Sustainable Peak Performance

Have almost completed the book I bought with me to read - no TV here!
The book is called Sustainable Peak Performance, by Mike Pratt & Helga Pratt and covers a theory they have developed about how businesses can embrace sustainable practices to improve outcomes for the bottom line, the communities they work in, the environment and humanity as a whole.
This really should be read by all business leaders - there are some really powerful examples of success stories, of founders who based their business on doing good and making a profit from it! Really inspiring!

Check out the website - http://www.sustainableenterprise.org

Appropriate Technology

One thing that has struck me during my time in Tuvalu is the number of aid projects where donors have provided equipment that works great in their home country, but in the Pacific Islands really isn't that appropriate. In Funafuti, many of the relics of these projects now litter the island of Fogafale - either at the side of roads, in front yards of government facilities, or simply where they were installed - no longer operational.

One example is the old Telecom Earth Station - not sure if it was an aid project, but most likely. It appears that the earth station for Telecom was removed from it's old position near the power house to a new location near the lagoon - much more sheltered than the old location and much less aggressive - begs the question - why was it sited at the original location in the first place? And why didn't they remove the old buildings and satellite dishes when they installed the new station?

In my opinion where aid is supplied there should be a requirement that when the project reaches the end of it useful life, the remnants are repatriated to the donor country for recycling. Or find a project where parts can be re-used and only repatriate parts that are beyond re-use. There needs to be more cradle-to-cradle thinking in aid project delivery.

As a materials specialist it has really impressed upon me the vital importance of materials selection, particularly in remote locations where adequate maintenance is unlikely.

Renewables in Fiji

The Fiji sun reported on 26 April that 2 geothermal sites had been found on Vanua Levu - one in Labasa and one near Savusavu. Should research show these resources are viable, they would be used for steam generation that would in turn be used to generate electriciy.

Also in the paper was an article about the participation of Fiji in the recent Second Global Clean Energy Forum held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This article highlighted the call from the International Renewable Energy Agency to scrap over $300 billion in subsidies provided to consumers of fossil fuels globally, which compares to just under $60 billion in subsidies for renewable energy research and deployment.
The article also mentioned renewable energy in Fiji - in particular the hydro resources (around 38 GWh installed capacity and 101GWh under development), the 10MW Butoni Wind Farm (37 x 275kW turbines) and a non-operational hybrid wind-diesel system in Nabouwalu.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (which uses the thermal differential between surface and deep ocean waters to extract energy) is reported to be a concept that a Japanese consortium considers feasible for Fiji, with a 1MW plant proposed for Somosomo Bay on Viti Levu's Coral Coast.
Fiji's National Energy Policy Framework (NEPF) allows independent power producers to supply the electricity grid. The use of bagasse (a by product of sugar production) for biomass fueled electricity generation apparently provides about 3% of Fiji's electricty and under the NEPF a number of co-generation facilities have been established by wood processors and specialist biomass energy producers.

Given that the bulk of electricity consumed in the Pacific Islands is generated using diesel-fueled generators, it is encouraging to see the development of renewable energy sources.

Energy efficient transport

So here is a pic of me with our project transport - a Giant Cypress 4 urban bicycle!

The aluminium frame should outlast the steel bikes imported here from China, but the components are already showing the first signs of corrosion in what is a very aggressive marine environment.

Keeping the salt off is key here!

Energy efficiency - RETScreen

I have started using RETScreen to analyze energy efficiency and PV projects.

This appears to be a very good first cut tool to assess efficiency measures and renewables power projects providing both technical and economic analysis – providing an indication of energy savings/generation and project economics including benefit–cost ratio,

Check it out at http://www.retscreen.net/ – it’s free!

Visit to Vaitupu

6/5/2011

Today started with a heavy downpour providing a top up for the people of Funafuti who are suffering dire water shortages due to limited storage and limited rainfall. The rain cleared about sunrise, with intermittent showers following – with no wind the morning had a sultry feel.

My colleague, Mafalu, collected me from the hotel to take me to the wharf at about 7am – the people of Tuvalu were busy cleaning their front yards and starting to get out and about while the sun is still low in the sky....still berthed in dock at 8:45 as we await the final passengers for this voyage...departed 8:47.

Travelled to Vaitupu to inspect the Solar PV array at the high school and also to look at the power grid on the island to understand total loads, interconnection and develop baseline for future renewables projects.

The journey was aboard the MV Manu Folau – one of two ships donated by the Japanese to the People of Tuvalu to assist with fisheries development – but now used primarily as interisland ferries for transporting goods, pigs and people among the islands and atolls of the archipelago.

Vaitupu lies approximately 125km north-northwest of Funafuti atoll. The trip is expected to take about 6-8 hours – max speed of the ship is 12.6 knots – we sailed at about 10.5 knots through quite lumpy seas. It was a relief around 15:00 when the engines reduced speed and the first mate called “standby”. Before we knew it, the ship-to-shore system was deployed (two large wooden flat bottom boats stored on the aft deck each with a 40hp outboard). After about 4 trips it was our turn to load everything on board and head for shore – through a narrow passage in the reef toward a boat harbour surrounded by concrete walls.

