Devloping & Sustaining Efficient Renewable Energy Source for Rural Areas in Papua New Guinea
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7/31/2019 Devloping & Sustaining Efficient Renewable Energy Source for Rural Areas in Papua New Guinea
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Developing & Sustaining Efficient Renewable
Energy Source for Rural Areas of Papua New GuineaSammy Samun Aiau
#1, Narayan Gehlot
*2
#1Departmentof Electrical and Communication Engineering, Papua New Guinea University of Technology
Private Mail Bag, Lae 411, Morobe Province, Papua New [email protected]
*2Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering, Papua New Guinea University of Technology
Private Mail Bag, Lea 411, Morobe Province, Papua New [email protected]
AbstractRenewable energy sources and technologies have the
potential to provide long-lasting solutions to the problems
compounded by the economic, social and environment sectors in
Papua New Guinea (PNG) for isolated pockets of masses in rural
areas secluded by the tough terrain. The use of renewable energy
technologies in rural electrification in PNG will also play a
crucial role in raising the living standards of rural people.Renewable energy resources also hold the key to the need-of-the-
hour to jump start connectivity for information technology for
education and telemedicine services throughout PNG. The
authors present economically viable, detailed, off-the-shelf
technology for a hybrid integrated renewable energy (solar,
micro-hydro and bloom energy) micro-grid system for
sustainable living in the rural areas of PNG and duly supported
by a case study. The case study argues that dissemination of
renewable energy in rural areas has a potential to protect the
environment and may contribute to sustainable developments in
the rural areas of PNG. This paper further explores the potential
for a joint venture with either a private or a public enterprise to
compliment the PNG Power Limited without being bogged down
by the traditional land owner issues.
KeywordsRenewable energy, renewable energy technologies,bloom energy, micro-grid
I. INTRODUCTIONRenewable energy is natural energy which does not have a
limited supply. Renewable energy can be used again and againand will not run out. Renewable energy harnesses naturally
occurring non-depletable sources of energy, such as hydro,
solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal, ocean current and
biomass, to produce electricity, gases and liquid fuels, heat or
a combination of these energy types. Some of these renewable
energies such as wind, biomass etc have been used forthousands of years. Biomass is burning of wood in cooking
and wind was used for sailing. However with the
developments of renewable energy technologies, these
renewable energy sources can be used to generate electricity.
Taking into account the sustainable character of the majorityof renewable energy technologies, they are able to preserve
resources and to provide security, diversity of energy supply
and services, virtually without environmental impact [1]-[3].
The technical potential for renewable energy sources in PNG
is enormous and the majority are in the rural areas, and are
exploitable with the use of new clean energy efficienttechnologies to benefit approximately 90% of the population
of PNG who do not have access to electricity services [4].
The main objectives of this paper are to study the various
renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies,
to identify the most economical and environmental friendly
energy sources and finally employ the best off-the-shelfrenewable energy efficient technology to develop and sustain
electrical power generation, managed by a joint venture
enterprise, in the rural areas of PNG.
II. RENEWABLEENERGYSOURCES
Fig. 1 What renewable energy sources the world is using
Source: renewable-solarenergy.com
Fig. 1 shows the renewable energy sources that the world is
using as clean energy solutions to the polluting sources of
energy that produce carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping
pollutant that cause global warning. The renewable energy
sources includes biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar, tidal,
wave, ocean current, wind and wood [1], [2]. Papua New
Guinea has an enormous capacity of renewable energy sources,
especially hydro and solar energy that can be harnessed to
produce electricity for the bulk of PNGs population who
dwell in the rural areas with no access to electricity.
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A.Hydro EnergyHydro energy is a renewable energy source and involves
the use of water. Hydropower uses the movement of water
under gravitational force to drive turbines to generate
electricity. Hydro is a great source of energy unlike solar and
wind, the rivers, streams and springs can offer a 24/7 supply
of renewable energy [1], [2]. The first ever water power
station was in Godalming, Britain in 1881 introducinghydropower as a source of electricity. PNG has significanthydroelectric potential. Fig. 2 shows a run-off-the-river micro-
hydro system.
