Overview
Our photovoltaic demonstration for CDAE 195 involved the installation
of a power system at the preschool located in Grand Fond Dominica. Prior to the
installation of the solar system the preschool relied on electricity from the
commercial power grid, which is especially costly in Dominica. As a result, the school utilized only a few
lights, which drew a maximum load of around 200w. The photovoltaic system that
was selected for this application was designed to provide enough power to
maintain this low draw while providing enough flexibility to allow for
increased future loads, such as to power a small television. Our team supervisor was Johnny Weis of Solar
Energy International. We worked with Johnny solar to assemble the components
and determined that the best place to install the was in the teacher’s office,
as it was out of children's reach and near the connection to the grid.
We ran into some minor problems from lack of proper tools but with ingenuity we
worked out the minor details. We worked on the system for four days, and with the
assistance Grant and Gary made the finishing touches. At the conclusion of our work week we were
around 85% done, with the only major hurtles left in to get the system up and
running being the installation and connection of the solar panels, which should
be accomplished by our partners from 3 Rivers soon. Once final installation is
complete, the system should work well for the preschool and provide clean and
free power for the teacher and the children for years to come. While working on
Grand Fond we met interesting people and learned a lot about their way of life.
Our group will hold the village of Grand
Fond and the preschool in the deep regard.
Photos from the Project
Building the Battery Box Grand Fond Preschool
Laying Out the Power System on the Board Mounting the Power system Board
Taking out the PV Panels for Testing Kelly Having fun Inspecting the Roof