Case: Water Supply in Yemen
Project Title: Small Scale Solar Electric System for Water Supply
Client: Ministry of Education, Yemen
Naps Contact: Paavo Suuronen
Financed By: World Bank
Completion Date: Beginning of January 2000
Objectives:
- To enhance social and economic development in rural parts of the country
- To provide power for an off-grid water pump system for a rural village
- To pump clean water for domestic use and health care
Implementation:
Initial supply and installation of the solar electric system including water pump based on the Naps design and specification. This provided 1,2 kWp of power for the water pumping.
Site Specific Issues:
The system is designed for a high mountain application in the west coastal area of Yemen, where it is difficult to transfer goods and fuel. At this site the economics of solar electric systems are favourable compared with grid extension or diesel generators. The extension and subsequent maintenance of transmission lines over long distances of the difficult terrain would have been expensive, particularly because the loads of the site are relatively small. For the same reason the regular fuel supply to other type of small generators presented problems in addition to the maintenance of the generating mechanical type of equipment whereas solar electric system requires very minimum maintenance.
Daily output of the1200 W solar electric system with a submersible SP1A-28 water pump and total water is 8000 – 9000 litres per day.
A team of two trained local men mounted the system in a day and a half.
Equipment and Technical Specifications:
The system involved:
- 24 Naps 50G Modules, providing 1200 Watts of power
- A 1500 Watt Inverter
- Pump SP1A-28
- Cables and Structure for the installation of equipment
Conclusions:
The project was successful and demonstrated the technical and economic viability of using solar electricity in off-grid areas in Yemen. There was a phenomenal response from the local community. Solar electricity technology has motivated staff and people to stay in remote areas. Government officials were particularly pleased with the smooth implementation and reliability of the power system that satisfies their basic requirements. Further sites for solar electric systems in the fields of water pumping, health care and also telecommunications have been developed.
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