Fig. 2 Micro-hydropower system layout Source: energy.ltgovernors.com
B. Solar EnergySolar radiation, often called the solar resource, is a general
term for the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun.
Solar radiation can be captured and turned into useful forms of
energy, such as heat and electricity, using a variety oftechnologies. Solar energy is among the largest potential
sources in PNG. Fig. 3 shows a solar photovoltaic system.
Fig. 3 Solar photovoltaic power system layout
Source: allaboutsolarenergy.com
The basic building block of a photovoltaic (PV) system is
the solar cell. When sunlight strikes PV cells, electrons are
released and then gathered to create an electrical current. A
thin silicon cell, four inches across, can produce about one
watt of direct current electrical power in full sunlight. The
direct current is converted into alternating current to operate
household appliances. One PV cell alone may not produce
much power, but a number of photovoltaic cells are grouped
together into arrays, large panels or sheets that collectivelyform a solar collector system [1], [2].
III.RENEWABLEENERGYTECHNOLOGIES(RETS)Technologies in the renewable energy sector are fast-
moving and innovative. While technologies offer new
opportunities, they also carry risk. This risk can be managed
by focusing on well-established renewable energy technologythat offers value for money and proven longevity.
Electricity generation consists in transforming energy from
nature into electrical energy. Table 1 depicts the most
common technologies available at the moment: their primary
energy source, their renewability and the CO2 emissions rate
based on the life cycle of the technology [5], [6].
TABLEI
ELECTRICITYGENERATIONTECHNOLOGIESINRURAL
ENVIRONMENT
Technology Primary
Source
Renewable
(Yes/No)
C/I
Continuous
Intermittent
AC
/
DC
Emissions
(life cycle
mean
gCO2eq/kW)
Combustion
Oil
Gas
Coal
Biomass
No (C)
No (C)
No (C)
Yes (C)
AC
AC
AC
AC
780
530
1000
70
PV Sun Yes (I) DC 56
Hydraulic
Mechanical
energy:
water
Yes (C) AC 8
Wind-farms
Mechanical
energy:
wind
Yes (I) AC 14
Source:Olatz Azurza and others, ICREPO1, March, 2012
A.Hydropower TechnologiesHydropower technologies have a long history of use
because of their many benefits, including high availability and
lack of emissions. Hydropower technologies use flowing
water to create energy that can be captured and turned intoelectricity. Both large and small-scale power producers can
use hydropower technologies to produce clean electricity.Hydropower can be described as the production of power
by using the gravitational force of falling or flowing water.
Hydropower is the process of changing the kinetic energy of
flowing water in a river into electrical power that we can use.
Most hydropower stations use either the natural drop of a river,
such as a waterfall or rapids, or a dam is built across a river to
1 International Conference on Renewable Energy and Power Quality
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://allaboutsolarenergy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Solar-Energy-Systems.jpghttp://www.google.com/imgres?start=131&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGIE_en&biw=1280&bih=496&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=VB3hdsTURAA0vM:&imgrefurl=http://ltgovernors.com/series/buying-and-using-renewable-energy-at-home&docid=WubA-_4e49iG2M&imgurl=http://ltgovernors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/microhydro-power.png&w=528&h=325&ei=XNTAT6KQG46yrAfl26jjCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=778&vpy=140&dur=25000&hovh=176&hovw=286&tx=163&ty=107&sig=105364822785496169649&page=9&tbnh=121&tbnw=196&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:131,i:62http://allaboutsolarenergy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Solar-Energy-Systems.jpghttp://www.google.com/imgres?start=131&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGIE_en&biw=1280&bih=496&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=VB3hdsTURAA0vM:&imgrefurl=http://ltgovernors.com/series/buying-and-using-renewable-energy-at-home&docid=WubA-_4e49iG2M&imgurl=http://ltgovernors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/microhydro-power.png&w=528&h=325&ei=XNTAT6KQG46yrAfl26jjCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=778&vpy=140&dur=25000&hovh=176&hovw=286&tx=163&ty=107&sig=105364822785496169649&page=9&tbnh=121&tbnw=196&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:131,i:62http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.html -
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raise the water level, and provide the drop needed to create a
driving force. Currently it is the most widely used source of
renewable energy.
