Appropriate Technology for the Rural Third World An engineering college in Kolkata [East India] has devised a combo of solar based generation and power storage system that can supply power perpetually 24 hours a day all through the year at a fraction of conventional battery cost. It is scalable to any size and are suited for any hilly area as well as multi storeyed buildings. A 100 kilowatt pilot project is already being planned in hills of East India, while its smaller version, producing 100 watts of power 24×7 is now running in Kolkata. The system consists of a solar pump… basically solar modules that would generate power during day and run a water pump. It also consists of two water tanks at two different elevations. The upper tanks would release water at half the speed at which it receives water from the lower pump. The falling water would rotate a turbine …an equipment that generates electricity when rotated by an external force falling stream of water from the elevated tank in this case. During day , water from the lower tank would be pumped to the upper tank. A portion of this water also flows down simultaneously into the lower tank generating power. The rest of the water in the elevated tank keeps flowing down during night, thus producing power the entire day . …a 200 meter by 600 meter tank at two levels separated by 50 meters would be good enough to generate 1 mw of power non-stop. At this rate, solar power of 2mw would be required to generate 1 mw of power through the day. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/engineering-students-in-kolkata-create-device-for-24×7-solar-power/articleshow/56133873.cms
Merry Christmas Kate et al.
Thanks for all you do and keeping the blog up.
It’s a beacon for me when flying through the fog of stupid the media has become.
Thanks for keeping that beacon on and at full strength. No matter where I am, I can always find it and get that fix for home.
The proposed method isn’t new.
While I was working on my Ph. D. about 20 years ago, I read a number of papers on renewable energy systems that used pumped water storage as auxiliary power. The publications were using results from computer models and I don’t recall if anyone actually built one. As well, I don’t remember if any of the systems that were examined were located in a region with a climate like what we have in most of Canada.
White Christmas….. I’m sure that some SJW somewhere will find something objectionable about that song.
Yes, pumped storage has been used since the late 1800s. The important point is using solar electricity to pump the water up to storage tanks which makes this new. It’s effectively a gravity battery for storing daytime solar and using it at night. You understand what 24×7 refers to?
This is a far better solution for rural electricity in the third world than coal-fired plants spewing toxic pollution and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines.
A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all of you at SDA.
Interesting – “White Christmas” dates from early WW II. It was written by Irving Berlin and was first sung publicly by Bing Crosby on Christmas Day, 1941. Although it was written before the USA entered WW II, perhaps it was a foreshadowing of the feelings felt by the many Allied soldiers, airmen, and sailors during the war.
Its actually kind of dumb.
They have electricity that they lose to pumping losses so they can generate electricity after turbine losses.
Much better to use the electricity directly and only pump with the surplus portion, and not have any flow at all until the solar is not generating. My rough guess based on pumping losses and turbine losses is that this needs to generate roughly double the total energy that it will provide to remain operational. Essentially it wastes half the solar energy it collects for the sole purpose of being different.
The Netherlands did this with wind turbines back in the 80s according to a Popular Science/Mechanics article I recall from back then, part of their pumping out water from the seawall if I recall.
Pumped storage combined with hydroelectricity has been used in Europe and Canada for over a hundred years.
The specific system mentioned above is in rural India which has a huge solar potential and little developed conventional infrastructure.
Thanks for all you do at SDA, Kate and Lance, and Merry Christmas to you and all who frequent this site.
The Indians are way smarter than Canuks for powering remote communities. They already have a prototype operational, and are constructing scaled up versions. …and what have you done in the field of appropriate tech to have credible opinions on what’s “dumb” in rural India.
The important point is using solar electricity to pump the water up to storage tanks which makes this new.
Actually, no. What’s usually done is to take the excess output from the photovoltaic arrays after meeting the load demand and using it to pump the water. As I mentioned earlier, that was discussed in the papers I read and it was an old idea even 20 years ago.
Much better to use the electricity directly and only pump with the surplus portion, and not have any flow at all until the solar is not generating.
That’s usually what’s done. The main priority is to meet the load demand first and any excess can either be stored, put into the grid (if the system’s connected to it), or simply dumped.
Their system is simpler and more effective for this application. The solar panels drive the pumps directly with DC power. More sun-faster pumping. Less electronic controls to fail. The turbine-generator delivers AC line voltage, and is automatically regulated by load. The storage tank and turbine-generator are sized to meet the design load. Simpler, more reliable, fewer parts, and more effective for a remote village.
Some are easily blinded by their narrow academic and urban experience in affluent North America, and remain unaware of realities in 3rd world off grid villages. That’s why it’s called appropriate technology. In any case the 20 year old papers were not combining solar and pumped storage in remote community applications, so don’t denigrate what you don’t understand by claiming it’s not new.