We made it!

Next on the agenda was a get together in the Maneapa (meeting house) which was organised to celebrate the arrival of a team of sporting folk from Funafuti. There was the initial welcome from the island pastor, the chief of the youth council and the chief of the sports council.

Then it was time for some food – having missed lunch on the boat I was famished...an interesting array of food awaited – sweet breads, rice, fresh breadfruit, papaya, various cooked fish (zebra fish and tuna – I think), some raw fish and sausage and spam! There was also a plate of cakes. Curiously some dishes were topped with sweet biscuits and even chocolate biscuits – interesting combination – raw fish and chocolate biscuits!

Then there were more speeches by the welcoming party and the incoming party, then it was all over and the next part of my adventure began! Finding the elusive keeper of the guesthouse key! After some door to door asking around we found the man in charge and secured a room.

While waiting for him to return, Polu (my colleague from TEC who is from Vaitupu) and I chatted on the balcony of the guesthouse. The first of the evening bells rang – this is like a call to prayer for the villagers – it serves a few purposes, one being to ensure that everyone has ensured their children are in the home before dark sets in. The moon was hanging low in the sky and Polu mentioned that in the current phase (with the moon’s sliver point toward the horizon) was an indication that there could be rain – it had rained earlier in the day in Funafuti for a good hour or so. I found this interesting given that other cultures also use the moon in this manner and that the knowledge continues to be passed down through the generations – although it seems the skill to predict rain by observing the clouds has been harder to pass down through the generations.

Natural ventilation reigns here in Vaitupu – no air-conditioning plant – just louvres, and if you are lucky a ceiling fan. Once the power goes off at midnight, that’s it you are in the hands of the local breeze. Needless to say it was a long hot humid night.

7/5/2011

After little sleep – dogs barking, chickens crowing and little breeze after the power went off, I got up. It was about 7:30 and I needed water – I went to the Fusi (the village store) and got the last 3 bottles (turned they had more – I found this out in the afternoon), some snacks then headed back to the room to freshen up (as best I could as the water wasn’t working in the room!).

Then Polu came about 8:30 to take me to his house for breakfast – sweet bread, eggs, fried spam, bananas and crackers.

After breakfast we went to visit the generators – a single 100kVA unit takes the load (although the total system includes another 100kVA unit + a 60kVA unit). Then we headed to the high school and the solar PV system. This was installed to allow 24 hour power to the school without requiring additional diesel generation. The system appears to be well designed, appropriate for the tropical environment - a step in the right direction toward 100% renewables! We then took a look at the other generators at the school – a 100kVa unit (80kW) currently out of action and a small 37kVA (30kW) unit that is awaiting a sensor so they can get it cranking out the kilowatts!

The grid on Vaitupu extends along all of the roads around the island – not all houses are connected with a number having standalone PV for battery charging to power lights for night-time. There is certainly not universal access to electricity. Some minimum levels of service should be established as this may assist with benchmarking minimum power requirements and identify opportunities to develop further battery storage PV arrays around the island.

I am doubtful about the viability of wind power on Vaitupu – it does not appear to be as windy as Funafuti (maybe just the current weather pattern) – although the eastern shore near the high school may be a possibility. If monitoring is to be done in the future this would be the focus.

Certainly distributed PV systems around the village would make more sense, with slightly smaller generators for backup that would always be run a peak output to maximise fuel efficiency and reliability.

We also looked at the 8m³/day desalination plant at the school which is used to improve the quality of the water drawn from and adjacent well. Currently the pump and desalination plant are run from a portable generator due to the inoperability of the local diesel genset.

In the afternoon we took a look at the inlets to the lagoon – the lagoon was literally emptying down a hole – this must run into the coral reef and out to the sea. Fascinating! I also learnt that the germinating coconut can be eaten – the water inside the coconut appears to be used by the plant as a reservoir to develop white flesh that must sustain the plant until it establishes a root – quite sweet to eat. Polu also showed me the plant they call “bush cabbage” – once boiled and fired in coconut oil it is quite tasty – a bit like spinach more than cabbage. It is similar to broadleaf ferns that grow in NZ – parts of the young plant are taken for cooking. Interesting...turns out my Dad used to eat similar stuff when they were in the NZ Army Territorials on exercises in NZ!

There is also an abundance of red clawed crab around the mangroves on the eastern side of the lagoon – near a Taiwanese funded “milk fish” farm. Apparently deeper in the mangroves, the larger crabs live – the locals go in at night and pick up the crabs while they sleep – dinner for the next day!

This evening the second ship has arrived in Vaitupu – this will take us back to Funafuti. I walked along the shore to the southern tip of the island where there is a secluded little beach. On my way I noticed the lights at the boat ramp are solar powered. Each has a junction box and two solar panels – well would have – one panel appears to have been removed from one of the lamps. Only one unit appears to be operational – Polu suggested the battery for the other unit may also have been taken.