Water is collected and flows through the penstock and is
carried down into a turbine. The turbine is connected to a
generator. As the water flows in, water pressure increases
causing the turbine to revolve, this in turn spins the generator.
This produces electricity that can be stepped up in voltage
through the stations transformers and sent across transmissionlines [2]. The remaining falling water, having served its
purpose, exits the generating station, where it rejoins the main
stream of the river.
B. Solar EnergySolar energy technologies produce electricity from the
energy of the sun. For example, photovoltaic systems capture
the energy in sunlight and convert it directly into electricity.
Alternatively, sunlight can be collected and focused with
mirrors to create a high intensity heat source that can be used
to generate electricity by means of turbine or heat engine [2].
Small solar energy systems can provide electricity for homes,
businesses, and remote power needs. Larger solar energysystems provide more electricity for contribution to the
electric power system.
IV.THEPAPUANEWGUINEAENERGYSECTORThe energy sector in Papua New Guinea mostly depends on
three main types of energy: electricity, oil and gas. The energy
sector accounts for 14% of the countrys GDP. PNG Power
Limited (PNG Government owned) is the sole national
electricity company responsible for generation, transmission,
distribution and retail of electricity in PNG. It has major
transmission and distribution networks in Port Moresby,
Ramu valley and Gazelle Peninsula (Rabaul) that are supplied
by major hydro power plants. It also supplies electricity to 19
regional centres by diesel powered thermal generation as
shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 4 PNG Power Limited generation, transmission and distributionnetworks. Source: PNG Power Limited
Oil Search, in which the Papua New Guinea government
holds 17.6% of shares, is the largest oil company. Inter Oil, a
vertically integrated company with petroleum licenses
covering about 8.7 million acres of land, is the second largest
oil company in Papua New Guinea. Both companies dominate
the gas market in Papua New Guinea as well. PNG will be
setting for major changes in this energy sector very soon,
because of the PNG LNG project. However on the renewable
energy sector, it remains severely underexploited fororganizational and technological reasons [7].
There are many factors that contribute to this very sad state
of affairs however notable amongst all is: the absence of an
electricity industry policy, energy policy and rural
electrification policy to guide the development of the energy
sector; and the high investment cost associated with
establishing transmission lines due to the PNGs rugged
topography. However recent initiative by the Somare Temu
government in 2006 has paved way for the development of
three important policies. These are the Electricity Industry
Policy, the National Energy Policy and the Rural
Electrification Policy. The draft Electricity Industry Policy isin its final stage to be endorsed and released by the
government soon. The National Energy policy and the Rural
Electrification policy are still in their early draft stages and
subject to further consultation and improvisation. The delay in
the formulation and implementation of these policies has
deprived the bulk of the population especially in the rural
areas without electricity. Table 2 shows the number of people
with access to electricity supplied by the PNG Power Limited
and without access to electricity in each province in PNG.
TABLE2NUMEBROFPNGPOWERLTDELECTRICITYCUSTOMERS
Name of Province Population
ofProvince
Population
withElectricity
Population
withoutElectricity
Central 183983 3182 180801
Gulf 106898 411 106487
Milne Bay 210412 1340 209072
National Capital
Dist.
254158 41766 212392
Oro 133065 961 132104
Western 153304 652 152652
Eastern Highlands 432972 5445 427527
Enga 295031 1396 293635
Simbu 259703 1721 257982
Southern Highlands 546265 1131 545134
Western Highlands 440025 6175 433850East Sepik 343181 2380 340801
Madang 365106 3297 361809
Morobe 539404 12136 527268
Sandaun 185741 1070 184671
Autonomous Region
of Bougainville
175160 570 174590
East New Britain 220133 6496 213637
Manus 43387 3353 40034
New Ireland 118350 1202 117148
West New Britain 184508 1982 182526
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The draft National Energy Policy covers indigenous energy
resources in PNG that includes, oil, gas, hydropower and other
renewable. The policy aims to improve the quality of life and
sustainable national development of these resources through a
robust and vibrant energy sector. The draft Electricity Industry
Policy identifies the importance and versatility of electricity as
an input of production and thus, an essential ingredient to
sustain economic and social growth of Papua New Guineans.
