issa kassimu: solar power radio transmission - a case study from south sudan
Post on 21-Feb-2017
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Solar Powered Transmission: A Case Study from South Sudan
Issa Kassimu
Internews / The Radio Community
Power problems in South Sudan
• Rely on Generator power
• Total installed grid capacity is about 26.8 MW
• 90% of the Population has no access to power
Why Solar?
• Sun is free! (Feasible)
• Easy to maintain and run the setup
• I use a solar system at home
Why didn’t we use Solar before?
• Previous trials didn’t work
• Poor system design
• Upfront cost
• Managers concerned it wouldn’t work
Voice of Freedom, Magwi(6KW)
Community Needs Initiative, Nimule (2KW)
Internews Abyei service, Agok(1.5KW)
Halfway there – hybrid projects
Off-grid Solar - The Turalei Project
• Trial hybrid projects were successful
• Batteries donated
• Got the go ahead for full solar!
Turalei Off-grid solar project
• Mayardit FM
• Broadcast 8 hours per day
using 2kW transmitter (r-100km)
• Fighting not directly affected the area
• Had enough space for the panels
Turalei Off-grid solar project
• Move the station from generator power to 100% solar using the 21KW solar power installed.
• Increase the hours on air from 8 to 16hrs per day
• Reduce annual running costs
• Make it user friendly and easy to maintain
Turalei project
• On air since April
• NO DOWNTIME!
• Reduced annual running costs from $22,100 to $2,100 (estimate)
Turalei project
• Upfront cost is much higher.
• We think it will break even after 5 years and bring significant savings after that (designed to last 15-25 years).
Would it work here?(UK)
• If it works in South Sudan, it will work anywhere!
• It’s all about the system design.(Hybrid or Off-grid)
• The tilt angle and system size may vary due to different latitudes and panel generation factor
Solar design & sizing for TechCon FM
• London on air 24/7
• 2 studios each with a load of 300 Watts
• An office with 10 laptops - 65 watts each
• 600 Watts transmitter
• 350 watts kettle with an estimate usage of 4 hours a day
TechCon FM
• Calculate the total watt hour load per day
• Calculate the required solar panels
• Calculate the number of batteries / charge controllers / inverters
• Calculate the cost
Calculating Watt-Hours
Electrical power estimation sheet for TechCon FM based on 24 hours operational time
S/No. ApplianceQuantit
yWattage
(W)
Hours from 6am-
6pm
Hours from
6pm-6am
Hours per day
Days per
week
Watt hours/da
y
1Studios 2 300 12 12 24 7 14400
2Laptops 10 65 12 0 12 7 7800
3Transmitter 1 600 12 12 24 7 14400
4Kittle 1 350 3 1 4 7 1400
Totals 1315 38000
Calculating the Solar panels, Inverters, batteries and charge controllers
The Solar PV System Sizing Summary
Total Power consumption (Watts)
Total Watt-hours per day used by all appliances
Energy lost in the system
Total Watt-hours per day needed from PV modules
Panel generation factor for South Sudan
Total Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules
Rated output Watt-peak of each PV module available
Number of PV panels required
1315 38000 1.3 49400 2.61 18927 250 76
The Inverter Sizing
Total Power consumption (Watts)
Inverter safety requirement
Required Inverter power out put
The available rated Inverter to be used
Number of Inverters required
1315 1.3 1709.5 2000 1
The Battery Sizing
Total Watt-hours per day used by all appliances
Required Battery lossRequired depth of discharge
Nominal voltage of the available battery
Days of autonomyTotal Ampere-hours capacity required(Ah)
Available battery Ah capacity
Number of batteries required (pcs)
38000 0.85 0.6 2 3 111765 1643 68
Solar charge controller sizing
Number of PV panels required
PV module specification-Isc
Energy lost in the system
Total Current (Isc-Amperes) from all the PV modules
Each available Solar Charge controller rating-Amperes
Number of Charge controllers required
74 8.8 1.3 847 80 11
Summary of TechCon FM solar design
• 76 pcs of 250Wp solar panels
• 1 pc of 2000W Inverter
• 68pcs of 2V - 1643Ah solar batteries
• 11pcs of 80A charge controllers
• Other wiring accessories.
Frequently Asked Questions?
• Can it work when there is no sun (like the UK)?
• Does it work in the dark?
• What if it rains?
• How long does it take to charge the batteries?
Report launch
• Internews has written a report on the solar project
• Launching today!
• It will be available at internews.org/research-publications/solar-powered-transmission (and we’ll send to you automatically in a few days).
Future dreams
• See more (well-designed) solar systems
• Develop hydro power for South Sudan (Nile)
• Wind?
Future dreams
• Manufacturers – design equipment which is:
- low power
- dual AC/DC inputs (no more inverters!)
Summary
• You can use a well designed and installed solar power to run a radio station
• It works in all countries
• You can do hybrid systems or grid tie
• Upfront cost is higher, but the annual running costs are low
• Give it a try!
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