Alternative Power Source Investigation for Kinkajou Projectors

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Alternative Power Source Investigation for
Kinkajou Projectors

• Yue Cathy Chang
• Hong Hong
• Manish Jhunjhunwala
• Todd Ruddick
• Jeremy Weinstein
• November 22, 2004

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Outline

• Background
• Recommendation
• Examined Alternatives
• Power Supplies
• Chargers
• Energy Rental
• Future Steps/Conclusion
• Sources

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Background

• Illiteracy Problem
• One in five adults worldwide cannot read.
• In rural regions of West Africa, up to 75
  illiterate.
• Causes for Illiteracy (according to Barbara
  Garner of the World Education Organization)
• The lack of resources access to books and
  lighting
• Design that matters (DtM), a Massachusetts
  nonprofit, has tackled this particular problem by
  designing the Kinkajou Portable Library and
  Projection System.

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Current Power System is Expensive

• DtMs working power system
• a motorcycle battery and solar cells combination
• Not viable based on cost constraints (target 25)
• Power system costs 130
• Solar panel 80
• Battery rest of package 50

Kinkajou projector prototype and power source
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Procurement Issues Drove Expense

• Energy not readily available
• Miscommunication on the prevalence of batteries
  in Mali
• Energy readily available in urban areas, but not
  in rural communities where it is needed most
• DtM needed to seek a quick option
• Had a limited time span to determine initial
  power supply option to demonstrate Kinkajou
  feasibility
• Chose solar panel and battery that were readily
  available
• Off the shelf items with little examination for
  cost
• More robust and efficient than needed
• Resulted in power solution priced well outside of
  the desired region

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Power System Analysis Criteria

• Need a new power supply and a new recharge option
• Power supply should be chosen based on six
  criteria

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Recommendation

• Power Supply (12V- 8Ah)
• Sealed Lead Acid Battery (4-7)
• Gel Cell or Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM)
• Charge Controller
• Stop excessive current--perhaps unnecessary
• Turn itself off when battery is full 2
• Indicator that battery is fully charged 3
• Power Charger (8W, 2.7ft x 2.7ft Array)
• Solar Panel 3/W

Total Cost 35
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Power Supply SLA Battery

• COST 4-7 (for 12V-8Ah Battery)
• POWER OUTPUT 6W _at_ 12VDC
• POWER DURATION 96 W-hr/cycle available
  (Recommend only using 29 W-hr/cycle)
• USEFUL LIFE AGM 4-7yrs Gel 2-5 yrs
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Will not spill even if broken
• No maintenance
• Requires charge controller
• PROCUREMENT Various suppliers
• www.batterymart.com 9
• ebay www.gruber.com 7-11
• www.iebpower.com 4

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Charger Silicon Solar Array

• COST 25 (for a 8W panel)
• POWER OUTPUT 8W _at_ 12VDC (7W net after losses)
• POWER DURATION 35W-hr/day (assumes 5 hours of
  sunlight)
• USEFUL LIFE Guaranteed for 10 yrs should last
  20 yrs
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Requires no natural resources and is pollution
  free
• No special precautions needed for disposal
• PROCUREMENT Indian manufacturers with help from
  SELCO/Harish Hande

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Power Supply and Charger Approach

• Mechanical Energy
• Micro Turbines
• Pico-hydroelectric
• Human Generated Power
• Bicycle
• Rowing Machine
• Thermal Energy
• Biomass
• Chemical Energy
• Fuel Cells
• Lead Acid Accumulator (Recommended power supply)
• Solar Energy
• Mono-crystalline Silicon Solar Array (Recommended
  charger)

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Power Supply Microturbine

• COST 100
• POWER OUTPUT 10-50W _at_ 12VDC
• POWER DURATION Fuel supply is only constraint
• USEFUL LIFE 15 years with a 2.5 kg supply of
  fuel (assumes 3 hrs/day)
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Runs on diesel fuel and produces a small amount
  of heat and exhaust gas pollution
• No special precautions needed for disposal once
  fuel is exhausted
• PROCUREMENT Not commercially viable for another
  5-8 years

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Charger Pico-hydroelectric

• COST 3000/kW
• POWER OUTPUT (1-5KW)
• POWER DURATION 24 hrs
• USEFUL LIFE estimated at 50 yrs
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Site Specific ?requires water stream
• Person hired to maintain system
• PROCUREMENT Studies done in Kenya
• Pico Hydro for Village Power A Practical Manual
  for Schemes up to 5 kW in Hilly AreasPhillip
  Maher and Nigel Smith

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Charger Bicycle Human Power

• COST 175
• POWER OUTPUT 35-45W _at_ 12VDC
• POWER DURATION 61 to 91 recharge ratio
• USEFUL LIFE Easy to maintain and should have a
  long life (20 yrs)
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Requires no natural resources and is pollution
  free
• No special precautions needed for disposal
• PROCUREMENT Can be assembled from indigenous
  parts

