15kw off grid solar system supply power to a hospital

Here we want to share with you a 15kw off-grid solar system in Somalia, for hospital use. Which is 100% off grid, the only power source is by the sun.

This is a charitable project by UNICEF, to build a hospital in a small place Somalia. 

The hospital aims to protect children and women, provide them with a place for medical and inject the vaccine and basic medical services. 

In the hospital, the main appliance is a freezer to keep the medical and small lights and small appliances.

UNICEF established a charitable hospital in a small remote area of Somalia to protect children and women while providing them with basic medical services such as vaccinations. 

In the hospital, electrical appliances like freezers must be operated; therefore, this will definitely necessitate the need for electricity. 

The underlying problem here, therefore, is the fact that this remote area has no access to the city grid power and no access to diesel which can also be used as an electrical energy source. 

This project study elaborates on how effective it is to use off-grid solar systems for this area.

We have noted that there has been an increase in the use of other renewable energy sources, like off-grid solar energy. 

This is because most people in remote areas who cannot afford power grid connections are opting for better, stable, and cheaper alternatives, such as off-grid solar energy.

It is important to recognize that the costs of connecting power grids to remote areas are relatively high. Additionally, it is time-consuming and requires proper planning at the national level. 

Power grids are prone to electricity transmission losses. The loss is caused by the high temperatures within the power lines over the long distance covered, and the loss will still be incurred in the cost. 

This makes grid power even more expensive and unaffordable to remote areas.

Power grids are prone to power outages that, in the case of a hospital, may interfere with the smooth operation of the hospital machine. 

A continuous power outage can be a risk factor to a patient's life. Therefore, the adverse weather conditions in the remote areas of Somalia are not preferable for grid power connection.

Dependability on diesel generators as a source of power in remote areas of Somalia can be very inconvenient since it can be very hard to get regular access to diesel oil that can be used to power diesel generators. 

Supplying diesel in remote areas of Somalia can be very expensive and unreliable, so the hospital cannot fully rely on diesel generators as the main power supply source. Working on cost-effective analysis; 

Buying and transporting diesel from Somalia towns over long distances to remote areas is very expensive, and it takes time to get to the designated place. If the diesel generator is out of diesel oil, this will stop most of the hospital's operations.
That’s why the only power source is renewable solar energy system.

The working mode for an off-grid solar system is in the daytime, solar power charges the battery, and at night, the battery supply power. Which will give 24hrs stable power.

Just from the word solar, solar power is dependent on sunshine; therefore, when deciding if solar energy is a suitable energy source, it is important to first look at the climate of the area where you want to deploy it.

 Generally, Somalia is considered both an arid and semi-arid area; research conducted by the climate change knowledge portal states that Somalia is generally arid and semi-arid with two seasonal rainfall seasons. 

The annual mean temperature is close to 30°С throughout the country. Average monthly temperatures reach their maximum through April and June. From this climate research, we can deduce that Somalia experiences a lot of sunshine days throughout the year.  

Finding the right form of renewable energy source for the hospital established a remote area of Somalia; we saw it best to recommend solar energy. 

This is because of the good amount of sunshine received in Somalia throughout the year and the affordability of relying on a natural power source.

Here is the diagram of the hospital solar system. 48pcs 350W mono solar panel, 32pcs 150Ah 12V gel battery.

The system will generate about 70kwh in one day, 20kwh in the daytime using, and 50kwh kept in the battery. The battery is used for about 45-50% of one day. Which it will give more than 6 years life span for the battery. Click here to check what is battery DOD, and why it can work for 6 years.

As we noted earlier, grid power can sometimes be unstable due to different adverse weather conditions, especially when outsourced to remote areas.

Some appliances, such as the freezer in the hospital, are very sensitive to power fluctuation. Unstable electricity power might, in the end, reduce the life span of the appliances used in the hospital, and this can lead to extra costs of acquiring new appliances. 

That is why we opted for solar power. With 15Kw off-grid solar power in place, the hospital is guaranteed a 24-hour supply of stable power.

As the solar system inverter output is always stable at 220V. The freezers and the lights no need extra stabilizers, and it will increase the life span of the home appliance compared to the place with the unstable grid.

Advantages of an Off-Grid Solar System Solution
1.Integrating an off-grid solar system is a good way to save money because it is relatively affordable, especially in a remote, compared to the cost of using a city power grid.

2.Off-grid solar system supports a stable power supply; that is, it does not suffer outages as in the case of using city grid power.

3.It is easier and less time-consuming to fix an off-grid solar system compared to the complexity and time taken to plan and fix up grid power.

4.The inverter of the solar system converts the direct current into an alternating current of about 220v, which is efficient for use with appliances hence offering them extra stability and a longer lifespan.

5.Off-grid solar power is reliable and can be used anytime; it does not suffer from power outages as in the case of using grid power. This is because the battery bank stores enough energy for cloudy days. 

The newly established hospital can now comfortably serve the health needs and offer basic medical care to the surrounding community without fearing an unstable power supply and extra expenses needed to deploy city power instead. 

The solution of deploying an off-grid solar system in the hospital has shown positive feedback amongst the surrounding community. The children and women can attest to how using off-grid power has enabled the hospital to serve their needs perfectly.

During our follow-up and evaluation, we were able to interview some of the children and women who had used the hospital. From their answers, they seemed very contented and even showed appreciation for the good work the off-grid solar system has done to improve their quality of health. 

The health workers from the hospital have also given a good review on the effective use of the off-grid solar system acknowledging the fact that it is simple to deploy, relatively cheaper, and offers a round-the-clock stable supply of electricity without power outages.

In summary, the off-grid solar system is effective and affordable for use in remote areas of Somalia. The good sunshine in Somalia makes it more effective because it depends on solar energy.

Wang has over 10 years of experience in off-grid projects. And know how to wire the system well. Making every installation step easier.