KATH to save $10,000 on electricity

Newly completed Mother & Baby unit at KATH,Kumasi-Ghana

The recently constructed Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi has five different sources of power, namely national electricity grid (ECG), backup battery bank, the KATH’s main generators, the facility’s own generator and a state of the art Grid-tied solar power system.The MBU’s power system is configured to prioritize solar as  the main power source. In the heart of the solar design is a 3 phase 20Kw Fronuis Symo inverter. Grid-tied solar power systems dont require batteries and are  the most cost effective to install.

 

 

Why The Fronuis Symo Inverter ?

The transformerless Fronius Symo is the ideal compact three-phase solar inverter for commercial applications of all sizes. The Fronius Symo is the clear commercial choice, boasting power classes from 10 kW to 25 kW, necessary features fully integrated, Fronius SuperFlex Design with dual MPPT, and a streamlined installation process. The SnapINverter hinge mounting system, lightweight inverter and easy commissioning app make installation possible in under fifteen minutes.

The installed solar power system is expected to save the hospital at least  U$D 50,000 in electricity bills over the next five years.The savings could be utilized by other operations of the facility such as drugs,salaries and vehicle  maintenance.

                                                                           Ghana has The only Green hospital in Africa

KATH to save $10,000 on electricity

polycrystalline solar panels installed on the roof of KATH,Kumasi

The USD 2.5 million ultra-modern facility, built in a record of five months, was spearheaded by Mrs Akufo-Addo and her team at the Rebecca Foundation, following the Multimedia’s Seth Kwame Boateng’s “Next to die” documentary on the deplorable conditions mothers and babies who attended the hospital for healthcare were going through.The world class facility that had earned EDGE certification, from a group affiliated to the IFC/ World Bank, for being the only green hospital in Africa, covers a total build area of 2,722 square meters, with an internal indoor area of 1,724 metre square, instead of the old MBU that had 350 metre square.

The building, which would house the Maternity, Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive care and operating theatres of the Hospital, had been built to withstand earthquakes, fires and explosions and has temperature insulation and noise isolation capabilities.It also has been well equipped with nine birthing beds instead of the former two at the old MBU, with three operating theatres, 130 baby cots.

                                                                             What can Ghana learn from this project ?

KATH to save $10,000 on electricity

20kva Fronuis inverter comes with 5 year warranty & was commissioned by Nocheski Solar

With 11 paediatric beds, two infant ventilators, filtered fresh air and independent post-delivery and post operatory rooms while the faucets, showers and toilets use low volume of water.The 2.5 million dollar facility is expected to help reduce the high infant and maternal mortality that is being recorded by the KATH over the years due to lack of space and hospital equipment.The First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and her Foundation partnered The Multimedia Group and many other partners  to raise funds for the project.Nocheski Solar would like to congratulate H.E Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo,Rebecca Foundation and all the project partners for investing in a Fronuis Grid-tied solar power system for the project.We believe this is worthy of emulation by other organizations  across the nation who may want to make enormous savings on electricity  in the future.Further enquiries may be made by calling a product specialist on +233244270092 or email tema@nocheski.com.

Take a glimpse of the installation in Kumasi in this short video

 


What is Ghana’s solar power potential ? The country is blessed is with decent solar  irradiation year round.Ghana is in fact  notorious for its scorching sunlight.

Before I begin, permit me to ask this, if Oil and Gas for Thermal Power Plants and the other fossils are that “Cheap” as some want us to believe, why then are electricity rates still going up?Every hour, the sun radiates more energy onto our earth than the entire human population uses in one whole year. The technology required to harness the power of the sun is available now. Solar power alone could provide all of the energy Ghanaians consume and there is no shortage of solar energy like there has been with the Akosombo Dam in recent days. The truth is, we do not need advanced math skills to follow and perform the solar arithmetic to prove that Ghana’s energy independence could be achieved with solar energy.

Every square meter (1m²) of the earth’s surface, when exposed to direct sunlight, receives about 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) of energy from the sun’s light. In reality, this power per hour for every square meter (1m²) might be more or less, depending on the angle of sunlight, which changes with the time of day, and the geographical location. On average, the sub Saharan region of Africa receives about (3 – 4 kilowatt per hour) of solar energy.

Nonetheless, studies have revealed promising potential for this resource in Ghana. According to the SWERA Ghana Project report, Wa, the capital of the Upper West region, has the highest level of solar irradiation (5.524 KWh/m2-day) across the country. May is the month with the highest solar irradiation (5.897 KWh/m2-day), with August recording the lowest measurement (4.937kWh/m2-day) in Wa. Akim Oda on the contrary is the location that records the lowest radiation (4.567kWh/m2-day) measurements across the country. The highest measurement in Akim Oda was recorded in the month of April (5.176kWh/m2-day) and the lowest in August (3.802kWh/m2-day).

