Porvenir

Porvenir
Porvenir, Bolivia

Solar Panels:
Siemens

Solar Project Electricity Generation:
2.5 kW peak

Number of Panels:
48 Siemens M55 modules with a nominal voltage of 12-volts connected in series sets of two to meet the 24-volt nominal system voltage

Connections to school:
inverter converts DC to AC
grid independent
includes batteries

Porvenir Internet Project:
http://www.porvenir.solarquest.com/index.asp

The goal of this project is to provide electricity and an Internet connection to a school in rural Bolivia. Porvenir is a village of 600 indigenous people living in the Amazon rainforest. Services are very limited - a diesel generator provides electricity sporadically, there is one satellite telephone, and a small village school. The school provides education to grade 6. Since the region is geographically isolated, youth generally do not travel to another village or town to continue their education beyond this grade level.

The partnership to bring solar electric energy and the Internet to Porvenir was initiated by American Electric Power (AEP). With the Nature Conservancy and Fundación Amigos de Naturaleza (FAN) de Bolivia, AEP is working with communities adjacent to the Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado. This is one of the world's largest national parks that was established in 1990 thanks to the efforts of this partnership.

This PV system will consist of a 2.5 kW PV array, a 2.5 kW sinewave inverter delivering 230 volts at 50 Hz to an all-ac load with a battery bank for storing the energy. Circuit breaker combining boxes will be mounted near the PV modules. A dc power center will contain the necessary disconnects, overcurrent protection, charge control, and system monitoring device. The design and components will meet minimum USA safety standards and be specified for durable operation by untrained persons.

The dc system will operate at a nominal 24 volts using 48 Siemens M55 modules with a nominal voltage of 12-volts connected in series sets of two to meet the 24-volt nominal system voltage requirement. Twelve of the sets of modules will be connected to a dc combining box that will contain circuit breakers for overcurrent protection of the modules and the module interconnections. The remaining twelve sets of PV modules will be connected to a second dc combining box. Weather resistant cable will be used for the module connections.

The output of the two combining boxes will be transferred to the dc power center through heavy cables directly buried in the ground at least 24 inches deep. The dc power center will include disconnects, overcurrent protection, and charge control functions for the system. Conduit will be routed from the dc power center to both the inverter and the battery bank. Heavy conductors will carry currents between the power center, the inverter, and the batteries. The battery bank will consist of 16 flooded lead-acid batteries installed in heavy plastic boxes. The batteries will require periodic maintenance that will involve mainly adding distilled water.

The inverter will deliver 230V 50Hz power to an ac load center that will have three circuits for the loads in the building. Electrical loads planned for the school include three computers with Internet access via a satellite communications system, fluorescent lamps, and a television and VCR.