While I was working on my Ph. D. about 20 years ago,
“and one time at band camp”
In a movie called American Pie a girl who goes to band camp always has stories and is always saying “and one time at band camp”, and again “and one time at band camp”, and it gets repetitive. So when someone says something over and over again people say and one time at band camp to refer to this movie.
BREAKING: EPA Climate Change Program In Ruins After Leading Expert Caught In DEEP Fraud
“Why don’t they trust us anymore? We’re government scientists, for goodness’ sake!”
One day, the world will marvel at the environmental hysteria of our time, and the deeply damaging corruption of science in the cause of an alarmist cult.
That was Mark Steyn’s message from as long ago as 2006. Ten years later, the damage done to science and the level of hysteria have only risen, and risen like one hand over another going up a ladder. https://conservativedailypost.com/breaking-epa-climate-change-program-ruins-leading-expert-caught-deep-fraud/
Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2017
“The Indians are way smarter than Canuks”
Applicable math for Canada:
Water + freezes X Six months(unless water is contained behind a high concrete wall)
This is a far better solution for rural electricity in the third world than coal-fired plants spewing toxic pollution and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines.
No it isn’t. So many errors.
“It was a revolution that took 50 years to advance but is finally here
Trump is the Exorcist of Political Correctness”
“It is refreshing to see President-elect Trump on his “Thank You” tour speaking from a podium that proclaims “Merry Christmas.” The Trump victory was a revolt against Cultural Marxism, also known as political correctness. In that world, Merry Christmas is watered down into “Happy Holidays.”
“In fact, says one strategic analyst, “Trump won because he got on his side a big segment of the population that has been under furious and brutal attack for more than 50 years by the political correctness of Cultural Marxism. This cultural and sociological attack from Cultural Marxists was extremely intense and conducted at full high speed for the last eight years of the Obama regime with its grand social engineering and cultural remake of the country.
A rebellion against Cultural Marxism
Ron Aledo, a retired U.S. Army officer and former senior analyst for the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), has written a provocative analysis of the U.S. election results, saying that Trump’s victory was economic but also cultural.
He says that the Trump victory was “not only an incredible miracle as he won basically against all and everything, from CNN to furious non-stop (and something ridiculous) attacks from the Washington Post, the New York Times, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Hollywood, 90% of all U.S and European journalists, the establishment of both the Democratic and Republican parties and millions of brainwashed naive Millennials; but furthermore, Trump’s victory is a real Counter-revolution of the Silent Majority against the brutality of the witch hunt of Cultural Marxism and Political Correctness.” http://canadafreepress.com/article/trump-is-the-exorcist-of-political-correctness
I have to say the so-called nice guy Obama is quite a nasty piece of work with his latest abstention of leadership, integrity and common sense.
Perhaps if Israel annexed the West Bank, that would that be OK, Mr Obama?
“Obama’s Disgraceful and Harmful Legacy on Israel.”
It’s pretty clear that he does not care. Obama has gotten himself elected twice, the second time by a decreased margin (the only time a president has been reelected by fewer votes than in his first term), but he has laid waste to his party. In the House, the Senate, the state governorships, and the state legislatures, the Democrats have suffered loss after loss. Today’s anti-Israel action will further damage the Democratic party, by driving some Jews if not toward the Republicans then at least away from the Democrats and toward neutrality. Donald Trump’s clear statement on Thursday that he favored a veto, Netanyahu’s fervent pleas for one, and the Egyptian action in postponing the vote show where Obama stood: not with Israel, not even with Egypt, but with the Palestinians. Pleas for a veto from Democrats in Congress were ignored by the White House.”
Does the resolution matter? It does. The text declares that “the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.” This may turn both settlers—even those in major blocs like Maale Adumim, that everyone knows Israel will keep in any peace deal—and Israeli officials into criminals in some countries, subject to prosecution there or in the International Criminal Court. The text demands “that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Now add this wording to the previous line and it means that even construction in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City is “a flagrant violation under international law.” The resolution also “calls upon all States, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.” This is a call to boycott products of the Golan, the West Bank, and parts of Jerusalem, and support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.”
Yet Barack Obama thought this was all fine and refused to veto.” http://www.weeklystandard.com/obamas-disgraceful-and-harmful-legacy-on-israel/article/2006041#!
..and you’re offering what in rebuttal, other than your dubious opinion?
AGW RIP.
