The solar power system saved my life

The solar power system saved my life

Part of solar power’s allure is the ease with which one can get electricity out of ‘simple’ hardware in very complex moments. In southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean we’re seeing solar power – right now – offering huge services to people in trying times.

In Myanmar, fleeing Rohingya are carrying one key asset: solar panels. Over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled on foot from Myanmar to Bangladesh due to religious persecution. The trip, which lasts 5 to 15 days on rugged terrain, was complicated by Myanmar’s military patrols.

Ayatullah, an 18-year-old refugee from Myanmar’s Mongdu township explained why he took only clothing and a solar panel:

This solar panel saved my life. They were killing everyone they came across. We had to depend on information from our people about the safe route, and a mobile phone was needed for that. This solar panel helped us to charge the mobile phone. I thought even if I could not take anything, I must take the solar panel.

The panels are about the size of a laptop and come with a battery and a small light. Refugees said that a 20 watt solar panel kit in Myanmar – about $15 – was about 1/10th the what the cost was in Bangladesh. The cost differential was said to be a clear motivation to carry the panel versus getting a new one upon arrival.

Multiple refugee camps managed by the United Nations have installed larger sized solar installations to take care of longer term populations.

Jordan recently completed installation of the largest solar plant at a refugee camp – a 12.9MW plant at the Zaatari refugee camp. The project, on the border of Syria and Jordan, was funded by the German government and saves the United Nation Refugee Agency $5.5 million a year. The camp of 80,000 Syrians  will get electricity from the solar panels for up to 14 hours a day.

A camp in Dadaab, Kenya has installed 278 solar panels that are being used to pump 280,000 liters of water per day.

We’ve seen hurricanes cause major complexities in North America. When hurricanes hit Florida and Texas, the utilities were able to react quickly. However, Puerto Rico has not fared so well – and again – solar power has stepped up.

Tesla has also been busy in Puerto Rico – but instead has focused on getting facilities up and running by combining solar power with Tesla’s energy storage solutions in creative solutions. Below you see solar panels lain on the ground and Powerpacks deployed on trailers.

The purpose of writing this article is to show how solar power is having an affect on more than just western lifestyles and upgrades to our homes, but that its importance has grown in far more areas.

Before we even consider the climate benefit in lowering the amounts of CO2 being produced, or the health benefits in that we’re not putting things in the air that we later breathe in, or the economic benefits in that the price of energy is coming down – we have the security benefit being delivered to these high risk groups.

The solar power system saved my life

Solar Irrigation Pump To Boost Farming

Solar Irrigation Pump To Boost Farming

Solar Irrigation Pump To Boost Farming

A solar-powered irrigation pump has been launched to help smallholder farmers in the country to undertake an all-year-round agriculture to ensure food security as well as increase their incomes.

The Solar Irrigation Pump is a robust but portable facility designed to be light enough for farmers to conveniently move around the farm while irrigating their crops.

The product is designed to liberate the farmer from the high cost associated with maintaining engine-powered irrigation pumps while also providing an alternative source for environmentally friendly agricultural practice.

The Solar Irrigation Pump had the potential to help the country to double her yearly agricultural yield to be able to guarantee her food security and feed the rest of the world.

Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, Northern Regional Coordinating Director said the Solar Irrigation Pump was in line with government's 'One Village, One Dam' initiative to ensure an all-year-round agricultural production

Solar Irrigation Pump To Boost Farming

New policy of solar powered pumps being formulated

New policy of solar powered pumps being formulated

NEW DELHI,

The government is in the process of formulating a new scheme for solar pumps to promote standalone solar off-grid pumps with an objective of replacing existing diesel pump sets.

The meeting focused on the functioning of NHPC and implementation of the Solar Rooftop Programme and the Solar Pumps Programme.

Speaking at the meeting, Miniser of State (Independent Charge) for Power and Renewable Energy, RK Singh said that Hydro projects have relatively longer useful plant life and help in providing inexpensive power in long term and is ideal for meeting peaking load and as a spinning reserve.

Also the event, Chairman and Managing Director at NHPC Limited, Balraj Joshi, said that they are closer to completing 14,000.5 MW of hydro, solar and thermal projects.

An official statement said that out of these, 3 hydro projects with a capacity of 3130 MW and one solar project of 50 MW in Tamil Nadu are under construction. One hydro project of 1000 MW of a JV Company, CVPPL, has got clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and re-tendering is under finalisation.

This is in addition to commissioning of 22 projects of 6691.2 MW (including joint ventures), and 14 projects of 9167.5 MW are at various stages of clearances for their implementation.

Six hydro projects of 553 MW are in the pipeline for preparation of feasibility report and another 3 hydro projects of 805 MW are on anvil.

