Transcript Bringing Power to the People - New Mexico State University

Bringing Power to the People
A solution for bringing electricity to
remote locations.
10,000 Homes without electricity.
• Current means for alternatives
– Refrigeration
• Ice box
– Nearest ice supply 30 miles away.
– Gasoline Generators for Electricity
• Expensive ( $0.75/kilowatt-hour), Noisy, Emissions, Relatively low
efficiency.
– Heating
• Firewood, Kerosene Heaters
– Kerosene is not a clean burning fuel, and can be a fire hazard.
– Lighting
• Kerosene lamps, Candles, Fire
– Not bright enough, toxic emissions, fire hazards.
Do Nothing
• Imagine living without electricity in the 21st
century.
– No lights
– No internet
– No appliances
– Current means of electricity generation are
expensive and alternatives are efficient or
safe.
Put in Power Lines
Cost of Power Lines
• It costs $500,000-$3,000,000/mile to bury cable,
depending on soil conditions and other factors.
• It costs $120,000/mile to install overhead power
lines.
• Some houses on the reservation are not near
any other houses. The cost of running power
lines to one house or even a group of houses
that are isolated by miles of open space gets
expensive very quickly.
• Overhead power lines are not visually appealing
and buried power lines lead to soil disruption
and erosion.
Build a Wind Farm
Wind in NM at 50 meters
Build a Power Plant
• Very Expensive
• Does not eliminate the
cost of a grid
• Fossil Fuel
– Emissions
– Reliance on fossil fuels
Sacred Power Inc.
• A Native-American owned company based out
of Albuquerque.
• Works with the Navajo Nation, US Dept. of
Agriculture, and US Dept. of Interior to bring
power to remote locations in the Navajo
Reservation.
• In 2002, Sacred Power Inc, got a $607,000
contract with the Dept. of Interior for 16
mobile hybrid power systems ($37,937.50/unit).
SP 1200 Stand-alone PV-Hybrid
System
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14 feet long, 10 feet high
Constructed on wheels or skids.
Built in solar tracking array for maximum efficiency.
Solar collection batteries for energy storage.
Back-up, high grade propane generator w/ 1 month supply
tank.
• Maintenance free components.
• Capable of providing a continuous output of 2.5 kilowatts/hour
under normal conditions for the area.
– 2.5 kW/h x 1h x 24 hours/day x 30 days/month
– 1800 kWh/month.
• Cost of operation is about $0.50/kWh.
• Some emissions from burning propane (much cleaner than
gasoline).
Renewable Success
• 2001, Sacred Power Inc. got a $431,000 contract to
design and build a solar power system that can be
used for teaching.
• 2002, Sacred Power Inc. got a $588,000 contract for 12
solar telecommunications shelters for remote
locations.
– 4 employees
– Subcontract some work
– Built a new 7500 square foot manufacturing facility
Renewable Success Cont.
• 2005, Sacred Power Inc, was awarded an
$825,000 grant to build and deliver 50 new
solar/wind hybrid units to remote homes on the
Navajo Reservation. ($16,500/unit)
– No propane required
– Enough electricity to power a highly efficient
refrigerator and lighting system (supplied by
Sacred Power), and a small appliance.
– Operational cost is $0.
Cheaper from 2002 to 2005
• From $37,937.50 /unit for the propane/solar
hybrid
• To $16,500.00 /unit for the wind/solar hybrid
system
• Wind turbine much cheaper than the high grade
propane generator, but has lower power output.
• Production is much cheaper since in 2002,
Sacred Power opened its own manufacturing
facility.
Ranking Alternatives
1. Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems
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Cheap, clean, no grid access needed, sustainable.
2. Power lines
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Added stress on existing power generation facilities
(drives cost up).
3. Power generation
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Renewable energy source (biomass, wind, solar)
Fossil Fuel power plant.
4. Do nothing