Solar Power in East Timor International Projects Group

Michael O’Connell

Alternative Technology

Association

International Projects

Group Assisting Communities to Access Sustainable Technologies

National Overview

• Neglect for 400 years

• Indonesian electrification

• Destruction

The Vision (2002)

“ the power authority will meet the needs for electricity throughout East Timor, thus supporting economic productivity and quality of life for all citizens, and pursue indigenous resources to displace imported fuels. .... Progress will rest heavily on the ability of the power authority to reach poorer regions and more distant districts to support agricultural and industrial development.” National Development Plan 2002

The Vision (2007)

“Reducing the intensity of energy

dependence and minimizing the import

flow, through the use of alternative and

renewable energy sources, ..…”

Program for the legislation period 2007-

2012, the IV. Constitutional GoTL

The reality

• Low levels of service for all Timor

• Regular power outages and brown out

• What do you do with 130V

• Service Delivery: 24, 12, 6, 0 hours

The Silver Bullet-The

electrification of Timor • A National HV distribution network connecting all

major towns, 630km of 150kV and 10 substations

• “Heavy fuel oil” powered generators operating on North and South Coasts with installed capacity of 180MW

• ADB 2025 forecast 109MW demand

• $400m +++

The Silver Bullet-The

electrification of Timor

The Renewable Energy Policy

• 451 megawatts (energy self sufficiency)

• Run of the river hydro + pumped storage (252MW)

• Wind power (72MW)

• Small, medium and large scale solar

• Grid dependant

• Report unreleased and legislation on-hold

Proposed renewable energy projects

Remote and Rural Communities

• Mortality rates

• 185,000 of 225,000 households without

electricity (Loy, 2008)

• $200-$400 p/a household income

• $50-100 p/a on energy services (kerosene)

• 60kg of firewood per week

Energy and Development

Improving energy services is integral to the

development process

Electric Lighting

- Improves education, income generation, social

cohesion and security

- Reduces health impacts from respiratory

disease, eye strain and burns

Quality • No installation standards, or QC

mechanisms in place

• Development of national standards

• Specifications of equipment

• Capacity Development to audit

installation quality

Projects •Overview

•Partners and Supporters

•Timor-Leste Solar Power Training Project

•Oesilo Water Pumping Project

•Village Lighting Schemes

•Maintenance Review

•Why Solar Power Projects

•Projects for your community with the International Projects Group

•Volunteering Opportunities

Overview

•a wonderful partnership between

• Timorese communities

• local administration

• Australian volunteers

• community groups

• electrical and renewable

energy industries

Overview

• Village Lighting Scheme

• Local People trained to install and

maintain small lighting systems

• Over 800 households now have

solar lights

• Larger system in community

Centres

•Training and Support

Partners and Supporters

• Incredible support from our 5,500 members and

industries and businesses, local governments and

other Non-profit organisations including Rotary

Partners and Supporters

• Large Tafe style train the trainers

• Smaller training session for VLS

• Ad-hoc training of local people in

remote communities as part of

system installations

Oesilo Water Pumping

Project • Small town located in

mountainous region of the

Oecusse enclave in East Timor

• women and children carrying 10

litre water containers on their

heads, up to five kilometres

• solar pumping system provide

12,000 litres per to holding tank

Village Lighting Schemes

Some Other Projects

Children on the Edge

Project Need: The Children on the Edge

playcenter provides a vital environment for

learning for the children on

Viqueque. This system provides necessary

electrical services for the site.

Description: This system consisted of a 750W

24V solar array charging a 400Ah battery bank

(8 x 200Ah 6v sonnenschein). A 40A Victron

Centaur charger was also installed to provide

additional charging for the town power supply.

Volunteer team: Duncan MacGregor, Nathan

Martin,

Project Sponsor: Bodyshop UK

Some Other Projects

Oecussi Community Lighting - at Mahata, (Nitibe)

community centre, Maunaben (Pante

Macassar) medical clinic

Project Need: These systems are part of an ongoing

scheme to provide lighting for community centers

and medical

clinics around Oecussi.

Description: Basic lighting systems consisting of

80W BP panel, 100Ah battery and 12v DC lights.

Volunteer team: Bill Bennett, Anton Cabal

Project Sponsor: Whitehorse Friends of Oecussi

Some Other Projects LAHO Silk Factory

Project Need: The LAHO Project produces silk and other woven products

from their farm near Bacau. The

management required a refrigeration system to keep the silkworm eggs dormant

as part of controlling the life cycle of

the eggs and ensuring production could be fully managed from Timor. The system

installed aimed to power the

refrigerator in their incubation room.

Description: The system consisted of a 24V 640W array, charging a 330Ah

battery bank. The fridge was operated from

a 1700W selectronic inverter.

Issues: A number of issues came out of this project. Paramount amongst

those was that the refrigerator supplied used

three times the power as that originally specified. An alternative refrigerator was

supplied by the ATA on a trial basis

and further improvements will be made to tighten the temperature tolerances of

this refrigerator.

Volunteer team: Joshua Backwell, Anton Vikstrom

Project Sponsor: ILO

Some Other Projects Hatu Builico Community Centre

Ainaro Health Pathology

Aileu Nurses Accomodation

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Volunteering Opportunities

• System Design

• Planning

• Fund Raising

• Logistics

• Co-ordination with Friendship Groups

• Installation

• Training

Acknowledgements & Resources

• Alternative Technology Association –

www.ata.org.au