Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Development of Community Power from Sustainable Small Hydro Power Systems – A Capacity Building Project in Bangang, Cameroon

EPA Grant Number: SU835067
Title: Development of Community Power from Sustainable Small Hydro Power Systems – A Capacity Building Project in Bangang, Cameroon
Investigators: Ileleji, Klein , Lumkes, John , Chen, Jun , Gritza, Nadia
Institution: Purdue University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2011 through August 14, 2013
Project Amount: $75,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2011) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

The overall goal of this project was to develop community power generated by micro-hydropower turbines for the community of Bangang in Cameroon. The Hydropower for Cameroon has been the foundation and corner stone of a long-lasting collaborative relationship between the Global Engineering Program of Purdue University, the local grassroots organization ACREST- African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies, and perhaps most importantly, the community that is served through this collaboration. This collaboration has been carried out over many semesters, and despite the limitations of the academic calendar, ACREST and Purdue have clearly demonstrated their commitment to the community. In Phase I of the project, we conducted a comprehensive feasibility study of four existing hydropower sites under development, and designed a 60-100 kW turbine for installation at one of the selected sites at one of the waterfalls (Mepibua I) in Bangang. In Phase II, we fabricated the designed turbine, developed a manual on how to fabricate the turbine, which included detailed drawings of all its parts and the assembling, and conducted 5 field trips (in May 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) to Bangang, where we worked with the community on assessing ancillary infrastructure at the hydropower site selected for the turbine installation, and conducted geotechnical, social, environmental and economic impact assessments of the project on the community of Bangang.

Additionally, the scope of the project has been expanded to include wind energy by the student teams, who have industriously and creatively resourced funds (over $30,000 outside EPA-P3 funding) to support the expanded project efforts. 

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

Teams of students have worked collaboratively with technicians at ACREST to combined ideas to fabricate a newly redesigned turbine at ACREST workshop. The students were able to experience working with limited resources and under sometimes-harsh conditions at ACREST workshop in Bangang. The following were achieved by the students in Bangang: (1) they learned about the fabrication techniques, improvising and utilization of limited resources in the fabrication of a micro-hydro turbine (2) they developed a simple MS Excel spreadsheet for determining design parameters for a turbine, and (3) they successfully fabricated and tested a new improved design (Purdue 2 turbine, rated at 60 kW output power) developed by Purdue and ACREST technical staff. The new design is shown in figures 1 and 2.

Fig 1a. Side view cross-section of turbine assembly. 

Fig 1b. Rendering on runner assembling in turbine housing

Fig 2a. The new turbine assembly (Purdue 2) fabricated at ACREST in the summer of 2013 with the old Purdue turbine (Purdue 1, not painted), which was fabricated at Purdue in the spring of 2012 next to it.

Fig 2b. Fig 2b. Installed Purdue 2 at hydro power station site, Mepibua I, in Bangang, Cameroon

The two major accomplishments of the team on the fields trip to Bangang, Cameroon are noteworthy and restated as follows: (1) the new turbine was successfully fabricated on the field with local resources and close collaboration with technical staff at ACREST and (2) developed a simple MS Excel spreadsheet tool for micro-hydro turbine design, which can be used in Cameroon by the local technical staff at ACREST.

For the 2013/2014 session, a new GDT team will be formed to work on: (1) make recommendations to improve the civil works infrastructure (channel, filtration system, penstock, power distribution etc.) supporting the hydropower station, (2) develop data acquisition system to monitor the turbine performance and (3) conduct the environmental and social impact survey and economic analysis. The students submitted a comprehensive report as part of the delivery for the GDT class. The report included

• turbine monitoring and evaluation
• hydrological civil works
• power distribution systems
• geotechnical assessment
• environmental impact assessment
• social impact assessment
• economic analysis
• construction management

Some of the topics such as hydrological civil works, power distribution systems and construction management were outside the scope of the Phase II project, but necessary topics that needed to be investigated as part of a long-term capacity building effort by Purdue GDT in Cameroon.

Conclusions:

A methodology for estimating the life cycle costs for the micro-hydropower project was developed as part of an individual graduate independent course conducted by one of the graduate student team member (Bardaka, 2014). The framework developed can be used in conducting feasibility studies, which will be necessary for developing similar projects in other locations in the future. A literature review on the cost components of micro-hydropower schemes was conducted to assist the team in future pre-assessment study of potential hydropower sites. Investment schemes and the economic risk of micro-hydropower projects were reviewed, and a methodology for economic analysis under uncertainty and multi-criteria evaluation analysis for the joint assessment of monetary and non-monetary impacts was presented. Last, the information necessary to be collected on field trips (in 2014) for the development of a hybrid system (solar and wind power) was identified. 

