Workshop Title:
Renewable Energy projects for Developing Countries
Target audience:
Students or professionals investigating opportunities in international development and renewable energy
(RE) applications.
Objectives:
Students will learn to:
1. Identify the information necessary for feasibility and design of a RE system in a rural community
2. Analyze and evaluate technical, social and financial feasibility & sustainability requirements of
a RE project in a developing country.
3. Estimate size and budget of an off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system for electrification or water
pumping, based on needs and site characteristics
4. Measure electrical characteristics and output of a PV panel and a small lighting system
5. Sketch wiring and/or piping diagrams for a PV lighting and/or pumping system
6. Calculate size and specifications of system components
7. Select components and vendors
Methods:
Presentation and discussion of community development issues with Green Empowerment Staff.
Case studies and slide shows of several actual projects: phases, roles, implementation.
Basic theoretical analysis of needs and resources for system sizing, group exercises based on actual projects,
hands-on measurements and wiring.
Course contents details - subject to adjustments depending on audience
Pre-workshop assignment: each student to find their own (or family/community) electricity
consumption.
Locate utility bill(s), find consumption in kWh per month over a year, calculate or evaluate basic
kWh/month with and without heating or A/C
Friday evening (3hrs): Introduction
Green Empowerment philosophy and methods;
Our network of partners and types of projects
Phases of a project development
Assessing whether a community is ready/suitable for a project
Case studies showing timeline, partner roles, implementation challenges:
A) Solar water pumping for a village in the Philippines
B) Workshop in Ecuador to foster cooperation between village technicians and utilities engineers on
solar home systems installed in villages
Saturday (8hrs): small off-grid Solar Photovoltaic systems for community buildings
1. PV Theory and Design
Review of electricity & energy basics
Basic Principles of PV & off-grid PV systems
Hands-on lab: testing a PV panel: Voc, Isc
The Solar resource & weather data
PV system Design process steps: demand vs. resource
Significant Design variables/ main components
Design/data aids: RETscreen software, NASA data
Sizing exercise in small groups + general debrief
2. System components & selection criteria
Solar Panels
Charge Controllers & Batteries,
Inverters, Lights and A/V
Usability
3. Installation (depth of details depending on audience)
The importance of installation
Wire sizing, termination and protection
Series and Parallel circuits
Overcurrent protection
Solar panel supports and grounding
Hands-on lab(s): wiring a small PV system
4. Community center Design considerations:
Use of AC and inverters,
Operators training
On-going costs & tariffs. Various financial management options
Slide show on various installations
5. Overview of other types of PV applications in developing world communities
Clinics, communications, water pumping, etc.
As time allows
6. Why & how PV Systems Fail
Technical Reasons for failure
Community Reasons for failure
User education & empowerment!
Slide show on real world installations after a few years
Sunday (8hrs) Water Pumping Systems – Solar and ram pumps
1. Introduction
Comparing Water distribution systems: gravity, ram pumps, diesel, wind (1 slide)
What is a ram pump (show miniature)
2. Pumping System components and sizing variables
Typical system diagram & Description of the Components
Example diagrams of real installations: Solar and ram pumps, gravity distribution
Sizing Steps: Important terms and units
Depth & lift: static vs dynamic – head losses
3. Technical feasibility and sizing:
Determining Resources, solar & water
Approx. Sizing of pump & tank
Efficiencies - assumption vs. real systems quotes.
1st pass PV array sizing
Ram Pump system formulas
4. Requesting quotes from vendors
SPS feasibility exercise in small groups + debrief - 1 hour or less
Include multiple problem statements – different for each group, preferably some that are feasible for
SPS and some that are not.
Report/compare results & debrief
Optional:
Demo of a vendor system selection software
Ram Pump video clip
Slide show on various GE installations
Cost estimates, SPS project Budget overview
Solar options: trackers, batteries - when are they appropriate (verbal)