Three hundred children in a remote school in Kenya now have electricity thanks to the successful installation of a portable experimental solar power system there. The design, developed as part of the IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge (HTC) Reliable Electricity Solution, is engineered in a way that is self-maintaining and user intuitive. The challenge was to design a system that people in rural, impoverished areas- many whom are both illiterate and non-technical- could easily use, operate, and repair. To solve the problem, a team of IEEE volunteer experts led by Butch Shadwell of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and Dr. Pritpal Singh of the IEEE Power and Energy Society met in 2010 to design a self-maintaining solar power system, powered by two 135 watt solar panels, that employs internal management intelligence far greater than what is normally found in a unit of its size. It implements many of the features normally associated with the smart grid. Some fundamental components include: keyed connectors for up to five external loads at a time; loads that have PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient thermister) self-resetting circuit protection with system monitoring; the ability to monitor current for every load and disconnect it if malfunction is suspected; and a system of pictographs that communicates user actions where necessary. The team also incorporated a low-power consuming internal data logger that can record environmental conditions, system performance and user behavior, to collect data for future enhancements to the design.

So far, the volunteers have installed test units in four locations: In Waslala, Nicaragua at a Catholic Parrish, to provide reliable lighting and refrigeration to a pharmacy as part of a program to provide medical care to the poor; In San Juan Yaro, Nicaragua, in a farm house that supports a women's health program, including HIV diagnosis and support; In Sirua Aulo Academy near Kilgoris, Kenya, where most students had never before seen an electric light in a building; and in Delaware County Community College (USA), for a program to teach students about solar power. A fifth system is scheduled to be installed at a remote medical clinic in Ghana this year. So far, all units have functioned well in a wide range of environments among various users. The self-maintaining solar power system is expected to become more affordable over time, as emergency first responders purchase units to support operations in disaster areas, increasing the economies of scale. As a result, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be able to finance it in the future for remote medical clinics and private use in impoverished areas.

For questions, or to get involved in the project, contact Rich Baseil, IEEE staff, at r.baseil@ieee.org. To learn more about the IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge, visit http://www.ieeehtc.org.