Power
Let There Be Light in Rural PNG
China's solar and wind system a hit
The simple Chinese technology of solar and wind hybrid lighting system now used in the Central province of Papua New Guinea is proving to be a success. And it is envisaged that this low cost technology may be used by the government to light up its rural establishments such as schools, aid posts, health centres and district offices to make service delivery efficient, improve communication links and encourage civil servants to live and work in the rural areas.
The Central Provincial Government with the energy division of the Department of Petroleum and Energy are spearheading this project to light up the rural districts of the Central province starting with the installation of solar and wind hybrid systems for Bereina Health Centre in the Kairuku/Hiri District and Kapari in the Rigo District.
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The Bereina Health Centre has been without power for over six years since the government station generator broke down. The nursing staff have had to light fires and use torches or hurricane lamps to deliver babies at the maternity ward and attend to casualties and emergencies.
Government workers and health centre staff said the solar and wind hybrid systems served a genuine need for health workers as well as patients in rural areas.
Provincial liaison officer Thomas Eme, who coordinates the project, anticipates more support for the project. "We have the governor who's supporting the project after seeing the importance of electrification and its benefits to the rural people of the province." The installation cost is only K4500 per system. It is anticipated that the project will solve the lighting problems in rural government stations.
The hybrid systems will provide lights as long as the wind is blowing and the sun is shining. The wind turbine generates 500 watts of power energy every time the wind is blowing. The battery bank will be fully charged so that excess energy is dumped in a dummy load and dissipated as heat.
When funds are available or when energy demand increases, the battery bank capacity can be increased to take additional loads.
