Power Supply
The average power consumption at Uluru Children’s Home is 50 units/day (kWh). Electricity is supplied from Kadapakkam at a cost of 6000Rs/month. However, the power supply to Uluru Children’s Home and Alampara village is extremely unreliable. Large parts of India experience almost daily blackouts due to insufficient generation capacity. The blackouts typically last an hour or more. In addition, the remote location of Uluru Children’s Home means response to faults can be extremely slow. Power will often be out for many hours, or even whole days at a time. Even when power is available, it is often unsteady and at well below the nominal voltage.
A 10kW single-phase diesel generator is used on-site for backup. The generator consumes about 5 L of fuel every 8 h, at 35Rs per litre (excluding the cost of wear on the machinery). As a result of the cost, it tends to be used sparsely.
Existing generator
It is anticipated that Uluru Children’s Home will need to upgrade the generator when the proposed extensions to all the facilities are completed. A three-phase device is preferable. A solar system would be ideal given the amount of sunlight throughout the year.
Note that India runs on a 220V AC system.
Design Project: Design a reliable and cost-effective power supply system for Uluru Children’s Home. Sunlight is abundant, so a solar power system may be a viable option. Note that existing wiring and selection of fittings hasn’t previously taken this option into consideration (primarily incandescent bulbs, electric water heaters in living quarters, etc). Hydroelectric or wind options may be viable alternatives.
A 10kW single-phase diesel generator is used on-site for backup. The generator consumes about 5 L of fuel every 8 h, at 35Rs per litre (excluding the cost of wear on the machinery). As a result of the cost, it tends to be used sparsely.
Existing generator
It is anticipated that Uluru Children’s Home will need to upgrade the generator when the proposed extensions to all the facilities are completed. A three-phase device is preferable. A solar system would be ideal given the amount of sunlight throughout the year.
Note that India runs on a 220V AC system.
Design Project: Design a reliable and cost-effective power supply system for Uluru Children’s Home. Sunlight is abundant, so a solar power system may be a viable option. Note that existing wiring and selection of fittings hasn’t previously taken this option into consideration (primarily incandescent bulbs, electric water heaters in living quarters, etc). Hydroelectric or wind options may be viable alternatives.