 

Table 1: Summary of Solar irradiation in kWh/m2-day – SWERA Report

Synoptic Station Ground

(kWh/m2-day)

Satellite

(kWh/m2-day)

% Error
Kumasi 4.633 5.155 -11.3
Accra 5.060 5.180 -2.3
Navrongo 5.505 5.765 -4.7
Abetifi 5.150 5.192 -0.8
Akuse 4.814 5.58 -15.9
Wa 5.520 5.729 -3.7
Akim Oda 4.567 5.177 -13.3
Wenchi 5.020 5.093 -1.5
Ho 5.122 5.223 -2.0
Kete Krachi 5.280 5.345 -1.3
Takoradi 5.011 5.200 -3.8
Yendi 5.370 5.632 -4.8
Bole 5.323 5.570 -4.6

 

This estimate tells that sunlight will provide useful solar energy for about 4 to 6 hours per day because during the early hours and late hours of the day the angle of the sun’s light is too low.Therefore, let us assume for every square meter (1m²) exposed to continuous direct sunlight [in an optimal geographical location] for an average of 4.5 hours a day, we will have received 4.5 hours x 1000 watts = 4500 watthours (4.5kwh/m²) of solar energy during the course of a day (Ghana’s solar power potential). It would be great if 100% of the sunshine became electricity, but solar energy and electricity are not the same. Technology accomplishes the conversion of solar energy to electricity.

What is Ghana's solar power potential?

Revelers enjoy sunlight and water at Ghana’s famous Labadi beach in Accra

Conversion of one form of energy to another always causes a loss of energy. In other words, the new form of energy will be less than the original. Efficiency is the word used to describe the difference in power resulting from the conversion of one form of energy to another. The efficiency of commercially available solar panels (PV) is now between 15% – 40.7%. This means that when a solar panel converts the sun’s light to electricity, only about 15 to 40.7 percent of the energy in the sunlight becomes electricity. The same thing is true of gasoline in your car and other thermal engines. Your car’s engine can only convert about 25 percent of the energy in gasoline to mechanical energy that turns the wheels.

With an average efficiency of 15 to 40.7 percent, every square meter (1m²) of solar photovoltaic cells (PV) would produce (4.5 kilowatthours of solar energy multiplied by 15% =) between 0.68 kilowatthours of electric energy per day.

Solar panels (PV) covering an area of 100m²(1 Plot of Land) would produce 100 x .68 = 68 kilowatthours of electricity per day. It is worth noting that 68kwh per day is a lot of electricity for a single family home.

 

Let’s juxtapose this arithmetic nationwide to the unused land surface:

– Size of Unreserved forest land in Ghana = 5 x 10³km² è 5 x 10⁹m².

– Assuming a Conversion Efficiency (Solar Panels) of 15%.

– Average Solar Irradiation 4.5kilowatthours (kwh) è 4500wh/day

– Annual average solar radiation = 4.5 x 365 è 1642.5kwh/m².y

– Assuming a Performance ratio, coefficient for losses of 0.75

So, 0.15 x 1642.5kwh/m².y x 5 x 10⁹m² x 0.75  è 923.9Gwh/y

What is Ghana's solar power potential ? The country is blessed is with decent solar  irradiation year round.Ghana is in fact  notorious for its scorching sunlight. power issues still prevailin May 2015 #DumorMustStop campaign was spearheaded by Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson and was patronized by many other celebrities

in May 2015 #DumorMustStop campaign was spearheaded by Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson and was patronized by many other celebrities

Like in Germany where Solar energy powered 50% of its midday electricity needs on May 26, 2012, this amount of energy can be used for same in Ghana.It is interesting to note that this amount of energy has been calculated from an area of 5,000km² which is only 2% of the total surface area of Ghana.In 2004, Ghanaians consumed 5,158 gigawatthours (GWh) of electricity. NEDCO alone contributed 340GWh out of this figure. This contribution from NEDCO is only one third of my estimate of the calculated solar potential. It is estimated that about half of this amount is consumed by domestic (or residential) consumers for household uses such as lighting, ironing, refrigeration, air conditioning, television, radio and the like.

In conclusion, let me say that the improved technology surrounding solar power is very significant. It has brought clean energy within practical use. Given the significant environmental benefits, there is a very strong case for government intervention to accelerate the switch to solar power. Considering Ghana’s solar power potential,  the reluctance to switch to solar power is delaying our national progress in living standards.

Source: Maxmillian Kwarteng | Gramax Energy Group – GEG | mkwarteng21@gmail.com