Browsing by Author "Silva, I. P."

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    Potential of distributed wood-based biopower systems serving basic electricity needs in rural Uganda
    (Elsevier B.V ScienceDirect, ) Da Silva, Izael; Buchholz, T.; Silva, I. P.
    Current efforts to improve electricity services in Uganda evolve around satisfying growing urban demand as well as stabilizing and boosting a low electricity supply. Although virtually non-existent, rural electrification is receiving very little attention. This paper investigates the potential of wood-based biopower fueled from coppicing shrubs on its feasibility to provide affordable basic electricity services to rural Ugandan households. Gasification was the specific technology we assessed. In the calculations, a worst case scenario was chosen for wood-based biopower to compete with alternative sources of electricity: Cost and land use estimates assumed a rather high household consumption (30 kWh/month), a low household size (8 persons), a low area productivity (3 oven-dried tons per ha per year), a low electrical conversion efficiency (15%) and a high demand competing for fertile land with the biopower system. Cost estimates considered a high biomass price (18.5 US$/odt), a low capacity factor for the biopower system of 0.5 (therefore requiring installation of a larger unit) and high capital costs of 2300 US$ per kW installed. Additional pressure on fertile land would be negligible. Such biopower systems can outcompete other sources of electricity from a micro and macro-economic standpoint when looking at the local scale. Results indicate that biopower can deliver better and more energy services at 47 US$/yr and household or 0.11 US$/kWh which is below current average costs for e.g. off-grid lighting in rural Ugandan households. Additionally, only this biopower option offers the ability to households, sell wood to the biopower system and contribute at least four times as much to the local economy than the other electricity options used as terms of comparison. Further research has to focus on developing business plans and loan schemes for such biopower options including sustainable fuelwood supply chains based on coppicing shrubs which have the ability to contribute to agricultural site improvements. The approach outlined in this paper can further serve as a general framework to compare different options of electricity production across technologies and fuel sources especially for rural development purposes incorporating a multitude of aspects.
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    Small scale carbon sequestration using solar powered LED Lanterns: A case study in Uganda
    (Small PV-Applications Rural, ) Da Silva, Izael; Silva, I. P.; Sendegeya , A.; Bakkabulindi, G.
    The quest for reducing GHG emissions has got a great deal of opportunities in Africa. From the energy forests, short rotation coppice, to reducing paraffin use for lighting purposes we find a wide field of initiatives with the power to greatly impact climate change and global warming. The present study is one of the said initiatives. In Uganda 7 out of 10 people use paraffin for lighting. It is not surprising in a country where less than 10% of the population has access to electricity and more than 85% of the population still cooks with firewood and charcoal. A sample of 100 households in an area with no electricity was chosen to purchase at subsidized price the solar lanterns and a logbook system were put into place to check how much paraffin were spared. A monitoring, verification and evaluation system was followed to assess also other issues apart from carbon sequestration such as change of behavioural patterns, use of saved money, product improvement, etc. Another 100 households with no LED lanterns were used as control sample. The study was done in cooperation with Uganda Carbon Bureau. This institution provides support to such initiatives. Lessons learned and best practices are included.
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    The impact of the SERC based solar PV outreach training program in Kenya
    (Strathmore Energy Research Center, 2016-06-23) Silva, I. P.; Ronoh, G.; Nalubega, T.; Njogu, M.; Da Silva, Izael
    In this paper it is described how Strathmore Energy Research Centre developed an outreach project funded by USAID, National Science Foundation (NSF) to empower technical institutions to offer solar courses hence creating a pool of qualified technicians spread throughout the geography of the country. Presently the situation is that Kenya has around 1000 solar technicians working in the market with no formal solar PV training or accreditation. The National Industrial Training Authority NITA, which regulates nonacademic skills or craft based training, was helped by this project to develop a PV solar curriculum at three levels (T1/T2/T3) which empowers from craft level technicians to engineers to deal with design, installation and maintenance of PV systems from solar lantern up to utility size level. ERC, the Energy Regulatory Commission for Kenya has supported the initiative as technicians once trained can be accredited by and thus further strength the industry. By June 2016, which is the end of the program, Kenya is to have 1800 accredited technical personnel near almost every major town in the country. The paper describes the positive and negative aspects of this venture.