Archive for May, 2009

MVP ICT “Village Network” Talk

May 14, 2009 Connectivity, ICT4D, MVP, Talk, Uganda, Wifi

Matt Berg – Millennium Villages Student Research Showcase from Earth Institute on Vimeo.

Here is a brief talk I gave at a recent research showcase at Columbia.  In it I discuss how we brought Internet connectivity to Ruhiira our rural community in Uganda using a large wifi network that we put in place with the help of Inveneo. The network is currently being used to connect about 5 clinics, 3 schools and several other community institutions to the nearest Internet connection 35KM away. As a local intranet, the network is adding tremendous value by enabling free VOIP calls between sites and is also being used by the clinics to facilitate a central medical records system.

In the future, I will try and provide a much more detailed overview of this project but for now it provides a glance at how wifi can be used to bring connectivity when commercial options are not currently available.

Off-Grid Solar Calculator

May 3, 2009 Africa, Power, Resource, Solar

Part of my job over the past couple of years has entailed doing energy sizing for off-grid photo voltaic (PV) solar systems.  To help with this I have relied largely on an excel-based solar calculator that I created.  I thought it might be useful to share.

  • Solar Toolkit – excel based solar calculator. Last updated 05.03.09. Please see instructions for proper usage.
  • Solar Radiation Chart – useful for estimating peak solar of your location (# hours of day of strong sunlight)
  • Solar Radiation Chart 2 – includes optimal PV inclination angles for facing the sun

Please note: this is NOT intended to replace getting a detailed power estimate from a local solar expert who can best take in account the local conditions. This is more intended to help you with estimates when you are looking to bring a project off-grid. Please use at your own risk.

Solar Costing

A common question relating to PV systems is what does it cost?  A technique commonly used is to estimate the cost at $10-per-watt. This includes the cost of the panels, batteries, charge controller and wiring – installed.  A 100W system, for example, would cost you around $1,000.   You can begin to see why we tend to get so nutty about power efficiency! =)

Note: In Africa we’ve found this price to vary widely from $10 to over $15 due to different policies on import taxation, transport costs and varying levels of local competition.  Also, $10-per-watt is for the initial setup of a PV system only.  To consider issues of sustainability, it is important to take in account that batteries will need to be replaced every 2-3 years and the charge controller ever five.  If you wish to factor in replacement costs, to keep the system operational,  $15-per-watt should be used.