…-
“Blizzard conditions in parts of US make travel ‘very dangerous if not impossible’
Weather service issued a blizzard warning for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, with expected snow up to 15in and winds up to 55mph” (grauniad)
…-
“Winter Storm Warning”
“Radar imagery at 3 pm local time shows the main area of snow approaching the international border of North Dakota. Over the next few hours that area will continue to push northward and intensify. Snowfall accumulation rates in this area are high; conditions will deteriorate rapidly. Current data indicates that generally 20 to 30 cm of snow will fall by Monday morning with some areas near the US border potentially seeing 40 to 50 cm.
In addition to the heavy snow, strong northerly winds gusting to 60 to 70 km/h will develop tonight and persist through Monday afternoon, so the combination of the moderate to heavy snowfall and the strong winds will produce near zero visibility in snow and blowing snow over open areas Sunday night and Monday. Blizzard conditions are likely over the Red River valley and southwestern Manitoba where the winds should be the strongest.” https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/alerts/high-alert/manitoba/winnipeg
Does anybody remember that when Ohbummer first took office on 20 Jan. 2009, his very first phone call was to a representative for Palestinians?
“The Indians are way smarter than Canuks”
I guess that’s the reason we all want to move there. Wait a minute?
Solar electricity in Arizona is impractical. Solar electricity in Canada is stupid.
Solar electricity is a good option for communities not served by connection to an electric grid. It’s widely used in Arizona and across the Southwest US for that purpose. Remote communities in Canada also use solar electricity to significantly reduce the amount of expensive diesel fuel which has to be shipped in by air or truck.
Armchair experts living in cities connected to the grid can’t grasp this, but that doesn’t matter to the sun. These same armchair experts also appear to believe in anthropomorphism – the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object, when they decide that ‘solar electricity’ is inherently evil or stupid.
Merry Christmas Kate, Lance and SDAs
Happy birthday, Sir Isaac Newton (1642).
Happy Holidays to all, and special thanks to Kate & Lance for herding the gophers to turn the wheels at SDA.
Great news! The media is going to continue their checks on the powerful. They have been brutally critical of President Obama – specifically the Washington Post and NY Times – let’s hope they are the same with Trump!
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/media-open-skeptical-eye-after-8-year-sleep/article/2610331
Appropriate Technology for the Rural Third World
An engineering college in Kolkata [East India] has devised a combo of solar based generation and power storage system that can supply power perpetually 24 hours a day all through the year at a fraction of conventional battery cost. It is scalable to any size and are suited for any hilly area as well as multi storeyed buildings. A 100 kilowatt pilot project is already being planned in hills of East India, while its smaller version, producing 100 watts of power 24×7 is now running in Kolkata.
The system consists of a solar pump… basically solar modules that would generate power during day and run a water pump. It also consists of two water tanks at two different elevations. The upper tanks would release water at half the speed at which it receives water from the lower pump. The falling water would rotate a turbine …an equipment that generates electricity when rotated by an external force falling stream of water from the elevated tank in this case.
During day , water from the lower tank would be pumped to the upper tank. A portion of this water also flows down simultaneously into the lower tank generating power. The rest of the water in the elevated tank keeps flowing down during night, thus producing power the entire day . …a 200 meter by 600 meter tank at two levels separated by 50 meters would be good enough to generate 1 mw of power non-stop. At this rate, solar power of 2mw would be required to generate 1 mw of power through the day.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/engineering-students-in-kolkata-create-device-for-24×7-solar-power/articleshow/56133873.cms
Merry Christmas Kate et al.
Thanks for all you do and keeping the blog up.
It’s a beacon for me when flying through the fog of stupid the media has become.
Thanks for keeping that beacon on and at full strength. No matter where I am, I can always find it and get that fix for home.
The proposed method isn’t new.
While I was working on my Ph. D. about 20 years ago, I read a number of papers on renewable energy systems that used pumped water storage as auxiliary power. The publications were using results from computer models and I don’t recall if anyone actually built one. As well, I don’t remember if any of the systems that were examined were located in a region with a climate like what we have in most of Canada.
White Christmas….. I’m sure that some SJW somewhere will find something objectionable about that song.
Yes, pumped storage has been used since the late 1800s. The important point is using solar electricity to pump the water up to storage tanks which makes this new. It’s effectively a gravity battery for storing daytime solar and using it at night. You understand what 24×7 refers to?
This is a far better solution for rural electricity in the third world than coal-fired plants spewing toxic pollution and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines.
A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all of you at SDA.
Interesting – “White Christmas” dates from early WW II. It was written by Irving Berlin and was first sung publicly by Bing Crosby on Christmas Day, 1941. Although it was written before the USA entered WW II, perhaps it was a foreshadowing of the feelings felt by the many Allied soldiers, airmen, and sailors during the war.
