Supplying off grid areas with electricity
July 2011
Electrical Power & Protection
Simple system planning with solutions from SMA.
Standalone power systems can be set up easily using the Sunny Island system developed by SMA to make reliable energy supply possible in off-grid areas.
At first glance, standalone power systems appear diverse to cater for the ambient conditions that determine which type of renewable energy source can best be applied for the application. What follows is an overview of the typical applications for solar energy, battery banks and diesel generators. With these we aim to provide an introduction to the technology and offer support for the planning and installation of standalone solar powered electricity installations. The advantages of this approach include:
* Components compatibility.
* System planning in accordance with regulations.
* Easy upgrade to larger energy supply systems.
* Adjustment to meet individual demands.
* Worldwide SMA support.
The Sunny Island system
The SMA way to an easy standalone solution
The ideas presented here offer the basics for constructing standalone power systems that cover a diverse range of classes. Whether for free-standing vacation homes, remote farms or entire villages, the configurations proposed ensure simple design and straightforward installation. Individual components are tailored to work optimally together and, together with the Sunny Island battery inverter, ensure a reliable supply of power that can be adjusted to suit local conditions. In step with growing energy demand, additional components can be integrated easily into the system to cope with any additional demand.
The modular construction of Sunny Island provides maximum flexibility for the supply of electricity to off-grid areas. All the components required for the use of solar, wind or hydropower, as well as battery banks or fuel cells can be integrated into the system without difficulty. Subsequently, sets can be adjusted for optimum fit to any geographic peculiarities.
Monitoring from anywhere in the world
A variety of data technology products are available to support monitoring of Sunny Island installations, from Sunny Boy Control for local monitoring to the Internet-based Sunny WebBox data logger.
Standalone energy supply systems are often located in remote regions and only rarely do system operators have the possibility to control them on site. The Internet team of Sunny WebBox together with the Sunny Portal allow operators to check the system from anywhere in the world and to react quickly in the case of a fault.
An innovative application
The Sunny Island system has been used to provide scientific research stations, often located far from the public grid, with an ideal solution to supply the requisite power for base living and for the instrumentation. For stations with high energy demand, systems can be combined easily to ensure supply for large scientific instruments, for instance the telescopes at an astronomic observatory.
For more information contact Ettienne van der Westhuyzen, Current Automation, +27 (0)11 462 4253, ettienne@switches.co.za, www.rectifier.co.za
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