Practical Photovoltaics

206

Transcript of Practical Photovoltaics

Page 1: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 2: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 3: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 4: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 5: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 6: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 7: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 8: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 9: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 10: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 11: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 12: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 13: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 14: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 15: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 16: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 17: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 18: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 19: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 20: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 21: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 22: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 23: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 24: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 25: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 26: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 27: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 28: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 29: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 30: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 31: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 32: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 33: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 34: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 35: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 36: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 37: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 38: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 39: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 40: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 41: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 42: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 43: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 44: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 45: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 46: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 47: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 48: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 49: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 50: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 51: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 52: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 53: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 54: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 55: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 56: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 57: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 58: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 59: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 60: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 61: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 62: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 63: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 64: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 65: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 66: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 67: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 68: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 69: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 70: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 71: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 72: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 73: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 74: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 75: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 76: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 77: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 78: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 79: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 80: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 81: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 82: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 83: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 84: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 85: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 86: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 87: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 88: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 89: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 90: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 91: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 92: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 93: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 94: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 95: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 96: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 97: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 98: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 99: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 100: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 101: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 102: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 103: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 104: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 105: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 106: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 107: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 108: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 109: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 110: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 111: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 112: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 113: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 114: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 115: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 116: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 117: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 118: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 119: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 120: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 121: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 122: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 123: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 124: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 125: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 126: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 127: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 128: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 129: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 130: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 131: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 132: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 133: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 134: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 135: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 136: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 137: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 138: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 139: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 140: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 141: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 142: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 143: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 144: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 145: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 146: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 147: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 148: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 149: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 150: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 151: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 152: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 153: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 154: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 155: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 156: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 157: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 158: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 159: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 160: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 161: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 162: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 163: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 164: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 165: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 166: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 167: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 168: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 169: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 170: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 171: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 172: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 173: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 174: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 175: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 176: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 177: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 178: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 179: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 180: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 181: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 182: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 183: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 184: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 185: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 186: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 187: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 188: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 189: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 190: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 191: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 192: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 193: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 194: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 195: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 196: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 197: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 198: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 199: Practical Photovoltaics

36 Home Power #61 • October / November 1997

Richard J. Komp©1997 Richard J. Komp

Nicaraguans areextremely interes-ted in using photo-

voltaic systems. That’s thefirst thing I noticed when Istarted working on photo-voltaics at the UniversidadNational de Ingieneria(UNI) in Managua. I havejust returned from a suc-cessful two month trip toNicaragua. To give a fewof the highlights, there is anew company now manufacturing 20Watt PV modules in Nicaragua, localpeople in the barrio where I stayedasked me to teach a solar box cookerworkshop they had organized, we hadthree well-attended solar batterycharger workshops, and I lost almosttwenty pounds.

The main purpose of the trip was to teach a group ofengineering students about photovoltaics and give themas much practical, hands-on experience as possible inthe 60 day visit. This was my first trip to Latin Americaand I had not studied Spanish before starting out. Ispent a couple of weeks at a friend’s home in Floridalearning some basic Spanish before heading forNicaragua. Fortunately, my host at UNI, Susan Kinne, isoriginally from Cincinnati and is bilingual (actuallytrilingual, since her first degree is in German literature).She had already scheduled a series of three publiclectures on solar cells. These lectures were a completesuccess with her translating my English lecture. Theattendance was so great that we moved to the biggestlecture hall at the University. I discovered that therealready is an active photovoltaics market in Nicaraguausing modules and other components imported fromthe US or Europe. All the people involved in thisbusiness showed up at the lectures, and half of themare former engineering students of Susan’s.

We also scheduled a set of hands-on workshops wherethe participants assembled small 2 Volt solar batterycharger modules. These are similar to the set ofworkshops that the Maine Solar Energy Association hasorganized at the local schools here in Maine. I taughtthe first workshop with the help of the electricalengineering group (called Fenix). For the nextworkshop a few weeks later, I only give the lecturewhile the Fenix group did the hands-on part of theworkshop. For the final workshop I stayed in the

Above: Dr. Komp and electrical engineering students from UNI

Below: UNI professor Susan Kinne and students testopen circuit voltage on the panel they made.

PhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaicsin Nicaraguain NicaraguaPhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaicsin Nicaraguain Nicaragua

Page 200: Practical Photovoltaics

37Home Power #61 • October / November 1997

International

background while the students taught the entireworkshop

Once we started to assemble the 20 Watt modules wearranged an installation workshop, mounting one of thefirst modules on the roof of Susan’s home. We alsoworked with one of her former students, in charge ofcasting the lead plates at Nicaragua’s only battery plant,to start manufacturing a deep cycle lead acid battery forsolar electric storage. The first prototype solar electricbattery made in Central America is now being tested atthis installation. I also worked with three of the studentsto construct prototype charge controllers, 12 Voltelectronic ballasts, and even an inverter. The idea is tomake as much of the system as possible inside thecountry.

