts of capacity under the
Renewable Energy Target.
Shut down rebates in 2004 to start a new program(credit program).
School program-Schools can apply till AUD$50 000 for the installations of 2Kw solar
panels.
Water heating is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from the
average Australian home, accounting for around 23 per cent of household emissions.
Installing a climate friendly hot water system can save a family hundreds of dollars off
their energy bills each year.
Feed in tariffs-by a number of factors including the price paid, whether it is on a net or
gross basis, the length of time for which the scheme is guaranteed, the maximum size
of installation allowed to benefit, the type of customer allowed to participate.
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Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Govt. doesn’t directly offer any grants or give any rebates.
The World Bank and ADB have given grants to help harness solar energy in Sri Lanka
The Japanese, Chinese and Korean Govt. have taken keen interest in providing solar
energy to Sri Lanka by providing Funds
Financial Institutions like banks have got together and provide technical and financial
guarantees for energy efficiency improvement projects called SUSTAINABLE
GUARANTEE FACILITY (SGF)
The Solar Electric Light Fund has supported solar rural electrification in Sri Lanka
since 1991 through two non-profit organizations. It helped launch SoLanka
Associates, a service-oriented, non-profit organization and also the NGO Sarvodaya
Shramadana Movement who are devoted to the promotion of solar photovoltaics in Sri
Lanka.
Conclusion
The research on solar energy and the requirements by two different communities showed us
many important points that we could use to refine our design further. The main conclusion
that we derived was that implementing a solar system in any community is very costly.
Besides that we also could conclude that
Quantity of solar energy harnessed depends mainly on Solar Intensity and Air
Temperature.
The Solar panels should be designed to have a minimum output to that required for the
application.
Solar Batteries should be designed so that they have backup for around 2-3 days.
The remaining Solar energy can be transmitted to the national grid or has to be ground
if not connected to the grid.
Australian Govt. offers many grants that encourages the people to use solar power.
The Sri Lankan people have to depend on loans from financial institutions or non-
profit organisations to implement solar systems in their houses
Therefore the final conclusion we can come to is that the use of solar energy in rural villages
is a viable option compared to using the grid. But for it to be implemented the people of those
areas need to be given sufficient funds and equipment. If the funds can be provided the use of
solar energy for electric needs could be highly recommended as it is a sustainable way of
harnessing energy from the sunlight we are provided.
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Recommendations for further work:
It can be clearly seen that cost is one of the main factors that determine the feasibility of a
solar energy project. Therefore we found out that research needs to be carried out in certain
areas to reduce costs.
Solar cell efficiency is a major factor that needs to be looked into. Presently cells are
performing at the mid teens in terms of efficiency. Cells that give better performance have
been produced (Appendix C) but due to high production costs they are not used that much.
More research should be carried out on more efficient cell designs.
When observing the temperature patterns of Meekatharra throughout the year it can be seen
that there are major fluctuations. (appendix E) During the winter season due to the
requirement of heating the use of solar energy alone cannot fulfil the power requirement.
Therefore research should be carried out on using a supplementary power source such as wind
energy to meet the energy needs.
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References
Average Temperatures, Hambantota, Viewed Oct 12th 2010, http://www.weather-and-
climate.com/average-monthly-min-max-Temperature,Hambantota,Sri-Lanka
Feed-in tariff for grid-connected solar power systems, Viewed Oct 8th 2010,
<http://www.energymatters.com.au/government-rebates/feedintariff.php>
Solar Electric Light Fund, Projects, Viewed 10th Oct 2010, http://www.self.org/sri.asp
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Appendix A – Calculation for Advanced Solar Panel
1)Load Calculations:
Total = Wh/day
Let us assume that inverter efficiency is 70%. - Therefore required energy is 4105Wh/day
We assumed that at our both places receive peak sunlight for 5 hours.
Therefore Steca PR3030 30A Solar Regulator is selected. Cost is around AU$270. The
reason to choose a bigger range is that solar panels can exceed their rated output in particular
cool sunny conditions.
5. Select Inverter
Research showed that inverter that is more than capable of supplying the maximum
anticipated combined AC load is required. In this example, maximum load would occur if
both the Fluorescent Lights and fan were running at the same time. Load in this case would
be 1803W.
Redarc 24v 2000W Pure Sine Wave InverterNote: A pure sinewave inverter is the
preferred choice, but if the budget is tight, a modified sine wave unit could be used.
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Cost - $2202
6. Select Battery
Battery was selected on the basis that it would be capable of supplying the total power usage
without being discharged more than 80%.
In most cases it is recommended that the batteries are sized such that they have around 3 to 4
days back-up capacity. This allows for days with low sunlight and reduces the daily depth of
discharge resulting in longer battery life.
Cost:$5109
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Appendix B2 – Solar Radiation for Hambantota and Meekatharra
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Appendix C – Solar Cell Efficiencies
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Appendix D – Heat Loss through a 15 m2 Glazed Window (U = 6.3 W/m2.C)
500
Avg. Monthly heat loss variation
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
-500
-1000
-1500
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Avg. Monthly heat transfer from outside to inside the room
- Hambantota
350
300
250
Avg. Monthly heat loss variation
200
150
100
50
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Appendix E
30
25
20 Meekathara
15
10
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Avg. Monthly temp. variation in Hambantota
28.5
28
27.5
27
26.5 Avg. Monthly temp. variation in
Hambantota
26
25.5
25
24.5
24
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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