By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Wed, 2009-02-25 11:26
On Lake Victoria in Kenya OSRAM has launched a unique project for producing light away from a permanent power supply. At a specially constructed solar station (OSRAM Energy Hub) the local people can recharge batteries for energy-saving lamps, luminaires and other electrical appliances, such as mobile phones, at low cost and without damaging the environment. Off Grid solutions are the way forward for developing and emerging countries that cannot afford to set up a permanent power supply network. The market is huge. 1.6 billion people throughout the world live without electricity.
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By Stefan Fassbinder / Published on Wed, 2008-06-04 18:00
Modern drinking water control cabinet solar powered following the routine of recent years which is normally more cost efficient than installing a long feeder
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Mon, 2007-11-05 08:00
Almost one third of the global population does not have access to electricity. It is predicted that this rate will reduce in the years to come, but also that the nominal amount will remain roughly the same - i.e. 1.5 - 2 billion people, the majority of them living in Africa and on the Indian peninsula.
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By Franklin Ossuetta / Published on Wed, 2007-09-19 18:00
A message from Nigeria: Franklin Ossuetta installed 1760 Watt solar power using 16 * 110 W panels. The system is backed up by 16 * 200 Ah-12V dc deep cycle batteries, and runs offgrid to power a television, lights, fans, refrigerator, water pump and other electronic home appliances.
The system was fully financed by the client - an obvious challenge. And it doesn't help that shipping, duty and clearing added 40% extra costs.
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Tue, 2007-08-14 07:00
The Lumina project, which is engaged in development of LED-lighting equipment, primarily for use in developing countries and in applications where people do not have access to conventional power, has studied the quality of White LEDs (WLED). The results are remarkable! In 26 batches studied, there is a huge variation in efficacy (Lumens/Watt) by a factor of 5! Even within the batches, there are enormous variations. So, quality management and assurance is of major importance for WLEDs before they can compete for any applications.
But that is not all!
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Mon, 2007-07-09 15:14
On the question if he would do anything differently if he could restart building his house, Kurt’s answer is clear: ‘I would have installed a larger PV system. Apart from that, I would do everything the same.’
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Fri, 2007-06-08 07:30
Two experiences of living without an electricity provider
The number of houses in the U.S.A. that are not connected to the electricity grid is growing steadily (see recent blog post). Their reasons for and methods of going off the grid vary considerably, as shown by the examples of Ben Hewitt and Mike Strizki.
The cheapest way of powering a remote dwelling
The energy system of Ben Hewitt’s house in rural Vermont more or less grew spontaneously. The parcel where he built his house was cheap, in part because it was not connected to the electricity grid. He started off with wood for heating, propane for cooking and hot water, and a diesel generator for electricity. Aiming to reduce his dependency on oil, six years later he installed 1.14 kW of photovoltaic (PV) cells, leaving the diesel generator in place as a back-up for dark, cloudy winter days. While 1.14 kW may seem inadequate, Hewitt has been able to reduce the electricity consumption of his 205 m2 house to 3 kWh a day. The average American household uses 29 kWh a day.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Wed, 2007-06-06 07:30
A growing numbers of U.S. homes off the grid
An estimated 180,000 homes in the U.S. provide their own electricity without connection to the distribution grid. Most of them rely on solar power, although a small percentage makes use of their own wind turbine.
This number is still very small when compared to the total number of homes in the U.S. and not yet of major significance for the power industry. However, it does show that going off-grid is technically feasible, and the number of homes making this choice is increasing by about one third each year.
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