Impact/Purpose:

The goal in Phase II is to implement GridShare technology in the rural village of Rukubji, Bhutan in collaboration with local residents, the Bhutan Power Company (BPC), and the Department of Energy (DOE) of Bhutan. BPC and DOE representatives have advised the development team since the beginning of the Phase I proposal, and they have expressed interest in working with HSU on a pilot scale project in Bhutan. Residents of Rukubji also expressed such interest at a community meeting with HSU, DOE, and BPC representatives in January 2010. The proposed Phase II project will include the implementation of GridShare technology for the village of Rukubji, in addition to educational programs, system monitoring, and household surveys to assess the effectiveness of GridShare technology.

Description:

Village scale micro-hydroelectric systems in countries like Bhutan, Thailand, Peru, Laos and China provide renewable electricity to thousands of self-reliant communities in remote locations. While promising, many of these systems are plagued by a common problem: brownouts occur frequently in the mornings and evenings during times of peak demand. In Bhutan and many other countries, these brownouts have been linked to the use of electrical appliances such as rice cookers and water boilers. If demand could be distributed more evenly throughout the day, these systems could provide reliable, long-term renewable electricity to these communities.

The objective of this project is to develop a low-cost device that employs Smart Grid technology to encourage electricity users to shift their use of high-powered appliances to periods of low demand. During Phase I of the project, we developed a “GridShare” to reduce the use of large appliances during brownouts. The GridShare device is designed to be installed near the electrical meter on every house. GridShare technology encourages load shifting in two ways: by indicating the state of the grid to the user and by preventing residents from using large appliances during brownouts. During Phase I, we successfully designed, built, and tested GridShare prototypes.

URLs/Downloads:

2011 Progress Report

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT( ABSTRACT )

Start Date:08/15/2010

Completion Date:08/14/2012

Record ID: 249162

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Related Organizations:

Role :OWNER

Organization Name :HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY

Citation :Arcata

State :CA

Zip Code :95521

Project Information:

Approach :

To achieve these objectives, an integrated approach to demand shifting will be employed. GridShare technology developed in Phase I works as a responsive feedback tool to indicate the grid voltage and reduce the severity of brownouts. A proactive educational campaign will be implemented along with GridShare technology so that users understand how to avoid brownouts. This educational program will also facilitate the villagers’ efforts to develop appropriate strategies to distribute their electricity demand. The aim of our integrated approach is to use the strengths of each individual project component to form a successful demand shifting program.

The proposed research would consist of three main phases: (1) an initial site visit and short field trial followed by (2) an installation and one-year monitoring period, after which (3) a final evaluation and – if needed and appropriate – decommissioning would occur. Voluntary surveys of every household would be conducted before and after installation to determine qualitative and quantitative effects of the GridShare on energy consumption, time spent on cooking, issues with indoor air quality, and the individual’s satisfaction with the device and their electrical service. Quantitative data collected by BPC representatives from monitoring equipment and qualitative survey results will be compiled and analyzed to assess the benefits and drawbacks associated with the project. An assessment report will be prepared in consultation with BPC, DOE Bhutan, and the Rukubji community to determine any further course of action on the project.

Cost :$74,898.94

Research Component :Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Approach :

To achieve these objectives, an integrated approach to demand shifting will be employed. GridShare technology developed in Phase I works as a responsive feedback tool to indicate the grid voltage and reduce the severity of brownouts. A proactive educational campaign will be implemented along with GridShare technology so that users understand how to avoid brownouts. This educational program will also facilitate the villagers’ efforts to develop appropriate strategies to distribute their electricity demand. The aim of our integrated approach is to use the strengths of each individual project component to form a successful demand shifting program.

The proposed research would consist of three main phases: (1) an initial site visit and short field trial followed by (2) an installation and one-year monitoring period, after which (3) a final evaluation and – if needed and appropriate – decommissioning would occur. Voluntary surveys of every household would be conducted before and after installation to determine qualitative and quantitative effects of the GridShare on energy consumption, time spent on cooking, issues with indoor air quality, and the individual’s satisfaction with the device and their electrical service. Quantitative data collected by BPC representatives from monitoring equipment and qualitative survey results will be compiled and analyzed to assess the benefits and drawbacks associated with the project. An assessment report will be prepared in consultation with BPC, DOE Bhutan, and the Rukubji community to determine any further course of action on the project.

Cost :$74,898.94

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Energy

Project IDs:

ID Code :SU834749

Project type :EPA Grant