New policy of solar powered pumps being formulated

Solar poweredd water pump help pump well water to 80 homes in Samail

Solar poweredd water pump help pump well water to 80 homes in Samail

Solar poweredd water pump help pump well water to 80 homes in Samail

For the first time in the sultanate, solar energy is being harnessed to pump water from a well that will supply water to 80 homes in Samail in Dakhliyah governorate. Eng Abdullah bin Hamoud al Husseini, head of the operation department at the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) in Samail said, “We used solar energy for the first time to operate a well in Wadi Sijani in Samail because the well location does not have access to electricity supply points.”

The technology will help 80 homes in Al Sinsila and Wadi Sijani. “The solar water pumping system will pump water from the wells and provide abundant water to these houses,” said Husseini. He said the authority has installed 40 solar panels.

“We have installed 40 solar panels with a productive capacity of 10kWh which will help produce 2,200 gallons of water per hour. Water is pumped into the tanks of Wadi Sijani. A diesel generator has also been installed in case the panels stop working. The system was installed in six weeks.”

More info:Solar poweredd water pump help pump well water to 80 homes in Samail

Ranson Elementary set up Solar Water Pumo to plants a garden

Ranson Elementary set up Solar Water Pumo to plants a garden

Ranson Elementary set up Solar Water Pumo to plants a garden

Kindergarten students at Ranson Elementary School planted vegetables in a garden on school property with a little help from Engineers Without Borders co-founder Roger Either and his“Lil Sprout” solar water pump.

“We’re going to plant lettuce. On Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday when you come here and look you’ll see little shoots coming out,” Either said to a group of students during the demonstration.

“I am going to make my garden so it faces south. The most sun will get on your garden as the sun goes from the east to west. We need water and we’re going to use the sun to make a pump (send) water and then we’re going to water each row,” Either said.

The children helped plant and water the new crop. “That’s what we’re trying to do and get the kids kind of excited about gardening and nutrition,” Shepherd University SNAP ED program Assistant Director Emma Barr said. She was on hand to help teach children about healthy eating choices.

After making the rows for planting in the large raised garden bed and planting the seeds, the solar pump was set up.

“We are using solar to pump this water,” Either said.

“There’s no better way than having the kids involved from planting it to harvesting it, to eating it,”Teacher and school coordinator for wellness committee chair Ann Miller said.

It was Miller’s idea to bring the program into the school. An area was selected and raised beds were installed. Now she says she has even bigger plans. “We’re going to expand the garden. This is permanent. We have two more rectangular gardens coming by spring and SNAP is offering to help us to purchase more,” Miller said.

The U.S. Department of Agricutlure, which funds part of Barr’s work, has information about benefits of better education on food choices. “They can do this at home. We’re trying to get the kids excited about gardening so then they go home and say ‘we tried a tomato at school today. Can we grow these at home?’ We (teach) nutrition and things with them as well using Shepherd University students,” Barr said.

“A lot of the parents I talked to didn’t know that you use SNAP dollars at farmer’s markets and you can actually double your SNAP dollars,” Barr said. “Growing your own food and being able to do that in your own apartment, eventually saving your seeds and just becoming self-sustaining,”Barr added as ad possible plan for families.

The garden will offer many benefits to not only students but also their families. “That’s our goal and it’s also our goal that in the summer, when we are doing this, we will actually be able to provide some fresh vegetables for our families to come in here, pick, and take home,” Miller said.

Ranson Elementary set up Solar Water Pumo to plants a garden

Farmers become solar power water pump for irrigation.

Farmers become solar power water pump for irrigation.

International Water Management Institute(IWMI) managed to fund a pilot project with a view to promote the use of solar power for irrigation purposes. The project which was initiated in Dhundi village in Anand district some two years ago, with a team of six farmers has now managed to generate one lakh kWH of power, some 45% of which they use for irrigation purposes.

The six farmers formed a cooperative and later adopted using of solar irrigation pump, as part of the project. According to water expert of IWMI, Dr Tushar Shah, the pumps have a unique capability to pool and inject surplus solar power to electricity grid, and therefore, farmers earn Rs 4.63 for every sold unit.

The connection of the pumps to state electricity grid has therefore proven to be a major incentive for the farmers. Till date, these pumps have generated nearly one lakh kWH of green energy of which 43,897 kWH was used for irrigation. Therefore, the cooperative injected more than 52,000 kWh of green energy into the grid and generated an income of around Rs 4 lakh from sale of surplus solar power.

"This not only saved the government Rs 2 lakh in farm power subsidy but also expanded irrigation availability and access in the village by bringing down water prices to half; and contributed as much as 65 per cent to the annual income of its members," he added.

Some Rs 46 lakh worth of funds were facilitated by IWMI for the project while the rest of the amount was invested by the farmers who participated. By now, they have also recovered the amount they have invested by trading power and saving on other costs.

More info Farmers become solar power water pump for irrigation