In order to conduct the life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) for a micro-hydropower facility, all the monetary costs and benefits need to be identified. The costs to be considered in LCCA for a micro-hydropower facility (Fig. 3) can be categorized as follows:

• Initial Investment: It includes the cost of land, construction costs, planning and administration costs, taxes, and financing during construction. The construction cost includes the cost of civil works, electro-mechanical equipment (turbine, alternator), and electrical transmission/distribution lines.
• System Enhancement: When funds become available, the existing system can be upgraded or scaled up, which could be done through the expansion of the current grid, the upgrade of the electro-mechanical equipment, turbine optimization, etc.
• Maintenance & Operation Annual Costs: Certain maintenance tasks need to be conducted daily (such as maintaining the filtration system) or monthly (such as repairing leaks). However, for the given economic analysis, maintenance costs should be converted to an annual cost. Similarly, daily operation costs should also be converted to an annual value.
• Incidental Costs:  Depending on the site location characteristics (seismicity, landslides), and the climatic conditions, the risk of a catastrophic incident and the relevant costs should be considered in LCCA.

Figure 3. Cost Components in LCCA for Micro-Hydropower Systems

The monetary benefits of a micro-hydropower facility basically refer to the revenue received from selling the energy output. Few information regarding the costs and revenues of ACREST's micro-hydropower facility has been collected from past reports and Skype calls with the founder of ACREST, Dr. Vincent Kitio. The cost of the initial investment is not known at this point. The cost of the turbine constructed during summer 2013 was $2,500. Dr. Kitio mentioned that 32 houses are currently connected to the micro grid. The charge for electricity by ACREST is $4 per house.  It should be noted that since ACREST uses part of the electricity to power the workshop and has revenue from the products sales, the micro-hydropower facility has to be studied as a system with ACREST, as well as separately. Therefore, this study does not only attempt to conduct LCCA for the given hydropower plant, but also to assess the financial sustainability of ACREST, and suggest possible improvements. 

Long-term, ACREST hopes to connect 500 houses using their micro-hydropowered turbine.  A major problem faced by these households is cost.  Men in Bangang and surrounding villages usually go to work in bigger cities and typically only send money home on a sporadic basis or not at all.  The connection and operating fees according to Dr. Kitio are expected to be:

• 4 USD per month for each family connected
• Each family would be allowed to use up to 300W
• 50 USD (approximately 20,000 CFA) as a one-time connecting fee.
• No extra charge will be made for the poles, wires, transformers, or any other connecting expenses.

The proposed monthly fee of 4 USD per month remains competitive considering the average household spends roughly 4-5 USD per month on kerosene, which is the default power source for the inhabitants of Bangang.  Dr. Kitio informed us that a 70 USD deposit was being considered to cover other extraneous expenses unforeseen at time of connection to the grid, but it does not seem to be a viable request of the user.  As families will struggle to pay the initial costs to be connected, payment in installments of 10 USD will be maintained by ACREST.  The costs incurred by ACREST by offering power services to such a vast amount of people include wiring of approximately 2,000 USD per kilometer, and poles, approximately 10 USD for material and an additional 10 USD for labor.  According to Dr. Kitio, connecting to the national grid in an area where there is no infrastructure is 30,000 CFA (~75 USD) plus the cost of poles, wires, and other labor expenses.  Based on estimations for transformers, poles, wires, the penstock, and other expenditures, the total project cost was estimated to be around 100,000 USD.

Socioeconomic Impact Assessment

Location

Bangang, situated in the West Province of Cameroon, has about 60,000 inhabitants. The village is divided into several regions as shown in Fig. 4. The regions inside the red circle are covered by the micro grid. These are Tchelekwe I, Tchuelekwe II, Zemezon and Lekwé, in the local dialect. The micro grid provides electricity to 16 compounds, formed by several houses. Apart from that, it provides electricity to ACREST and to the Guest House. In total, there are currently 32 houses connected to the micro grid.

Cultural Aspects

Related to religion, 60% of the people in the area are Christian and 40% of the people practice the ancient indigenous religion. The ancient indigenous religious beliefs include old traditions like scarifying animals in sacred places or practicing polygamy.  The powerhouse is situated around two waterfalls, Mepibua I and Mepibua II. These waterfalls are a sacred place for ancient indigenous people in Bangang, who use it to sacrifice animals. As a suggestion, ACREST gave a gift to these people by building a house to sacrifice animals in the area, so that they don't feel offended and their place of worship desecrated.  As for marriage, people who practice polygamy get married to multiple women. They have several houses in one compound; a house for each woman.  Related to the family environment, people in Bangang take care of their relatives as a priority. For example, it is not culturally appropriate if one person creates a project of hydropower and their relatives have to pay for it. Because of this, and the fact that most people are from very large extended families, many of the homes connected on ACREST mini-grid belong to relatives of ACREST founder, Dr. Kitio, and so end up not paying for the electricity they consume from ACREST grid. This is one of the major problems in developing a sustainable project in this kind of areas.