The draft Rural Electrification Policy encapsulates the needfor up scaling rural electrification through development of
renewable energy resources with the vision to enhance
livelihood of rural population through sustainable provision of
electricity. The policy acknowledges the availability of
untapped indigenous renewable energy sources in the country
such as solar, hydro, wind, marine, biomass, geothermal andbio energy and aims for the utilisation of these indigenous
renewable energy resources for the rural communities in PNG
[7]. Therefore this paper analyses the renewable energy
capacities and technologies that can be implemented for the
rural population of PNG.
V. RURAL ELECTRIFICATION WITH RENEWABLEENERGYSOURCESINPAPUANEWGUINEA
Development and adoption of reliable renewable energysources in the rural areas for rural electrification has become a
major challenge to most parts of the world. According to the
International Energy Agency (IEA), there was in 2008 an
estimated 1.5 billion people, or 22% of the worlds population,
living without access to electricity, 85% of whom live in the
rural areas and Papua New Guinea is no exemption. Thisenergy outlook for the rural people is unacceptable as the
modern renewable energy technologies can play a crucial role
in developing rural electrification to provide electricity to the
people living in the rural areas.The role of energy and more specifically electricity is the
key player in all aspects of sustainable development.
Sustainable development of the energy sector is a potential
factor to maintain economic competitiveness and progress.
Access to modern energy reduces poverty and hunger and
improves access to safe drinking water through food
preservation and pumping system (MDG12
). It fosters
education by providing light and communication tools(MDG2), it improves gender equality by relieving women of
fuel and water collecting tasks (MDG3), and it reduces child
and maternal mortality as well as incidences of disease by
enabling refrigeration for medication as well as access to
modern equipment. It also helps to fight pandemics like HIV(MDG4, 5, 6). Finally, if access to electricity is implemented
with environmentally sound technologies, it directly
contributes to global environmental sustainability (MDG7).
Energy alone is not sufficient to alleviate poverty, but it is
certainly necessary and there will be no major development
progress without a growing number of people gainingsustainable access [7], [8].
2 Millennium Development Goals in PNG
In PNG, which has no national power grid but large river
systems and abundant sunshine, renewable energy has
tremendous potential to transform remote rural lives with
clean and sustainable electricity. Renewable energy projects
for power generation not only help combat climate change but
can help transform communities in rural areas by revitalising
local economies and drawing the people together. Fig. 5
shows the guidelines for off-grid electrification project
designers [9], [10].
Fig. 5 Elements of a sustainable rural electrification project
Source: Designing sustainable off-grid rural electrification projects
To maximize the chances of sustaining operation of an off-
grid electrification project over the long term, fundamentalproject design principles must observed, as follows:
The conception and implementation of the off-gridelectrification project must be consistent with the
overall rural electrification plan for the region.
A cost-benefit analysis of alternatives must be carriedout to determine the least-cost solution.
In the assessment phase, effort must be made tomaximize community awareness, involvement, and
support, which is vital to project success.
Both the government and implementing agency musttake full ownership of the project.
One must obtain the governments upfront commitmentto pick up the subsidy slack when external grant co-financing ends.
Competence of the local Project Management Unit(PMU) is critical to project success.
For off-grid electrification projects that rely on private-sector participation, the simplest delivery mechanism or
business model should be applied.
The government must put in place light-handedregulatory measure that simplify operations for private-
sector participants and limit the cost of doing business.
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Appropriate training should be provided to participantsof off-grid electrification projects at various levels.
One should maximize opportunities for productive andinstitutional applications that complement the provision
of household service.
Opportunities for international co-financing should beexplored.
VI.CASE STUDY: WANTUN MICRO-HYDRO ANDSOLARPOWERPROJECT
The Department of Electrical and Communication
Engineering at the Papua New Guinea University of
Technology has considered rural electrification has one of its
priorities and has been helping rural communities carrying out
feasibility studies of their proposed micro-hydro and solar
power sites. Papua New Guinea has many good rivers, streamsand even mountain springs that can be turned into micro-
hydro power systems and even together as water supply
systems for the benefit of the communities in the rural areas.