Its actually kind of dumb.
They have electricity that they lose to pumping losses so they can generate electricity after turbine losses.
Much better to use the electricity directly and only pump with the surplus portion, and not have any flow at all until the solar is not generating. My rough guess based on pumping losses and turbine losses is that this needs to generate roughly double the total energy that it will provide to remain operational. Essentially it wastes half the solar energy it collects for the sole purpose of being different.
The Netherlands did this with wind turbines back in the 80s according to a Popular Science/Mechanics article I recall from back then, part of their pumping out water from the seawall if I recall.
Pumped storage combined with hydroelectricity has been used in Europe and Canada for over a hundred years.
The specific system mentioned above is in rural India which has a huge solar potential and little developed conventional infrastructure.
Thanks for all you do at SDA, Kate and Lance, and Merry Christmas to you and all who frequent this site.
The Indians are way smarter than Canuks for powering remote communities. They already have a prototype operational, and are constructing scaled up versions. …and what have you done in the field of appropriate tech to have credible opinions on what’s “dumb” in rural India.
And also, go listen to my own Christmas song, which sets to music an Ogden Nash poem, “A Carol For Children.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWKCJjEbjTM
The important point is using solar electricity to pump the water up to storage tanks which makes this new.
Actually, no. What’s usually done is to take the excess output from the photovoltaic arrays after meeting the load demand and using it to pump the water. As I mentioned earlier, that was discussed in the papers I read and it was an old idea even 20 years ago.
Much better to use the electricity directly and only pump with the surplus portion, and not have any flow at all until the solar is not generating.
That’s usually what’s done. The main priority is to meet the load demand first and any excess can either be stored, put into the grid (if the system’s connected to it), or simply dumped.
Their system is simpler and more effective for this application. The solar panels drive the pumps directly with DC power. More sun-faster pumping. Less electronic controls to fail. The turbine-generator delivers AC line voltage, and is automatically regulated by load. The storage tank and turbine-generator are sized to meet the design load. Simpler, more reliable, fewer parts, and more effective for a remote village.
Some are easily blinded by their narrow academic and urban experience in affluent North America, and remain unaware of realities in 3rd world off grid villages. That’s why it’s called appropriate technology. In any case the 20 year old papers were not combining solar and pumped storage in remote community applications, so don’t denigrate what you don’t understand by claiming it’s not new.
While I was working on my Ph. D. about 20 years ago,
“and one time at band camp”
In a movie called American Pie a girl who goes to band camp always has stories and is always saying “and one time at band camp”, and again “and one time at band camp”, and it gets repetitive. So when someone says something over and over again people say and one time at band camp to refer to this movie.
BREAKING: EPA Climate Change Program In Ruins After Leading Expert Caught In DEEP Fraud
“Why don’t they trust us anymore? We’re government scientists, for goodness’ sake!”
One day, the world will marvel at the environmental hysteria of our time, and the deeply damaging corruption of science in the cause of an alarmist cult.
That was Mark Steyn’s message from as long ago as 2006. Ten years later, the damage done to science and the level of hysteria have only risen, and risen like one hand over another going up a ladder.
https://conservativedailypost.com/breaking-epa-climate-change-program-ruins-leading-expert-caught-deep-fraud/
Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2017
“The Indians are way smarter than Canuks”
Applicable math for Canada:
Water + freezes X Six months(unless water is contained behind a high concrete wall)
This is going to be fun
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/24/lefties-marching-aleppo-stop-war/
On the other hand, they’re chicken as Aleppo has already been saved by the Russians.
This is a far better solution for rural electricity in the third world than coal-fired plants spewing toxic pollution and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines.
No it isn’t. So many errors.
“It was a revolution that took 50 years to advance but is finally here
Trump is the Exorcist of Political Correctness”
“It is refreshing to see President-elect Trump on his “Thank You” tour speaking from a podium that proclaims “Merry Christmas.” The Trump victory was a revolt against Cultural Marxism, also known as political correctness. In that world, Merry Christmas is watered down into “Happy Holidays.”
“In fact, says one strategic analyst, “Trump won because he got on his side a big segment of the population that has been under furious and brutal attack for more than 50 years by the political correctness of Cultural Marxism. This cultural and sociological attack from Cultural Marxists was extremely intense and conducted at full high speed for the last eight years of the Obama regime with its grand social engineering and cultural remake of the country.
A rebellion against Cultural Marxism
Ron Aledo, a retired U.S. Army officer and former senior analyst for the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), has written a provocative analysis of the U.S. election results, saying that Trump’s victory was economic but also cultural.
