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

SH-1210M

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เป"ด / ป"ดปล�$กไ ฟฟ�ากรื่ะแสสล�บ220 โ วลัต์� 50 เฮิ�รต์ซ์�

แบต์เต์อร�� แผงร�บพลั�งงานแสงอาท�ต์ย์�

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

FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

สาย์ดิ�น

แผงพล�งงานแสงอาทิ�ตย์!

ปานกลาง

ต��า

โหลด / เก�นพ�ก�ดโหลด

เต'ม

สภาวะการื่ทิ�า งาน

สภาวะแบตเตอรื่��

ปรื่ะจุแบตเตอรื่��

SH-1210M

FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

FORTHFORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

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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

Installation company

End users

Existing linkages

warranty

Tax payers

BG E T

BG E TBG E T

End users

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

End users

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

SH-1210M

FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

ต��า

เต'ม

ปรื่ะจุ แบตเตอรื่��

SH-1210M

FORTHSOLAR PRODUCT

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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.

Observed failure modes – (cascading component failure)

BG E T

BG E TBG E T

User error: Controller bypass leads to burned diode

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

biodiesel

windbiogas

municipal wasteother biomass (saw dust, palm)

rice huskbagasse

VSPP summary

June 2008

Thailand

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

rce: M

ic: Gre

Dams Malls Province

Impacts of Pak Mun Dam alone

Bonok-Ban Krud story

Bonok Bankrud

Power Demand: Projections vs. Actual 1992 - 2008

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

Linear versus exponential extrapolation

2007 Forecast Historic peak demand trend

24 power plants

Fuel mix in power generation - power development plan 2007GWh

Import

NukeRE

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

chom@palangthai.org

chris@palangthai.org

Skype: chrisgreacen

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

North Koreavillage wind farm 1999 -- 2001

Powerhouse under construction

Interphase with DPRK grid

Farm manager starts windturbine

Time of day

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.

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

water boiler

rice cooker

fridge

lights

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

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