Papua New Guinea situated along the equation also has
abundance of sun shine all year round that can be harnessed to
produce electricity.For the past 15 years the department has carried out nine
micro-hydro feasibility study projects and a numbers of solar
power feasibility study projects for the rural communities.
However none of the past projects have been implemented due
to financial constraints face by the rural communities. The
case study presented in this paper is on the recent feasibility
study of a micro-hydro and solar power system for the
Wantun Community Learning and Development Centre
(WCLDC) in the Onga Waffa Local Level Government in the
Markham District of Morobe Province as shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6 Wantun micro-hydro project site Source: Google Map
The WCLDC is an Indigenous Peoples Organization of
approximately five thousand (5,000) rural villagers,
endeavouring to meaningfully participate in the development
process of the nation of Papua New Guinea. They believe that
it is the rural people themselves or project beneficiaries who
can make pivotal decisions and play the most important roles
in improving their quality of life and standard of living and
bring in lasting changes to their communities through
development projects.
A.Micro-Hydropower (MHP) SystemMicro-hydropower technologies have a long history of use
because of their many benefits, including high availability and
lack of emissions. In light of this project, the application of
micro-hydropower appears ideal for the Wantun communities.
The provision of electricity is a vital step in developing
infrastructure which, in turn, entails vast improvement to
quality of life, learning opportunities (education) and also
competitiveness of local businesses. Also it is believed that
the installation could provide valuable community and
educational resources as well as a creditable communication
tool for the use of renewable energy within the MarkhamDistrict of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.
Micro-hydro is an ancient source of renewable energy and,in the light of the national governments CO2 reduction targets
and funding incentives, the Wantun micro-hydro scheme in
the Markham District of the Morobe Province of Papua New
Guinea was investigated for the installation of micro-hydro
power scheme. The feasibility study of the site was carried out
from 9th to 13th April 2012. The micro-hydro project included
detail site survey of the river and the area, which includes
current existing load demands, the specifications of the turbine
and generator, design of the system, purchase and delivery of
all required materials to the project site and the final
installation and commissioning of the scheme.
During the feasibility study, three river sources were
investigated. The three river sources were Tamur, Yawai and
Wara Kalap. From this feasibility study the Yawai mountain
stream was determined to be the most viable location for
micro-hydro site, with a head of approximately 216 meters.
The flow of the Yawai mountain stream is adequately high
year round so that the theoretical limit of power productiondoes not limit the proposed project. A flow of 20 litres per
second in the penstock is necessary to develop the 40 kW of
power that was deemed necessary. HDPVC pipe was
concluded to be the optimal penstock material, with a
diameter of approximately 0.25 meters. Channel and intake
designs and dimensions have also been calculated, to ensure
that the required flow is maintained. HDPVC pipe of 0.225
meters is recommended for the intake pipeline.
B. Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) SystemNo solar power feasibility study was carried out on-site for
the Wantun village community but it is noted that solar energy
is among the largest potential sources in PNG. Average
insolation in most parts of PNG is 400-800 W/m2, with 4.5 to
8 sunshine hours per day all year round. Of the 23 locations
assessed in PNG, Port Moresby, National Capital District has
Project Site
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.html -
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the largest solar energy resource with 2,478 sunshine hours
per year and the lowest is Tambul, Western Highlands
Province, with 1292 hours per year. Wantun village in the
Morobe Province is situated closer to the equator than Port
Moresby and therefore would have a slightly larger solar
energy resource than Port Moresby.
C.Hybrid Microhydro/SPC Micro-grid SystemA ConceptIn recent decades rural electrification has been done with
renewable energies through individual generation, that is, one
user one installation. Technology now allows evolution
towards collective installations through the use of hybrid
mini-grid/micro-grid system with generation and distributed
accumulation as shown in Fig. 7. From the feasibility study
of the Wantun micro-hydro and solar power systems, it is
proposed to develop a micro-grid system using the two
renewable energy sources for the supply of electricity to the
Wantun village communities. The micro-grid system will be
a hybrid power system using the micro-hydro and solar
energy sources. Hybrid renewable energy system is one of
the most promising applications of renewable energy
technologies in rural areas, where the cost of the gridextension is prohibitive due to the tough terrains and the
price of fossil fuels increase drastically with the remotenessof the location. Applications of hybrid systems range from
small power supplies for rural households providing
electricity for lighting or water pumping and water supply to
village electrification for the rural communities [11], [12].
