Template:TOCleft

Image of shipping container at the Ghetto2Garden site

Abstract

The following page will cover a variety of topics concerned with providing renewable energy to the Ghetto2Garden site in Dominican Republic. The background goes over the current conditions of the Ghetto2Garden site, as well as introduces the Renewable Energy team members. In the Problem Statement section a table is provided with the criteria and constraints of the project with a weight attached to each. The Literature Review covers a variety of topics related to renewable energy. Next, a timeline with descriptions of the project steps and completion dates is provided followed by a table with our project costs. Lastly, the page goes on to describe the step by step process by which a PV system is sized and installed.

Background

During the months of May through July in 2014, students from Humboldt State University in the Practivistas Dominicana Program are working in collaboration with Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), Collectivo RevArk, and Ghetto2Garden. A group of five students consisting of Noah Coor, Jackson Ingram, Emily Klee, and Jeff Mosbacher are designing a project to provide solar energy that will power the electricity needs for Ghetto2Garden. Ghetto2Garden needs power for lighting, outlets, and a waterpump.

Problem statement

The objective of this project is to design and implement an alternative energy system that can produce power for Ghetto2Garden.

Criteria

The following table designates the criteria for completing our project weighted on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being of little importance and 10 being of the highest importance. 

Criteria Weight Constraint
Durability    9 The system must be able to withstand the various weather conditions of the Dominican Republic
Functionality    10 Must be able to power the clients needs and store excess electricity
Cost    8 Must not exceed the project budget
Material Locality    6.5 Materials must be locally available
Security & Safety    9 Must be a well protected and hidden system from theft as well as any possible physical harm to people and animals near by
Ease of Maintenance    8.5 System must require little maintenance and be easy to understand and work with
Aesthetics    5 System constructed in a visually pleasing way

Literature Review

Here is a link to a review of the literature pertinent to the 2014 alternative energy project.

Construction

Listed below is a timeline of the events of the Renewable energy team and the objectives that were completed. This section includes a cost analysis of the project and its required materials, as well as a "How-To" table for the steps needed to size and assemble a Photovoltaic System.

Timeline

The following table outlines the tasks and dates for the project.

Date Proposed Task Photos Date Completed
June 10th Met with one of the coordinators, Ivan Tarrazo, for Ghetto2Garden to discuss the energy needs of the company and the projects details. The director wants to power a refrigerator, a water pump, lights and fans for each shipping container. Gave the coordinator a Kill-A-Watt meter in order to gather information about the refrigerators energy usage. Talked briefly about system security and location.
G2GContainers.jpg
June 10th
June 13th Worked on sizing the Ghetto2Garden PV system.
SizingXls.png
June 15th
June 14th Went to the Ghetto2Garden site to take photos and gather information needed to size up their PV system. Spoke to Tomas about specific energy needs.
G2Gdogs.jpg
June 14th
June 27th Purchase required materials.
G2Gmaterials.JPG
June 27th
June 28th Install PV system.
JeffNoahG2GPV.JPG
June 29th
July 1st Final checks and testing, added labels.
G2Gsystemworking.png
July 1st
July 3rd Presentations
Renewable energy team presentation.jpeg
July 3rd

Costs

This is a cost budget for this project, which includes the quantity, and the Dominican peso and US dollar price for each item.

Material Quantity Unit Price (RD$) Total (RD$) Total (US$)
255 Watt Yingli Panda Solar Panel 2 12,200.00 24,400.00 561.18
Charge Controller 1 5,400.00 5,400.00 124.20
6V Battery 4 5,200.00 20,800.00 478.38
Inverter 1.5Kw / 24V 1 DONATED 0.00 0.00
Ground Fault Protection 63Amp 1 3,300.00 3,300.00 75.90
Lightning Protection 63Amp 1 3,550.00 3,550.00 81.65
63Amp Breaker 1 625.00 625.00 14.37
30Amp Breaker 1 625.00 625.00 14.37
Ground Wire 1 100.00 100.00 2.30
Terminal Connectors 4 80.00 320.00 7.36
Electrical Cable 150 ft 8.00 1,200.00 27.61
Electrical Tape 1 176.00 176.00 4.05
Total Cost $61,121.00 $1,405.75

How to recreate

Step-by-step instructions on how this system was created.

