Name
Daria Freier
Programme, Year
PhD, 1st Year
Project Title
Portable concentrated photovoltaic systems for developing countries
Background to the project
Worldwide, 1.3 billion people are without access to electricity whereas more than 95% of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia [1]. The reliance on local biomass and kerosene leads to serious health problems due to smoke resulting in 1.5 million premature deaths per year [2]. Furthermore, access to clean energy is a key requirement for a sustainable economic development and is vital for various human rights. The lack of reliable electricity limits the productivity of the people and has a negative impact on the health care, education, communication and business opportunities [3]. Further consequences such as local deforestation and an increase in carbon emissions underline the need for clean energy supply [2].
Since the majority of the population in developing countries live in rural areas where the cost of an electrical grid extension is prohibiting, the electrification rate remains low [1]. Off-grid systems have been therefore regarded as the way forward, whereas solar energy is particularly suitable for applications such as lighting and charging devices, since it neither requires a connection to the main electricity grid nor a constant fuel supply [4]. Small solar home systems and solar lights have been successfully distributed in the past years, however, even though the cost for photovoltaic systems have significantly declined over the last decades, the technology often remains unaffordable for the poorest of the society. Furthermore, the light intensity of solar lights in the lowest price range is very poor [5].
What is the project researching?
Optical concentrators have been successfully used in the past to reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems[6]–[8], yet little research has been carried out on portable concentrated solar systems. Non-imaging concentrators are particularly suitable for this application due to low manufacturing cost, small size and no sun tracking requirement [7].
The aim of this project is to research and develop a novel non-imaging concentrator in order to increase the efficiency of portable solar generators. As a result, either the cost of the solar system can be reduced or the energy output increased while maintaining the cost. Non-imaging concentrators have therefore the potential to make clean energy more accessible for the poorest of the society contributing to an improvement of financial, educational and health conditions in developing countries.
What are the findings so far?
References
[1] IEA, “Energy poverty.” [Online]. Available: http://www.iea.org/topics/energypoverty/. [Accessed: 13-Oct-2015].
[2] Oecd/Eia, “Energy Poverty: How to make modern energy access universal?,” Spec. early excerpt World Energy Outlook, no. September, p. 52, 2010.
[3] S. S. By R. Podmore, R. Larsen, H. Louie, P. Dauenhauer, W. Gutschow, P. Lacourciere, R. Parigoris, “Affordable Energy Solutions for Developing Communities,” no. 89, pp. 89–98, 2012.
[4] D. Frame, K. Tembo, M. J. Dolan, S. M. Strachan, and G. W. Ault, “A community based approach for sustainable off-grid PV systems in developing countries,” 2011 IEEE Power Energy Soc. Gen. Meet., pp. 1–7, 2011.
[5] d.light, “d.light S2: the world’s most affordable quality solar lantern,” 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.dlight.com/solar-lighting-products/single-function/dlight-s2/. [Accessed: 07-Dec-2015].
[6] N. Sellami and P. Sciences, “Design and characterisation of a novel translucent solar concentrator, Chapter 1,” 2013.
[7] F. Muhammad-sukki, S. H. Abu-bakar, R. Ramirez-iniguez, S. G. Mcmeekin, B. G. Stewart, N. Sarmah, T. Kumar, A. Bakar, S. Hajar, M. Yasin, and R. Abdul, “Mirror symmetrical dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator for building integrated photovoltaic systems,” Appl. Energy, vol. 113, pp. 32–40, 2013.
[8] N. Sarmah and T. K. Mallick, “Design, fabrication and outdoor performance analysis of a low concentrating photovoltaic system,” Sol. Energy, vol. 112, pp. 361–372, Feb. 2015.