A micro-grid is a discrete energy system consisting
distributed energy sources (e.g. renewable, conventional,
storage) and loads capable of operating in parallel with or
independently from the main grid. A micro-grid includes
generation, a distributed system, consumption and storage,
and manages them with advanced monitoring, control and
automation systems. A fully-developed micro-grid has the
capability of automatically disconnecting and operating
independently from the main grid.
Fig. 7 Hybrid micro-grid rural electrification system layoutSource: outbackpower.com
D.Bloom Energy for Rural ElectrificationA ConceptBloom Energy is the latest energy technology developed by
Dr K. R. Sridhar, the principal co-founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Bloom Energy that utilises an innovative
new fuel cell technology to produce clean, reliable and
affordable electricity from a wide range of renewable energy
sources and air [13]. Fig. 8 illustrates how bloom energy
servers create electricity.
Fig. 8 A new way of generating clean electricity
Source: ttp://www.bloomenergy.com
The new fuel cells are called bloom boxes or bloom energyservers. The bloom box fuel cells are a stack of ceramic 3
wafers with a proprietary ink on each side separated by a
3 The primary material of the Bloom Box is beach sand, a plentiful and
ubiquitous resource, which is baked into thin ceramic wafers
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dc+micro+grids&view=detail&id=C417880F9EF3B37ACD68008397029925AE48AB87&first=0&qpvt=dc+micro+grids&FORM=IDFRIRhttp://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dc+micro+grids&view=detail&id=C417880F9EF3B37ACD68008397029925AE48AB87&first=0&qpvt=dc+micro+grids&FORM=IDFRIR -
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metal alloy. Fuel (typically natural gas, but it may be operated
with biogas) goes in one side of the ceramic wafer, and
oxygen goes in the other as illustrated in Fig. 8. The resulting
chemical reaction, which does not involve combustion,
produces electricity. In addition, the fuel cells act not only as
an electricity generator, but also as a storage device and are
reportedly very fuel efficient. Each bloom energy server
provides 100 or 200 kilowatts of power as shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 9 How bloom energy server works Source: Bloom Energy
The bloom energy servers can be substituted for the
generator in Fig. 7 and integrated with the renewable energy
sources and provide a perfect solution for rural electrification
in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea. PNG Power Limited
together with the two major PNG LNG4
projects should tap
into this new technology because:
The bloom energy servers can be run on natural gas andwe have a lot of LNG from the projects.
The bloom energy servers operate independent of thepower grid, which is a perfect solution for the rural
micro-grid power systems.
VII.
BUSINESSMODELSFORRURALMICROGRIDSThe definition and classification of business models for
rural electrification is challenging, especially what criteria to
used in these classifications. However, it is a very important
exercise since a key for success of micro-grid systems is the
local institutional arrangement determining who invests,
develops, owns, and operates the systems. There are a numberof business models for micro-grid management of rural
electrification. These are community-based model, private-
4 Liquidified Natural Gas
based model, the utility-based model, and hybrid business
model [14], [15]. The community-based model involves the
community to take ownership and operate, provide
maintenance, tariff collection and management of the system.
The private sector-based model involves a private company in
the financing, construction and operation of the system. The
utility-based model in PNG would involve PNG Power
Limited to take full responsibility of the establishment and
management of the micro-grid rural electrification system.The hybrid models try to combine different approaches to
benefit from the advantages of each of the models and to
minimize shortcomings. Fig. 10 shows a hybrid business
model which will be adopted for the Wantun integrated micro-
hydro and solar power system.
Fig. 10 Hybrid business model Source: Rural electrification with renewable
energy
Under the hybrid business model, PNG Power Limited or aprivate company implements and owns the Wantun micro-grid
power system, WCLDC manages it on a daily basis and a
private company provides the technical back-up and
management advice.