Bijli Bike An Example of Bicycle Power
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Charger Rowing Human Power

• COST 1000/unit (will decrease in bulk)
• POWER OUTPUT TBD
• POWER DURATION TBD
• USEFUL LIFE Easy to maintain and should have a
  long life (20 yrs)
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Requires no natural resources and is pollution
  free
• No special precautions needed for disposal
• PROCUREMENT Slightly more complicated to
  assemble than a bicycle

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Power Supply Biomass

• Involves burning biomass to generate heat which
  can then translate into energy
• Pushes the problem downstream as opposed to
  solving it essentially then relies on a
  microturbine, or thermal power
• Not suitable from Kinkajous available resources
• Environmentally may not be conducive
• Cost will depend entirely on the ability to
  generate power from heat generated the heat
  capture efficiency and conversion efficiency, no
  easy way to do this
• Power output, duration is appropriate
• Very rugged systems normally, and good useful life

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Power Supply Fuel Cells

• Involves reforming, combustion, gas-liquid
  separation among others
• High impact area with numerous small scale
  portable power applications
• Great interest from companies as well as academia
• Proprietary technology under development
• Very expensive
• Although potential power output, duration,
  environmental friendliness very lucrative and
  useful life within target
• Not completely ready yet technologically and an
  economical misfit
• Source Leonel Arana, PhD Thesis, MIT Chemical
  Engineering, 2003

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Summary
Power Supply
Power Charger
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Why Consider Energy Rental

• Increase access to include a wider range of high
  cost-high capacity alternatives
• Number of interesting technologies, but not the
  right scale (normally too big) or cost (too high)
• Can energy rental offset the cost of a more
  expensive power solution?
• Does a viable market exist for energy rental?
• What is the breakeven point to recoup the cost of
  the projector and power solution?
• How long will it take to develop the energy
  rental infrastructure?

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Energy Rental Potential

• Energy rental purchase power source and rent it
  out for different applications
• Conclusion
• Effective business model if going into energy
  rental
• Not cost effective if want to use as cost
  recouping mechanism

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High Potential Demand

• Mali residents purchase power (2003 est)
• Purchase power parity 900
• Per capita income 250
• Skilled worker salary 1,560
• Mali village population
• Mostly 1000-2000
• Annual battery consumption in Mali
• 100 Million

• Malis annual electricity demand growth rate
• 24 in early years
• 6 in later years

• In very low income, remote areas, people still
  spend US 7-10/month (up to 120 annually) on
  batteries

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Battery Rental Can be Effective

• Equipment cost is fully recoverable within its
  lifecycle with rental income
• Assumptions 80/solar array, 25/battery

105 recovered in 15 months
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India Energy Rental Learning

• Initial difficulties
• Convince customers of the concept
• Establish a trusting relationship
• Convince entrepreneur to take all risks
• First 50 businesses proved a working model,
  quickly expanded to 700
• Still only 5-6 of all installations
• Financing options need negotiation

Battery Recharging Station
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Conclusion

• Battery 12V 8Ah SLA
• Charger 8W Solar Array
• Total Cost 35
• Decision Based on
• Available Technology
• Low Cost, Low Maintenance
• Other options available, but would require energy
  rental

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Thank You

• Design That Matters
• Timothy Prestero
• Neil Cantor
• Peter Fichter
• Allen Armstrong
• Tim McNerney
• Harish HandeSELCO
• David HallidayUniv. of Calgary
• Christine Lin2.009 Kinkajuice Team
• Adrian HightowerUniv. of Southern California
• Jan KleinMIT Sloan
• Alan EpsteinMIT Gas Turbine Laboratory

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Resources

• Battery Recharging
• http//www.thesustainablevillage.com/
• Masas battery project in Mali
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/public
  ations/courier/courier170/en/105.pdf
• Electricity Expansion in Mali
• https//engineering.purdue.edu/IE/Research/PEMRG/
  PPDG/ECOWAS/REPORTS/Mali.pdf
• Facts of Mali
• http//www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2828.htm
• http//siakhenn.tripod.com/capita.html
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/ci
  ty.shtml?ttTT000380
• Multifunctional Platform for Village Power
  http//www.undp.org/seed/eap/html/publications/200
  1/files_2001a/07_Mali.pdf
• Energy Rental in India
• Interview with Harish Hande

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Resources (Continued)

• Bicycle power generation
• http//www.econvergence.net/electro.htm
• http//www.oneforindia.org/ofi2002/bijilibike.php
  
• Solar Energy
• Interview with Harish Hande
• Interview with Adrian Hightower
• Microturbines
• Interview with Alan Epstein

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Energy From Water Pico hydro