chris greacen 19 june 2009 from remote villages to government boardrooms: some notes on efforts to...

Chris Greacen19 June 2009

From remote villages to government boardrooms: some notes on efforts to

leverage change using renewable energy

Palang Thai

Palang Thai พลั�งไท

• Thailand NGO• Objective:

– To ensure that the transformations that occur in the region's energy sector: augment, rather than undermine, social and environmental justice and sustainability.

• Key approaches:– We teach hands-on energy technology– We draft / comment on policies– We work to empower citizens to look critically at

government and industry projects and plans– We advocate structural reform

พลั�ง (palang): n 1. Power. 2. Empowerment. ไท (thai): adj. 1. Independence. 2. Self-reliance

Outline• hands-on village scale

– solar electricity for medical clinics in Karen-controlled Burma

– village micro-hydropower – Thailand

• energy politics and policy– Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) program– Bo Nok / Hin Krud – stopping silly big power plants

• institutional aikido

•Conflict area

•Little/no rural electrification

•Joint effort:

•TOPS (Taiwan),

•Palang Thai (Thailand),

•SunEnergy Power (USA)

• Green Empowerment (USA)

Border Green Energy Team

Solar electricity for 40 medical clinics for internally displaced inside Burma

Up to 2 million internally displaced people in Burma

Ruggedized solar electric systems built by medics in 3-5 day hands-on trainings

• 9 trainings (2003-2009)• >90 medics trained• 40 clinics

Community micro-hydro (12 villages)

Micro-hydroelectricity

Source: Inversin, A. R. (1986). Micro-Hydropower Sourcebook.

Kre Khi village, Tak Province1 kW for school, clinic, churchCost: <$3,500

(turbine $250)Head: 10 metersFlow: 15 lit/sec

Laos – low head micro-hydro orgy

Mae Wei – ‘pump as turbine’ off-grid induction

Video… Mae Wei


Refugee camp trainings

So far:Solar PVMicro-hydroHydraulic ram pumpSolar cooking7 hybrid solar/diesel systemsBiogas

Solar/diesel hybrid systems for computer training centers in 7

refugee camps


Maintenance & repair trainings for > 14,000 Thai solar home systems

Thai government solar home program

203,000 solar home systemsUS$200 millionNo maintenance plan23% failure rate within 20 months

“The Service & Support Department is like the guy in the parade who walks behind the elephant with a broom and a big bucket”

BG E T

BORDER GREEN ENERGY TEAM

BG E TBG E T


Thai SHS in Tak province

DEEP CY CLEEBB 125

3K THAI STORAGE BATTERY PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

3KDEEP CY CLE

EBB 1253K THAI STORAGE BATTERY PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

3KDEEP CY CLE


3KDEEP CY CLE


3KDEEP CY CLE


3K

SH-1210M

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ไ ฟฟ�ากระแสสลั�บ220 โ วลัต์� 50 เฮิ�รต์ซ์�

FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

สาย์ดิ�น

NL

แผงพล�งงานแสงอาทิ�ตย์!

ปานกลาง

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โหลด / เก�นพ�ก�ดโหลด

เต'ม

สภาวะการื่ทิ�า งาน

สภาวะแบตเตอรื่��

ปรื่ะจุแบตเตอรื่��

SH-1210M





FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

FORTHFORTHSOLAR PRODUCT


NL



ต��า


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HaCo

HaCo

10A

~ON

HaCo

HaCo

10A

~~ON

Rated 120 peak Watt single crystalline PV

module

Rated 150 W, 50 Hz, 230 V Inverter / 10 A Charge controller

12 V, 125 Ah deep cycle lead-acid

battery

Two 10 W tube fluorescent

lights with electronic ballasts

AC outlet for TV or other appliances

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Ministry of Interior

PEA

Installation company

End users

$

$

SHS

Existing linkages

warranty

Tax payers

$

BG E T


BG E TBG E T



PEA


End users

$

$

SHS

Missing linkages

warranty

What happens when systems fail? There is no feedback loop from the end users to

installation company, PEA, government or taxpayers

Tax payers

$

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Warranty awareness Self-help: local technicians

+ user training


PEA


End users

$

$

SHS

Missing linkages

warranty

Tax payers

$

Feedback on status of systems, failure

modes, successful interventions

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


SHS WarrantyWarranty periods

– Complete system: 2 years– Solar panel: 5 years– Charge controller/Inverter: 3 years– Battery: 2 years– Light/Ballast: 2 years

The system warranty is expiring within a few months

Very few villagers informed that there is a warranty

DEEP CY CLEEBB 125

3K THAI STORAGE BATTERY PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

3KDEEP CY CLE


3KDEEP CY CLE


3KDEEP CY CLE


3KDEEP CY CLE


3K

SH-1210M





FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT


NL



ต��า


เต'ม



ปรื่ะจุ แบตเตอรื่��

SH-1210M





FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

FORTHFORTHSOLAR PRODUCT


NL



ต��า


เต'ม





ต��า


เต'ม




HaCo

HaCo

10A

~ON

HaCo

HaCo

10A

~~ON

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


SHS WarrantyPostcards with

warranty and maintenance information could be distributed by Tambons

Idea presented at meeting with DLA (Department of Local Administration)

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


BGET on TV

Goals: TV-broadcast

discussion of SHS sustainability, need for more local capacity

Inform public of warranty

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


BGET SHS trainings in Tak province

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Failed inverter/charge controller (~10% of all systems surveyed).