There are a number of photovoltaic systems inNicaragua that had been installed by volunteers fromnon-profit groups. Many of these have fallen intodisrepair or had been dismantled by the local peoplewho were never adequately trained in their use. Wecontacted several non-profit groups, which includedTerrasol in the US and a couple of German NGOs(where Susan’s command of German came in handy).We proposed that the Fenix group see to the

Above: Soldering cell inteconnects.

WHO ARE WE?by the Fenix group,

original translation by Susan Kinne

SUNI is a small business which is coming into beingat this very moment. It stemmed from an alreadyproductive collaboration between the NicaraguanNational Engineering University and Sunwatt, of theU.S.A.

SUNI is a concrete response to a screaming need inthe development of Nicaragua. About a year ago agroup of faculty and senior students began doingresearch into renewable energy to develop that fieldin the Electrical Engineering Department and toprepare themselves for productive work in an areathat the country desperately needs. The group callsthemselves Phoenix (Fenix, in Spanish).

The sun is such an obvious resource in Nicaragua,but price is an inhibitive factor in the exploitation ofphotovoltaics. One of the goals they set forthemselves was to construct photovoltaic panels inNicaragua. They were fortunate to incorporate theassistance of Dr. Richard Komp, a photovoltaicsspecialist and designer, manufacturer, and promoterof solar panels.

After the successful construction of six prototypes,the group is now producing 15 more 20 Watt panels.The orders are coming in from NGO’s who areinterested in small scale electrical generation inremote locations. We just sent out a price estimatefor 100 5 Watt panels and are researching materialsfor frequently requested 60 Watt panels.

A pre-thesis graduate student working in productionin the battery factory is developing a prototype for adeep cycle battery designed for photovoltaicsystems. Another young engineer is constructing aprototype of a charge controller. In other words, weare well on the road to being able to have locallymanufactured, economically accessible, supportdevices as well as the panel itself. By the way, this isnot re-inventing the wheel, but rather adapting tolocal circumstances. It is also being done in Indiaand working well.

We welcome you to come see our operation at theuniversity and to ask any questions you may have.

AccessSusan Kinne , Electrical Engineering DepartmentNational Engineering University • Telcor Central Box#5595 • Managua, Nicaragua • 505-267-0275 ext.335 • Fax: 505-278-1461E-Mail: [email protected]

Page 201: Practical Photovoltaics

38 Home Power #61 • October / November 1997

International

refurbishing and maintenance of these PV systems.This led to several field trips to marvelous places likethe Pacific Coast and the mountainous central part ofthe country. Unfortunately, I ran out of time before wegot to the rainforest, but that’s a trip for another time.

On the Terrasol field trip, the Fenix group arranged togive a photovoltaic installation workshop. This wastotally their idea, and will result in Nicaraguans teachingsolar energy to US Peace Corps workers. I hope I havestarted something.

Above: Laying down traces.

UNI hosted a large, all day conference on solar energya week before I left. We arranged for many of the solarpractitioners to give sessions on all aspects of solar.The morning sessions were devoted to solar thermalprocesses while in the afternoon we discusseddesigning and installing photovoltaic systems. TheFenix group translated the relevant parts of the MaineSolar Primer into Spanish as a handout for the morningsession and prepared an introduction to the solarelectric home (also in Spanish) for the afternoonhandout. These were given free with the registration feeof 50 Cordobas (about $5.30) for the whole day. Wehad working solar devices in the plaza in front of themeeting place and used the solar ovens we made atearlier workshops to cook soup for about 25 volunteersand others. The total attendance of 76 paid for all theexpenses and left enough in the Fenix treasury for seedmoney for future events. One of the concepts westressed is that of sustainability, financial as well ascultural and environmental, and I hope to havesucceeded.

AccessRichard J. Komp, President, Maine Solar EnergyAssociation • RR 1 Box 7751 • Jonesport ME 04649207-497-2204 • E-Mail: [email protected]

BACKWOODS SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMSFor an Earth Restored and a World at Peace... Independent Electric Power Systems for the

Remote Home—Solar Electric, Wind, Hydro

We are a family business, living with our products for over 20years, and offer the knowledge to help you set up your energysystem. Free Consultation. Questions are personally answered.

Our catalog includes a planning guide to help you understandhow to put your energy system together - its applicationsand sizing. We offer lower than usual prices on Solarex andSiemens PV modules and Kohler generators. Our Traceinverters include free battery cables. We carry Sun Frostand Nova Kool refrigerators, specialized appliancesand lighting, and a range of meters and controls:Heliotrope, SCI, Ananda, TriMetric, and our ownBackwoods control boxes.

Our $3. Catalog/planning guide is FREE to Home Power readers.

We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover

Most items in stock for immediate shipment.

Steve & Elizabeth Willey • 8530-HP Rapid Lightning Creek Road • Sandpoint, Idaho 83864

Telephone: (208) 263-4290 • FAX: (208) 265-4788

Page 202: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 203: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 204: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 205: Practical Photovoltaics
Page 206: Practical Photovoltaics