Thursday, 13 June 2013.
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| Mark Eagles from far left supervises two TPL staff that helped install the solar panels. |
Tonga Power installed a 10 kW worth of solar on the roof of the Alonga Centre at Pea in Tongatapu to better understand the practicalities and efficiencies of grid connected photovoltaic electricity generation which in simple terms, solar power hooked up to the power supply network.
This project provides a platform for Tonga Power’s effort to promote renewable energy as it continues to strive towards providing clean energy to the people of Tonga. The project underlines Tonga Power’s commitment to renewable energy generation and assists staff to understand how to deal with solar as an embedded generator when the number of installations increases.
Funded by Tonga Power Ltd, the project cost $50, 000 pa’anga with 40 panels all together. The solar panels are 15.4% energy efficient using blend crystalline modules.
Nikolasi Fonua, Business Development Manager Tonga Power Ltd said, “The project provides a means for supplementing the energy requirements of the Alonga Centre which consumes approximately 600 kWhrs on average every month to store food, and provide cooling and lighting. The system will significantly reduce the electricity consumed by the centre”.
The installation took less than one week and was carried out by TPL staff with support from Mark Eagles of What Power Crisis, who supervised the installation of the system. “The whole process from tendering for supply of equipment, identifying and choosing the right site to actual physical installation of the system has been a very important learning curve for Tonga Power and its staff”, said Mr Fonua.
The Alonga Centre for the handicapped at Pea is an organisation that looks after people with disabilities and is maintained by the Queen Mother – Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho.
How it works
When the sun shines, the system will generate a maximum of 10 KW of power. The electricity is used to supplement the electricity use of the ‘Alonga Centre for the handicapped and excess is fed into the local LV network which is about 15, 000 kwhrs per annum.
Electrical, sunshine and temperature measurement data is being collected and logged on a computer database for analysis and benefits of photo-voltaic generation.
The inverter makes it possible to connect the solar panels to batteries, the consumer’s electrical system, and feed electricity back into the grid. The inverter used at the Alonga Centre is a Steca Grid 10000.
An inverter’s most important task is to convert the direct current electricity into alternating current. Alternating current is what runs the appliances in the home. Depending on the type of inverter, they can pump all the excess electricity produced into batteries or back into the power grid so that energy can be stored for when it is really needed.
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The 10 kW worth of solar installed on the roof of the Alonga Centre.
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
Nikolasi Fonua
Business Development Manager
Tonga Power Limited
Phone: (+676) 21400
nfonua@tongapower.to