Observed failure modes - inverter

Solartron and PEA provided 15 replacement inverters for the first 2 trainings

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Ballast failure ~9% of systems surveyed

Observed failure modes - ballast

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Observed failure modes –battery battery failure in ~6% of systems

surveyed

healthy, without sulfation

sulfated plates

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Installation error: Battery failure caused by solar panel installation in shady location

14:00 Saw Kre Ka village, Tha Song Yang District

Problems found during training/surveys

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


Installation error: Bad panel locations

Problems found during training surveys

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


User error: bypassed controller battery overcharge

1. Villager bypasses broken controller and charges battery directly from PV

2. Battery over-charged. Electrolyte level drops and plates are exposed to air. Battery fails.

1

2

Observed failure modes – (cascading component failure)

BG E T


BG E TBG E T


User error: Controller bypass leads to burned diode

1

2

Observed failure modes – (cascading component failure)

1. Villager bypasses broken controller and charges battery directly from PV

2. One mistake of reverse battery polarity blows up bypass diode in PV junction box, melting junction box.

policy & planning level…

Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) regulations

Can’t we hook it up and sell power back?

VSPP meetings…

• Uses waste water from cassava to make methane

• Produces gas for all factory heat (30 MW thermal) + 3 MW of electricity

• 3 x 1 MW gas generators

Korat Waste to Energy – biogas… an early VSPP project

Biogas from Pig Farms

Reduces air and water pollution

Produces fertilizer

Produces electricity

8 x 70 kW generator

Ratchaburi

Biogas from Pig Farms

Bangkok Solar 1 MW PV

• Project size: 1 MW• Uses self-manufactured a-Si

ap

plie

d

pe

rmis

sio

n

selli

ng

biodiesel

hydro

windbiogas

municipal wasteother biomass (saw dust, palm)

rice huskbagasse

solar

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

MW

VSPP summary

June 2008

Thailand

VSPP

Tanzania

?

Cambodia

?

?

?

Next project… community built, community-owned, profitable VSPP

micro-hydro

http://www.soho-properties.com/condobangkok-leraffine31/

Unlimited living?

Electricity productionand consumption(GWh)

1700 families relocated

Loss of livelihood for > 6200 families

Loss of 116

fish species 44( %)

Fishery yield down 80%

65MaeHongSong

Sou

rce: M

EA

, EG

AT, S

earin

, Gra

ph

ic: Gre

en

World

Fou

nd

atio

n

Dams Malls Province

Pak

Mun

Impacts of Pak Mun Dam alone

Bonok-Ban Krud story

Bonok Bankrud

Power Demand: Projections vs. Actual 1992 - 2008

8,000

12,000

16,000

20,000

24,000

28,000

32,000

36,000

40,000

44,000

48,000

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

มิ�.ย์.-93

ธ.ค.-94

ต์.ค.-95

เมิ.ย์.-96

ต์.ค.-96

มิ�.ย์.-97

ก.ย์.-97

Sep-98(MER)

ก.พ.-01

ส.ค.-02

Jan-04(LEG)

Jan-04(MEG)

Apr-06 (MEG)

มิ�.ค.-07

ACTUAL

ธ.ค.-08

MW

Linear versus exponential extrapolation

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

50000

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

Pea

k d

eman

d (

MW

)

2007 Forecast Historic peak demand trend

24 power plants

Fuel mix in power generation - power development plan 2007GWh

Import

NukeRE

Gas

Coal

LigniteHydro

Thai – Pacific Northwest power planning exchange

Leveraging changeActivity Leverage

Medical clinic PV in Burma •40 clinics serve 100,000+•“It’s hard to do amputations with a flashlight”

Micro-hydro * inexpensive(<$2per W)•Intuitive & local

Refugee camp trainings * If peace comes and repatriation can happen, refugees are returning to a ‘blank slate’

VSPP * Renewables becomes viable grid-connected business.* “Power plant” redefined.

Power sector planning reform •Transparency•Accounability•public participation•End to “too much generation capacity” and “wrong kinds”.

Principles

• Commit

• Be flexible and open to opportunities for equilibrium-shifting change

• Take time for reflection… stay real

• Document and release

• “Many hands make light work”

For more informationChom and Chris Greacen

Palang Thai

[email protected]

[email protected]

Skype: chrisgreacen

www.palangthai.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.palangthai.org/

Thailand in context

• Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system (similar to England)

• Size: about 4/5 of California• Population: 66 million (2x that of CA)• GDP (PPP): $553 billion (1/3 of CA’s)• GDP per capita: $8,500 (1/6 of CA’s)• Energy consumption: 57 million BTU

(1/4 of CA’s)• Peak power demand: 23 GW (<half of

CA’s)• 99.8% of villages are electrified

ISSUED DATE : JANUARY 2007

ELECTRICITY GENERATING AUTHORITY OF THAILAND

ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM OF THAILAND

DWG. NO. EPS 2002

SYSTEM PLANNING DIVISION

TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PLANNING DEPARTMENT

78

North Koreavillage wind farm 1999 -- 2001

80

Powerhouse under construction

81

Interphase with DPRK grid

82

Farm manager starts windturbine

5:00

6:00

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:0

0

11:0

0

12:0

0

13:0

0

14:0

0

15:0

0

16:0

0

17:0

0

18:0

0

19:0

0

20:0

0

21:0

0

22:0

0

23:0

0

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

2000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Watts

Time of day

Year

Hourly load curve, by year from 1985 to 2000. Graph based on an appliance usage survey of 35 families in Mae Kam Pong village, April

and June 2001.

Contribution to evening maximum peak demand by appliance, for the years 1985 – 2001.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Wa

tts

other

water boiler

rice cooker

iron

fridge

TV

lights

chris greacen 19 june 2009 from remote villages to government boardrooms: some notes on efforts to...

Documents

solar home systemsus

status of systems

government boardrooms

microhydropower sourcebook

shsmissing linkagestax

regions energy sector

big bucket thai shs

shsexisting linkagestax