The Infographic
The Challenge
Currently, two third of rural areas do not have access to national grid and suffer from the scarcity of electricity in Bangladesh. Most households are thus reliant on fossil fuels, kerosene and diesel, to name but two. They are obliged to buy those alternative energies at a price that they cannot control, what causes additional expenses in their budget. Moreover the lack of electricity reduces the working hours and seriously hampers productivity for agriculture, industry and business. Since students cannot make their homework after the sunset, rural areas also show critical gaps in local education and training capacity. GHEL believes that electricity is a crucial commodity for the community development.
The Solution
Therefore, GHEL Solar Home System is designed to provide the household with a complete set of solar energy products to cater to the energy need in rural and semi-urban areas. The GHEL Solar Home Systems are customized for low to medium income households and can power lights, fans, phone chargers, radio and TV according to the power capacity and the client’s requirements. The GHEL Solar Home Systems have already proven a success in the market with 10 000 satisfied customers around the country.
GHEL Solar Home System consists of:
- A solar panel
- A solar battery
- A charge controller
- An inverter
- Low-energy lights
GHEL guarantees high quality of its Solar Home Systems with competitive warranties for all components. Maintenance for the GHEL Solar Home System is provided free of charge by trained local GHEL technicians for 3-5 years depending on the component. The installation and training on use are included in the price of GHEL Solar Home System.
Components
Solar Panel
Solar panels consist of arrays of photovoltaic cells that capture the solar energy and produce electricity. GHEL Solar Panels are made of mono crystalline panels. These panels are more expensive to produce than the alternative polycrystalline panels, however, they are of higher quality and more cost-efficient in the long run. To increase the power capacity of the solar panels an array is constructed by wiring several panels together. The voltage at which the electricity is available, fluctuates during the day as the sunlight varies.
Solar panels must be mounted on stable constructions and at an optimal angle to the sun. GHEL technicians will assess the correct positioning of the panel and install the panel and the mounting rack accordingly.
Solar panels are durable and withstand erosion caused by different weathers for many years. GHEL offer a warranty for the solar panels of 20 years. The output power of most panels slowly degrades at about 0.5% per year.
Battery
Batteries allow storage of the generated power and use of electricity after daylight hours. The batteries provided by GHEL support the power capacity of the solar panel. For larger power supply several batteries are wired together.
Batteries have a warranty of 5 years. To extend their longevity, the batteries should be stored in a dry, cool and well-ventilated place — preferably on a rack elevated from direct ground contact.
For a greater control of the product quality, GHEL is building its own battery plant in the outskirts of Dhaka. The factory will be operational in 2013 and will produce around 3300 batteries per month.
Charge Controller
A charge controller is placed between the solar panels and the batteries to stabilize the fluctuating voltage of the panels and convert it into a suitable form for recharging the batteries. Charge controllers protect the batteries by preventing them from overcharging and they also protect the panels by preventing back-flow from the batteries.
Charge controllers have a warranty of 3 years.
Inverter
The inverter converts the 12-volt DC power from the batteries into 110-volt AC house current. The inverter is installed as part of a solar control center. If the power generated succeeds the household need for electricity, the inverter can be connected to a power grid and programmed to sell some of the generated electricity to a third party.
The inverter is provided with a 1-year warranty.
Low-Energy Light Bulbs
Low-energy light bulbs are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent light bulbs. They benefit also from a longer lifespan. Thus the households will make significant savings and reduce their carbon footprint by using low-energy light bulbs.
The bulbs have a warranty of 1 year.