Ghetto2Garden PV system materials.jpeg
Materials Needed:
1. PV Panels
2. Electrical Tape
3. Multi Meter
4. 30 Amp Breaker
5. 35 Amp Charge Controller
6. Electrical AC Wiring
7. 1.5 Kw Inverter
8. 63 Amp Breaker
9. Lightning Protection
10. Ground Fault Protection
11. 6V Deep Cycle Batteries x 4
12. Terminal Connector Wires
13. Grounding Wire
14. Battery Cable Lugs

Part 1: Sizing the System

File:Default.png
How to Size the System

Part 2: Assembling the System

NOTE: Depending on which model charger controller you are using, the order of the wiring will vary. It is important that you follow the installation instructions stated in your charge controller manual.

File:G2GLoadWiring.JPG
How to Connect the System

Operation

The following is a guide to the maintenance of the solar power system as well as information about its operation.

Maintenance

In order to keep this system up and running efficiently, periodic checks are mandatory. These check-ins involve inspecting the wires for all aspects of the system, and monitoring the solar charge controller. The panels must also be cleaned once a month, or after a storm in order to maintain panel efficiency. The batteries must also be replaced after their lifespan has ended.

Instructions

  • When nobody is here, make sure switch is flipped to the right.
  • When solar power is needed, flip switch to the left.
  • During times of no sun, minimize energy consumption, and only use solar system when absolutely needed. Otherwise have switch flipped to the right.
Image of switch flipped to the left, using solar power

Conclusion

The following section addresses the teams results for the system at Ghetto2Garden, and discusses the things that could be added to improve the system as well as instructions for future users to troubleshoot the system.

Testing results

Upon completion of the installation of the solar PV system at Ghetto2Garden, the team was successfully able to verify the working condition of the system. After turning on both the breakers, the final test was to turn on the loads, which successfully worked.

Lessons learned

Some of the lessons that we learned while installing the PV system at Ghetto2Garden are discussed below.

  • The battery monitor should be installed across the entire of the battery bank in order to monitor the batteries, instead of just one, even though the batteries are wired in series.
  • Plan ahead and contact the people helping you install the system at least a day in advance to assure that you have the correct tools for the job.
  • Always over-estimate the load that your system will need to produce. A little bit more electricity produced than is necessary is better than not having enough electricity.
  • Follow the instructions that come with the solar charge controller, because the order of which you connect the wires to the controller matter.
  • Our team learned a lot about the difference between AC and DC current and how to wire the two different types. Specifically, make sure you have a smaller gauge wire (larger wire) for the DC aspect of your system as opposed to the AC aspect of your system. The reasoning for this is that DC current drops in voltage over a long distance, where AC current can have smaller wires and can travel over much larger distances.
  • Create a way for the panels that are laying flat on the ground to be raised up in order to create airflow underneath the panels when they get hot.

Next steps

The following are additional steps that groups in the future can do to improve upon the system at Ghetto2Garden.

  • Install a mounting system for the panels, that will also secure them from any possible theft. For help with this step, contact Tito from La Yuca, who has some ideas in mind.
  • Disconnect the battery monitor and connect it to the entire battery bank, instead of just one battery.
  • Add a label for the battery monitor that says to flip the switch to the grid (to the right) once it reads a certain voltage, to allow the batteries to recharge.

Troubleshooting

Below is a chart that details some problems and solutions for the charge controller and other PV system components.

Problem Possible Cause Solution
Charge Controller is overcharging battery (verified by measured current through the controller). PV positive and Battery positive wires have been swapped. Verify the voltage on PV terminal and Battery terminal are from the correct sources.
Charge Controller is locking up. PV positive and Battery positive wires have been swapped. Verify the voltage on PV terminal and battery terminal are from the correct sources.
Charge controller status LED blinks orange after switching on array breaker. PV wires are connected in reverse polarity. Verify PV polarity relative to battery negative.
Charge controller LED blinks orange at times during the solar day. A) Controller is overheating.
B) Array is supplying more current than the controller is rated for (press reset button and measure current).
A) Check ambient air temperature around controller.
B) Divide array with another controller or use large controller.
System is not providing power for as long as usual. Batteries are becoming worn down. Replace batteries.
System is providing little power. Batteries may be drained . Turn off solar power and allow for recharge of batteries.
System does not work. A) Possible wire faulting.
B) One or more of the appliances are faulty.
A) Thoroughly investigate wires for visible damage and replace if needed.
B) Replace one or more components of system if needed.

Video

Error in widget YouTube: Unable to load template 'wiki:YouTube'

Team

The Renewable Energy Team of 2014 consists of the following Humboldt State University Engineering students, as well as Javier Duran Jr. from La Yuca. Also, a very special thanks to Tito from the La Yuca Community for providing his expert electrical knowledge and help.

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.