NEW TECHNOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC & MANAGERIAL MODELS TO OFFER ELECTRICITY IN AMAZONIAN CONCENTRATED COMMUNITIES
In Copal Urco, in the Napo river basin, we offer the Luz en Casa Amazonia electricity service with solar home systems to the most isolated homes since 2018. Meanwhile, the most concentrated homes, some community buildings and the street lighting had electricity service during 3 hours daily, in the nightfall, through a micro grid fed by a diesel generator.
Having this context, we executed a pilot project with the objective of improving the service provided through that micro grid and so extending the service hours, as well as avoiding the consumption of pollutant fuel. With this aim, we built a solar photovoltaic station to replace the existing diesel generator, which remains as an emergency back-up system, and we have also installed other systems to improve the management of the service.
The new station removes the consumption of diesel in this community, with the subsequent savings on fuel and maintenance for the motor, while keeping the optimal operation of the micro grid. Thus, we favour both giving up the fossil fuel market characterized by its volatility and reducing the greenhouse gases emission by generating electricity from solar photovoltaic technology.
All this to favour the daily activity in the community: the solar photovoltaic station will allow doubling the ours of service available at homes -initially 5:30-6:30 and 18:00-23:00-, it will provide 24/7 service to the community buildings -3 schools, 1 health centre and the community premises- and it will maintain the street lighting during 3 hours daily in the nightfall.
OF SERVICE IN 5 COMMUNITY CENTRES
OF SERVICE IN 53 HOUSEHOLDS
OF STREET LIGHTING
MAIN ASPECTS OF THE NEW SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL
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Technological model
We provide electricity service through a 33.5kWp solar photovoltaic station having a 110kWh lithium battery based electricity storage system to replace the current diesel generator, which remains as an emergency back-up system. The consumption of energy will be controlled through the home electricity meters installed. -
Economic model
We are going to determine an affordable cost per kWh to consume. The Centro Luz en Casa attending to the solar home system users will also manage the bought of energy generated by the micro grid. -
Management model
We promote a Micro grid Electrification Committee formed by users to be in charge of the basic maintenance of the new systems. The corrective maintenance, the annual revision of those systems and the replacement of equipment due to end of lifetime is the responsibility of acciona.org.