I am told the return journey will be longer – the ship taking us back to Funafuti is a bit larger, but slower. The ramp at the boat harbour is now packed with sacks of coconut which will be loaded for the trip to Funafuti – apparently this will go on through the night – or may be delayed until morning – it seems to be a bit of an unknown and so we wait for the call to be loaded ourselves, into the ship-to-shore craft to begin the return journey.

It has been an interesting experience – the island is quite beautiful and the people here appreciate that. Certainly it seems a lot cleaner and better looked after than Funafuti – although they are still grappling with waste management.

8/5/2011

Boarded the ship MV Nivaga 2 about 1 am – classic how these guys navigate in the dark. Shared my trip with a couple of other fellas and 3 large crates full of coconuts! As there are heaps of these on Vaitupu, the locals and some folks from other islands collect these to send to the cooperative in Funafuti. $15 per sack I am told.

I fell asleep around 2am I think and just after 6 awoke to the sound of the engines and slosh of the waves – we had departed Vaitupu.

Being laden with cargo and most likely more evenly balanced, the ship did not pitch as much, and thankfully the roll was bearable. Had lunch about 12pm – sausages, rice and chilli sauce!

By 2pm we were back in Funafuti and ready to disembark - a really interesting trip.

Air-conditioning - a necessary evil

In a tropical country such as Tuvalu, air-condiitoning is a necessary evil for some essential services. Connection of telecommunications services for example relies on equipment being cooled to ensure reliable operation.
I observed this week why this was so important when I audited the air-conditioning and lighting loads for Telecom's main earth station. With one unit not operating at capacity, the racks of equipment that connect this tiny nation to the outside world were reliant on the cooling effects of a large industrial fan...no wonder the internet connection has been somewhat patchy this past week!

But there are many cases here where air-conditioned spaces across the pacific where the buildings could be designed to reduce external thermal loads through the use of insulation and shading.

Lighting, refrigeration and water

My visit to Tuvalu is part of a project I am working on to assist with capacity building with the electricity corporation’s fledgling renewable energy and energy efficiency unit which is the unit tasked with driving Tuvalu towards 100% renewable power generation by 2020 – an ambitious goal.

Having spent nearly a week on Tuvalu’s main island, Funafuti it is clear that while electricity has provided many modern services to the local people, they like many other nations around the world are reliant on a regular supply of fossil fuels to keep those modern services running.

While introduction of renewable energy to take over diesel generation will take time, energy efficiency and management initiatives can assist with that transition – and it is clear that gaining an understanding of what people use their electricity for is vital to identifying opportunities for energy efficiency.

The fridge / freezer, to keep meat fish and other food items (including water), the kettle to boil water to make it safe to drink, fans to keep people cool in the midday heat – even air-conditioners in some buildings – all provide a significant demand on the power system in Funafuti and the outer islands of Tuvalu and require large amounts of diesel to power the generators needed to “keep the lights on”. Which interestingly are mostly tube-fluorescents or compact fluorescents (CFLs) - of varying quality - the humble incandescent light-bulb no longer finds a market in Tuvalu.

Lighting

Not all CFLs are created equal there do appear to be numerous CFLs installed around the various buildings I have visited that really don’t provide the lighting performance once might expect from a similarly rated good quality bulb in NZ, Australia or Europe. And often associated with this poor light output is a lower power factor that affects the overall quality of the power supply and has to be corrected to ensure stability of the grid – at a cost to the generation company.

While there would appear to be some benefit in setting minimum standards for lighting performance, the issue of affordability must be taken into account.

Figure 1 - Compact Fluorescent Bulb in hotel

Refrigeration

With a large proportion of foodstuffs being imported and requiring refrigeration (bulk storage is in freezer containers at the port), most households have a fridge (or two) and the small stores around the villages have 2 or three chest freezers for meat and dairy products in addition to the odd fridge for cold water/drinks.

Refrigeration is a significant load and again minimum energy performance standards should be considered for such products. I have some portable power meters that the client has purchased as a tool for the energy efficiency programme. I have used one of these to monitor the performance of the fridge in my room – interestingly the rated output was 0.33kWh per day (i.e. 0.33 units per day). Over a 24 hour period the actual consumption was more like 0.63kWh – nearly twice the rated output. While I have used the fridge to cool water for drinking (which could explain the extra load) the seals on the fridge are good and I can only conclude that perhaps the rated output is based on the unit being in a cooler climate where the ambient temperature is lower – and therefore the heat loss from the body of the fridge is lower. Food for thought and further analysis...

Figure 2 – Freezer containers at Port - Tuvalu

Water

Another key load is boiling water to make it safe to drink. While most water is rainwater collected from the roof of homes/businesses and stored in tanks, there remains a risk of microbial contamination.

Some folks use gas cookers to boil water then transfer this to large containers to cool and dispense for drinking and cooking, some use electric kettles/urns.

With an abundance of solar radiation and a water supply that is essentially pure (i.e. rainwater) the use of solar stills may be much more appropriate and take a significant load off the local grid. For those who use gas, a solar still would most likely significantly reduce their gas bill (which is a significant saving for those households).

Disclaimer – the observations and opinions of the author are his own and do not represent the views of his employer, client or the people of Tuvalu.