He says that the Trump victory was “not only an incredible miracle as he won basically against all and everything, from CNN to furious non-stop (and something ridiculous) attacks from the Washington Post, the New York Times, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Hollywood, 90% of all U.S and European journalists, the establishment of both the Democratic and Republican parties and millions of brainwashed naive Millennials; but furthermore, Trump’s victory is a real Counter-revolution of the Silent Majority against the brutality of the witch hunt of Cultural Marxism and Political Correctness.”
http://canadafreepress.com/article/trump-is-the-exorcist-of-political-correctness
Russian plane crash kills 64 Russian Band members. On SDA with Leningrad Cowboys.
Sweet Home Alabama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrg0X9H6FGU
I have to say the so-called nice guy Obama is quite a nasty piece of work with his latest abstention of leadership, integrity and common sense.
Perhaps if Israel annexed the West Bank, that would that be OK, Mr Obama?
“Obama’s Disgraceful and Harmful Legacy on Israel.”
It’s pretty clear that he does not care. Obama has gotten himself elected twice, the second time by a decreased margin (the only time a president has been reelected by fewer votes than in his first term), but he has laid waste to his party. In the House, the Senate, the state governorships, and the state legislatures, the Democrats have suffered loss after loss. Today’s anti-Israel action will further damage the Democratic party, by driving some Jews if not toward the Republicans then at least away from the Democrats and toward neutrality. Donald Trump’s clear statement on Thursday that he favored a veto, Netanyahu’s fervent pleas for one, and the Egyptian action in postponing the vote show where Obama stood: not with Israel, not even with Egypt, but with the Palestinians. Pleas for a veto from Democrats in Congress were ignored by the White House.”
Does the resolution matter? It does. The text declares that “the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.” This may turn both settlers—even those in major blocs like Maale Adumim, that everyone knows Israel will keep in any peace deal—and Israeli officials into criminals in some countries, subject to prosecution there or in the International Criminal Court. The text demands “that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Now add this wording to the previous line and it means that even construction in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City is “a flagrant violation under international law.” The resolution also “calls upon all States, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.” This is a call to boycott products of the Golan, the West Bank, and parts of Jerusalem, and support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.”
Yet Barack Obama thought this was all fine and refused to veto.”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/obamas-disgraceful-and-harmful-legacy-on-israel/article/2006041#!
..and you’re offering what in rebuttal, other than your dubious opinion?
AGW RIP.
…-
“Blizzard conditions in parts of US make travel ‘very dangerous if not impossible’
Weather service issued a blizzard warning for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, with expected snow up to 15in and winds up to 55mph” (grauniad)
…-
“Winter Storm Warning”
“Radar imagery at 3 pm local time shows the main area of snow approaching the international border of North Dakota. Over the next few hours that area will continue to push northward and intensify. Snowfall accumulation rates in this area are high; conditions will deteriorate rapidly. Current data indicates that generally 20 to 30 cm of snow will fall by Monday morning with some areas near the US border potentially seeing 40 to 50 cm.
In addition to the heavy snow, strong northerly winds gusting to 60 to 70 km/h will develop tonight and persist through Monday afternoon, so the combination of the moderate to heavy snowfall and the strong winds will produce near zero visibility in snow and blowing snow over open areas Sunday night and Monday. Blizzard conditions are likely over the Red River valley and southwestern Manitoba where the winds should be the strongest.”
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/alerts/high-alert/manitoba/winnipeg
Lesson from History: Transgender Mania is Sign of Cultural Collapse – Camille Paglia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3-KIesYRE
Only 7.9% of NOAA temperature stations are accurate to less than 1C
Yet NOAA claims precision of global temperature estimate to 0.01C.
http://junkscience.com/2016/01/only-7-9-of-noaa-temperature-stations-are-accurate-to-less-than-1c/
Does anybody remember that when Ohbummer first took office on 20 Jan. 2009, his very first phone call was to a representative for Palestinians?
“The Indians are way smarter than Canuks”
I guess that’s the reason we all want to move there. Wait a minute?
Solar electricity in Arizona is impractical. Solar electricity in Canada is stupid.
Solar electricity is a good option for communities not served by connection to an electric grid. It’s widely used in Arizona and across the Southwest US for that purpose. Remote communities in Canada also use solar electricity to significantly reduce the amount of expensive diesel fuel which has to be shipped in by air or truck.
Armchair experts living in cities connected to the grid can’t grasp this, but that doesn’t matter to the sun. These same armchair experts also appear to believe in anthropomorphism – the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object, when they decide that ‘solar electricity’ is inherently evil or stupid.