[Its.an.education.project] Energy alternatives (comes from "Ivan's latest blog entry on OLPC")

[info at olpc-peru.info]

Hello Tony,

You are right in your calculations.   Lack of electricity is a hard 
issue to solve.

In Peru, my country, there is rain 5 months by year, totally cloudy, day 
after day.  Just 2 or 3 hours with some sun.  So, according to the 
manufacturers, all solar panels can just provide from 5% to 20% of its 
normal capacity (normal capacity is got in a full sunny day).

Wind? In the other part of the year, not the whole year, not in all 
areas.  You need to add the cost of a tower (30 feet over the soil level).

My best bet is "mechanical" generated energy (human or animal force).  
But, I think that we (ok, we!) need to provide solutions for the 3 ways: 
solar, wind, human/animal driven.  And we need to add "water" (small 
turbines) and "bio-digesters"  (for producing "biogas").  I think that 
not all the towns and villages will be able to take this or that 
solution, so we must have a full hand of solutions.

Easy to say, hard to do.  And money will be a concern (we are speaking 
about providing a rational solution for hundreds of very poor towns... )

Let's keep working Tony!

Best regards,

Javier Rodriguez
Lima, Peru


forster at ozonline.com.au wrote:
>> So I am taking on the question of electricity in villages, 
>>     
>
> Power shouldn't be a big problem
> Solar panel will on average produce equivalent of full power 4 hrs per day most locations
> Mount could be local bamboo or whatever
>
> eg. 160W panel will produce 640 Wh/d
> Charge each OLPC 20 Wh/d (I think?)
> Panel will support up to 32 OLPC
>
> Cost of 25 OLPC = 25x180=$4500
>
> Solar system 
> Panel $800
> Car 12V battery $100
> Cables, regulator, connectors $100
> Total       $1000
>
> Tony
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