Design description of the Tangaye Village photovoltaic power system
The engineering design of a stand alone photovoltaic (PV) powered grain mill and water pump for the village of Tangaye, Upper Volta is described. The socioeconomic effects of reducing the time required by women in rural areas for drawing water and grinding grain were studied. The suitability of photovoltaic technology for use in rural areas by people of limited technical training was demonstrated. The PV system consists of a 1.8-kW (peak) solar cell array, 540 ampere hours of battery storage, instrumentation, automatic controls, and a data collection and storage system. The PV system is situated near an improved village well and supplies d.c. power to a grain mill and a water pump. The array is located in a fenced area and the mill, battery, instruments, controls, and data system are in a mill building. A water storage tank is located near the well. The system employs automatic controls which provide battery charge regulation and system over and under voltage protection. This report includes descriptions of the engineering design of the system and of the load that it serves, a discussion of PV array and battery sizing methodology, descriptions of the mechanical and electrical designs including the array, battery, controls, and instrumentation, and a discussion of the safety features. The system became operational on March 1, 1979.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (USA). Lewis Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 6071099
- Report Number(s):
- N-8233828; NASA-TM-82917; E-1305
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
140600* -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
140909 -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Miscellaneous Solar Applications-- (1980-)
AFRICA
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
CONVERSION
COOPERATION
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ENERGY CONVERSION
EQUIPMENT
GRAIN REFINEMENT
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
MEMORY DEVICES
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
POWER RANGE 1-10 KW
PUMPS
RURAL AREAS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR WATER PUMPS
UPPER VOLTA
WATER PUMPS