VIII. CONCLUSIONSThis paper presents a comparative study of the indigenous
renewable energy resources and off-the-shelf renewable
energy technologies, to develop a sustainable hybrid micro-
grid rural electrification system for the bulk of population
living in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea. The paper alsodiscussed the energy sector and rural electrification in PNG,together with a case study of a feasibility study of Wantun
micro-hydro and solar power system in the Markham District
of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
Renewable energy projects can serve a critical niche in
supplying much-needed electricity to rural, off-grid
communities in Papua New Guinea. Connecting the electricitygrid to rural and remote areas is very uneconomical to carry
out. Therefore it is more economical to electrify the rural areas
with a micro-grid by means of existing renewable energy
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sources available locally. The micro-grid configuration
represents energy distribution architecture from the producing
site to consumers and eventually the interconnection between
several sites and several consumers.
From the discussions, it is recommended that PNG has
abundant hydro and solar energy potentials that can be
developed under a renewable energy hybrid business model to
fast- track the rural electrification program and provide
electricity to the people living in the rural areas of Papua NewGuinea. The concept of the micro-grid power system using
renewable energy sources together with the bloom energy
server is a cost effective and sustainable system and should be
implemented in the rural electrification program in Papua
New Guinea.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the
financial support of the Department of Electrical and
Communication Engineering and the Research Committee of
the Papua New Guinea University of Technology.
BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Mr. Sammy Aiau
Mr. Aiau is a faculty at UNITECH
since 1985 in electrical andcommunications department. Mr.
Aiaus area of research are control
systems engineering, energymanagement, renewable energy and
power systems control. Mr. Aiau has
conducted several short courses in
programmable logic controllers (PLC)
at UNITECH regularly and is widely
known in industry. Mr. Aiau alsoexplored technology education in Australia (1989-1991) and Canada (1994-
1995). Mr. Aiau is a senior faculty at UNITECH in ECE department and was
also an acting head of department (2003-2005). Mr. Aiau is a very amicableperson as per UNITECH alumni feedback and always a cheerful helping hand
who cares for his pupil.
He is a UNITECH alumnus with a Master of Philosophy (MPhil, 1993) in
Electrical Engineering (Power) and a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng., 1978)
in Electrical Engineering (Communications).
2. Prof. (Dr.) N. Gehlot, Senior IEEE MemberDr. Narayan Gehlot is a renowned
leader in communications with over
15 years (post doctorate) of research
and development experience in
systems, board and chip design. He
has worked in some of worlds
leading laboratories in
telecommunications and computer
networking such as Indian Institute of
Technology, Madras, India; Bellcore,
Morristown, NJ; AT&T Bell
Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ and Lucent
Technologies Bell Labs Holmdel, NJ. A genuine innovator who has
contributed to more than 51 (33 issued) patents globally in a wide range of
technologies such as wired and wireless communications, fiber optics for
FTTx, long haul, metro, intercontinental submarine systems, network
management system, line monitoring systems, computer, internet, security,
database, networks, vehicular technologies, Raman amplifier etc. Dr. Gehlots
patents have been cited in more than 333 issued patents.
Dr. Gehlot strongly believes that ideas5 are the key assets to success whereas
solution to a problem is only a matter of time. He is an outstanding researcher,
innovator known for successful collaborations with Universities and
intellectual property creation. He is bestowed with the unique ability of
foresightedness to look ahead and plan. At Bell Labs Dr. Gehlot was honored
as an "Outstanding Asian American for Lucent's Success" along with world-
renowned researchers and 1998 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Daniel Tsui. Dr.
Gehlot is an alumnus of BITS, Pilani, India; NJIT, Newark, NJ, USA and
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. He is a Senior Member of
IEEE and has keen interest on fundamentals of nature beyond science. Dr.
Gehlot is currently a faculty at UNITECH, Lae, PNG. Prof. Gehlot is
currently the Head of Department at UNITECH, Lae, PNG.
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5 Albert Einstein "The formulation of a problem is often more essential than
its solutions, which may be merely a matter of mathematical expressions orexperimental verifications."