R C Gold
School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Supervisor: Dr C E Oram
Background
Self-Sufficiency
In Uganda, 15% of the population
have access to electricity. Only 7% of
the rural population have access to
electricity. The introduction of
electricity into a remote rural village
like Bihondo is life changing for the
residents. The project, which began in
2009, has provided electricity to 3
different sites around the Rwenzori
Mountains in Western Uganda.
Bihondo is the biggest and fastest
growing scheme.
The project’s ultimate aim is to let the
local committee maintain, expand and
invest in the scheme completely
independently, and also pass on their
knowledge and experience to other
rural communities. After increasing the
power output of the Bihondo scheme,
the 2015 team carried out several
steps to ensure that the local
committee has the resources and
knowhow to be able to operate the
scheme more autonomously.
Map
Communicating with the
Bihondo residents
Using GPS technology, we have digitally mapped out Bihondo’s grid network,
which is useful for both future Warwick teams and for the local committee.
1) Ensure the residents UNDERSTAND our
explanations and plans.
2) RECORDED MEETINGS with as many local
committee members as possible.
3) Encourage committee to CONSULT
RESIDENTS before proposals are
accepted.
4) PHONE CALLS
5) LOCAL TECHNICALLY COMPETENT CONTACTS
Keep record of
connected buildings
and their usage
habits, thereby
ensuring bills are paid
correctly.
Measure distances
across grid to calculate
power losses and cost
of wires. The aim is to
upgrade from steel to
less resistive
aluminium wires.
Load Limiters
Godfathers
 2015 team spent time RESEARCHING into the behaviour of POSITIVE THERMAL COEFFICIENT DEVICES or ‘LOAD
 Reparations are common in a
LIMITERS’,
and went on to INSTALL the appropriate number in users’ homes.
 These small devices have intrinsic trip currents, meaning that the current passing through the
device causes the device to heat up to a point where it WILL NOT CONDUCT
electricity until it cools down again.
 This
users from connecting their own HIGH POWER DEVICES SUCH A TVS,
which have been known to cause POWER CUTS and adversely affect other
users’ power supplies.
PREVENTS
 The response of the residents to this solution was
POSITIVE,
particularly as
they had already been paying monthly fees per light bulb and yet others
were plugging in ‘unregistered’ devices for free.
Upgrade packages including load limiters
 We decided to sell upgrade packages
ON BEHALF OF THE COMMITTEE
including efficient 3W AND 5W LED BULBS along WITH LOAD LIMITERS to
residents who wanted to receive power. MONTHLY BILLS WILL CONTINUE
TO BE REINVESTED INTO REPARATIONS AND EXPANSION.
 We encouraged the local committee to
of the location,
number of bulbs, name and payment history of consumers, in
order to PROMOTE ORGANISATION AND CONSISTENCY going into the FUTURE,
where we expect the COMMITTEE WILL ACT INDEPENDENTLY.
KEEP RECORD
Monitor growth of grid
network and keep
track of reparations
and wire material
upgrades.
system of this scale, and the
ELECTRICAL POLES OFTEN NEED TO BE
due to WEATHER and
TERMITE DAMAGE.
REPLACED
 Previous teams have researched
better solutions, and concluded
that STEEL - REINFORCED CONCRETE
GODFATHERS (foundations for the
wooden poles) as pictured on the
right are the best relatively LOWCOST DURABLE solution.
 In our business plan, we agreed with the
committee that they cast and construct 1
GODFATHER EACH MONTH.
 This was a
part of the new
business plan in terms of self-sufficiency,
as it conflicts with the general MIND-SET
among the local community which
generally plans for the SHORT-TERM and fixes
things as they fail, due to LIMITED RESOURCES.
SIGNIFICANT