Designing of a PV solar energy system for the administration block and hostels of Busitema university main campus.

Abstract

Electricity is an integral utility in modern society with links to everything from human subconscious fear of the dark to the practical need for working illumination in an industrialized world. The entire world essentially runs an electricity in one form or another. Electricity is among the key issues emphasized under the national Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), which is the key government framework -for ensuring poverty eradication through creation of an enabling environment for rapid economic development and social transformation. At 69.5KWh per capita in 2009, Uganda's Electricity was one of the lowest in the world. Increased per capita. consumption has been cited as the key impetus for development in countries like Malaysia and Korea. During the 2010-2011 periods, the country's electricity supply continued to struggle to meet demand. By May 2011, a peak demand was estimated at 45-0MW against actual generation of 310M W. This resulted in prolonged load shedding (up to 24hrs) as electricity supply was actively rationed. Both domestic and industrial consumption was affected by this rationing. Therefore, the core intention of this project was to design PV Energy system for the administration block and hostels of Busitema University main campus located at Busitema. formally the National College of Agricultural Mechanization which is along Jinja-Tororo high way, 25km south-west of Tororo or 183km east of Kampala. The detailed objectives were: to carry out the baseline survey to determine the existing power heeds. to design and -size the System components and to carry out an economic analysis of the system. The basic methodology and the key elements, of the system design, data collection methods which were used include: desk study, consultations, interviews, baseline site photography and obtaining metrological data. An energy audit was carried out in the administration black and hostels and it was found that the hostel peak demand was 112A and 48A for the administration block. A system capable of supplying electrical energy for academic purposes, in the hostels and administration block was designed and component sizing was carried out. Major system components such as PV modules, charge controller, battery array and inverters were specified considering the insolation levels of 5.49 sunshine hours per day. An estimation of the total system costing of Uganda shillings 856, 143,375/= was made which included together with the possible ways of lowering the system cost without compromising the total system performance. The payback period was for the administration block and the hostels were 2 years and 11 years respectively. The following recommendations were made: implementation of the PV solar design in a phased manner and should be updated to cope with electricity demands of the University, encourage both students and staff on electric energy saving culture, design of the power distribution system in the administration block and hostels, employing of qualified technical staff to maintain the System and to design a solar hybrid system with the generator