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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Although it's more expensive, I'd go with AC
Coupled SMA. Contact the owner of <A
href="http://standardmicrogrid.com/">http://standardmicrogrid.com/</A> for
more info on his recent work in Zambia...wait, I think he's there now. They have
a pretty sleek set-up for a Sunny Island-based system, monitoring included. I'd
go with ground-mount but be aware of theft (goes without saying, right?). You
can also check out Volunteers for International Aid (VIDA) <A
href="http://www.thevida.org/">http://www.thevida.org/</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>And hey, get me involved! It's been years since
I've been to A-land and I've been trying to get back ever since. So much so that
I've recently formed a non-profit, Good Sun, to go back to places like
Africa and do good work for good people.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>My bags are packed...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Eric Stikes</DIV>
<DIV>Owner</DIV>
<DIV>SunHarvest</DIV>
<DIV>001.530.798.3738 (Cell)<BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=atruitt@gmail.com href="mailto:atruitt@gmail.com">Andrew Truitt</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, November 06, 2013 3:43
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [RE-wrenches] Off-grid in
Tanzania</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Wrenches - I am working with Lee Bristol and Ray Walters on 20
off-grid PV systems in Tanzania at various types of remote health care
facilities. There will be 3 system offerings: 2, 4, and 6 kW, all 230V,
50Hz. We are currently considering the following issues and would
appreciate input:
<DIV>
<UL>
<LI><B>AC coupled SMA system vs. DC coupled Outback/Midnite system</B>: We
have had positive experiences with Sunny Boy / Sunny Island systems in GT w/
battery back-up applications and we like the SMA production monitoring (more
on that later), but we are not sure how appropriate the system is for
off-grid. Cost is a consideration, as well as energy harvest,
simplicity for in-county technicians, future system expansion, battery SOC
remote monitoring, integration of generators, running power to multiple
buildings, inverter over-sizing to increase equipment lifetime, reliability,
battery over/under-charging prevention, ease of use for the customer, surge
capability, and programable load shedding. We have had numerous
internal discussions about this particular decision and would appreciate
additional viewpoints.
<LI><B>Ground mount vs. Pole mount</B>: The roofs at the sites are far from
ideal in both construction and solar access so we are planning to locate all
the arrays on the ground. Soil types and slopes vary. Manual
labor will be readily available but heavy equipment will be hard to come by.
We would like to have a standard, replicable system which might be
more achievable with a pole mount (e.g. [8] 250W modules per pole for 2kW;
1, 2, or 3 poles per system), and poles might be easier to have
pre-installed before we arrive (e.g. you can't get the orientation wrong;
less spacing measurements to consider), but the cost difference is
significant (about $0.40/watt for S-flex ground mount vs. $1.05/watt for
DP&W TPM all in). The pole mount would be adjustable (east/west to
account for micro-climate variations, north/south for seasonal adjustments),
but how much of a value does that add at 10 degrees south latitude? A
ground mount could be ballasted which could be a big benefit in some
locations.
<LI><B>Monitoring options</B>: This is a tough one. Obviously there is
not robust internet access so we are looking at cell modems for data
transmission. Does anyone have a recommendation for a 3rd party
off-grid full system remote monitoring provider? Pentametric is an
option - anyone have experience with the on-line interface or remote
monitoring reliability? All the OEMs have monitoring options for
production and battery SOC, but we want to have an additional system to
compare data and provide redundancy. </LI></UL>
<DIV>Clearly there are many more factors that go into these decisions than I
have conveyed here, but we are just hoping to get some thoughts on the issues
from the extensive off-grid knowledge base on this list, particularly from
anyone with experience in Africa.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks in advance!
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)">For a brighter energy
future,<BR><BR><BR>Andrew Truitt <BR></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)">Principal<BR>Truitt Renewable Energy </SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)">Consulting, LLC</SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)"><A
href="tel:%28202%29%20486-7507" target=_blank value="+12024867507">(202)
486-7507</A></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A
href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-truitt/8/622/713"
target=_blank>LinkedIn Profile</A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://truittreconsulting.weebly.com/"
target=_blank>Company Website<SPAN><SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)"><SPAN>NABCEP</SPAN>
Certified PV Installation Professional ID: 032407-66</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(56,118,29)">Colorado Journeyman
Electrician License No.: 600132</SPAN><BR></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)"><A
href="tel:%28202%29%20486-7507" target=_blank><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(17,85,204)"></SPAN></A></SPAN><U></U><U></U></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<P><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(20,125,186)"></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(20,125,186)"><IMG border=0 alt="24 copy.jpg"
src="cid:076B39F96D4F4009906C7A66D5380461@ERocks" width=200
height=133></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(20,125,186)"><BR></SPAN>"Don't
get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to
fission. And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor safely
banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could ever use in
just about 8 minutes. And it's wireless!"<BR><BR>~William McDonough</P>
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