Fig. 4. Regional map of Bangang, Cameroon (Source: P. Lontchi, Inc., 1987)

Survey

We visited the 18 compounds connected to the micro-grid and created the following sketch to be aware of their locations. The purpose of this was to know the number of houses receiving electricity from the mini-grid powered by the micro-hydro turbine, and obtain some information from the homes related to:

• Coordinates of the house
• The year they were connected to the mini-grid
• Number of outlets (loads) used
• Number of light bulbs (light loads) used
• The load current
• Fee for electricity used

The result of this survey was summarized accordingly. During the survey, it was a challenge locating adults for interviews, and so the only information provided was from ACREST workers who knew the families that resided in those houses.  As a summary of the information collected, many people connected are relatives of ACREST's founder, Dr. Kitio, and so they get electricity for free. Some of the other houses connected to the grid belonged to ACREST's workers, some of whom receive power for free. The rest of the houses are well located close to the grid and also are able to afford being connected to the grid. When people want to be connected to the mini grid, they pay for the wire and the desired light bulbs. The average price of the wire is 75 CFA per meter and the average price of an incandescent bulb is 300 CFA. Once connected, the fee established by ACREST is 1000 CFA per month per bulb. So that, people who have two bulbs will pay 2000 CFA per month, equivalent to 4 USD (1 USD = 500 CFA in 2012).  What we discovered was that many people pay less than what they were actually consuming. They pay the price of one bulb per month, while they use more than the allotted one of two loads (bulbs), unknowingly to ACREST. Only few houses in this area were connected to the national grid, where the fee is 100 CFA per watt consumed. Apart from that, they pay 35000 CFA for the kWh meter, the wire, and the bulb by themselves in order to be connected.

Six interviews were done among the people who lived in the area to understand their general opinion on the project.  All of them were ACREST workers, three women and three men, but only some of them were connected to ACREST mini-grid.  All the interviewed people said that the project was good because electricity was good for them. All of them thought that the project did not have a bad impact on the water from the watershed being used. They thought that the water belonged to everybody and it was very important to do many activities like drinking, cooking, or washing with it.  Related to the mini-grid, the interviewed people stated that everybody in the area could be connected to it, but as they have to pay for the wire, bulb and installation by themselves, some of them were not able to afford it, and hence were not connected to the mini-grid. Those who get electricity from the mini-grid are the ones that are benefitting from the project.

Related to the relationship between people and ACREST, people who know about the project have a good opinion about it. It was observed that some people are not aware of the project, or don't show interest. Finally, some of the opinions provided by the inhabitants on improving the project to make it sustainable, include:

• Install kWh meters
• Expand marketing of ACREST products to sell more stoves, charcoal, or other products.
• Reduce the connection fee
• Advertise about ACREST and the turbines they produce.
• Get income from electricity and/or from sponsor to continue and expand power production.                                                                

Overall, the participants surveyed perceived that the hydropower project in Bangang had a positive impact on their community. They treat water importantly with respect and believe that it belongs to everyone publicly, rather than privately. They also believe that a hydropower project would not affect the quality of water in any harmful way. In their opinion, access to electricity should be made publicly available, so long as the expensive cost for its development can be covered. They are willing to undertake fundraising efforts, although school tuitions and other expenditures may be of higher priority than electricity. Moreover, they see themselves as local beneficiaries of the project for their various activities in the evening, such as ironing, radio for entertainment and news, charging their cellphones and light for reading.  Many residents are farmers; women tend to work on their farms, while men sell the crops in the market nearby. Agriculture is one of the highest priorities within the community. A number of them own large farms and even hire others to work for them three times a week at a rate of 2000 CFA per day, especially during the peak season of production. They perceive the cost paid for electricity per month was fair; however, a vast majority of them either do not pay for various reasons or only pay less than what they actually consume. All inhabitants want to be able to charge their mobile phones and wish to own a television and radio.

In general, there was a positive relationship between ACREST and the community. More funding and the installation of kWh meters was crucial in making the project sustainable.  In our opinion, beyond the responses we received from the survey of the community, we believe that quite a few residents are not well informed enough to comprehensively respond in depth to our questions on the project. The sole purpose of electricity in their daily livelihoods appeared to be for lighting, charging their mobile phones, and utilizing radios and televisions. Since agriculture plays an imperative role in their daily lives, electricity could be used to power agriculture machinery to help grind grain, operate sewing machines in a tailoring shop, or run a refrigerator in a store, all which create jobs and income in the community. In analyzing the situation, the complexity of the situation can be appreciated. Unfortunately, the project cannot be sustained using the current economic model, especially when most inhabitants connected to the mini-grid don't pay a fee for the electricity consumed due to family ties with the founder of ACREST. Those who don't pay for the power consumed will not value the service received and use electricity conservatively. We suggested that in addition to using kWh meters for measuring power consumed, 5 amp fuses should be connected to the houses so as to limit the amount of load drawn to just 5 amps. Those who attempt to secretly use above 5 amps would be caught when the fuse blows out when loads greater than 5 amps are drawn. However, this additional measure, while prudent involves more expenditure to an already expensive measuring system.

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Publications Views

Other project views:	All 2 publications	1 publications in selected types	All 1 journal articles

Publications

Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Pawletko P. Community power from hydropower systems:A capacity-building project in Bangang, Cameroon. The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research 2013;3(1):11.	SU835067 (Final)	Abstract: Purdue Library Abstract HTML Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

Hydropower, Renewable Energy, Community Development

Relevant Websites:

Beyond Empowerment - Purdue Hydro Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2012 Progress Report

P3 Phase I:

Development of Community Power from Sustainable Small Hydro Power Systems – A Capacity Building Project in Bangang, Cameroon  | Final Report