Devloping & Sustaining Efficient Renewable Energy Source for Rural Areas in Papua New Guinea

7/31/2019 Devloping & Sustaining Efficient Renewable Energy Source for Rural Areas in Papua New Guinea

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Developing & Sustaining Efficient Renewable

Energy Source for Rural Areas of Papua New GuineaSammy Samun Aiau

#1, Narayan Gehlot

*2

#1Departmentof Electrical and Communication Engineering, Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Private Mail Bag, Lae 411, Morobe Province, Papua New [email protected]

*2Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering, Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Private Mail Bag, Lea 411, Morobe Province, Papua New [email protected]

AbstractRenewable energy sources and technologies have the

potential to provide long-lasting solutions to the problems

compounded by the economic, social and environment sectors in

Papua New Guinea (PNG) for isolated pockets of masses in rural

areas secluded by the tough terrain. The use of renewable energy

technologies in rural electrification in PNG will also play a

crucial role in raising the living standards of rural people.Renewable energy resources also hold the key to the need-of-the-

hour to jump start connectivity for information technology for

education and telemedicine services throughout PNG. The

authors present economically viable, detailed, off-the-shelf

technology for a hybrid integrated renewable energy (solar,

micro-hydro and bloom energy) micro-grid system for

sustainable living in the rural areas of PNG and duly supported

by a case study. The case study argues that dissemination of

renewable energy in rural areas has a potential to protect the

environment and may contribute to sustainable developments in

the rural areas of PNG. This paper further explores the potential

for a joint venture with either a private or a public enterprise to

compliment the PNG Power Limited without being bogged down

by the traditional land owner issues.

KeywordsRenewable energy, renewable energy technologies,bloom energy, micro-grid

I. INTRODUCTIONRenewable energy is natural energy which does not have a

limited supply. Renewable energy can be used again and againand will not run out. Renewable energy harnesses naturally

occurring non-depletable sources of energy, such as hydro,

solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal, ocean current and

biomass, to produce electricity, gases and liquid fuels, heat or

a combination of these energy types. Some of these renewable

energies such as wind, biomass etc have been used forthousands of years. Biomass is burning of wood in cooking

and wind was used for sailing. However with the

developments of renewable energy technologies, these

renewable energy sources can be used to generate electricity.

Taking into account the sustainable character of the majorityof renewable energy technologies, they are able to preserve

resources and to provide security, diversity of energy supply

and services, virtually without environmental impact [1]-[3].

The technical potential for renewable energy sources in PNG

is enormous and the majority are in the rural areas, and are

exploitable with the use of new clean energy efficienttechnologies to benefit approximately 90% of the population

of PNG who do not have access to electricity services [4].

The main objectives of this paper are to study the various

renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies,

to identify the most economical and environmental friendly

energy sources and finally employ the best off-the-shelfrenewable energy efficient technology to develop and sustain

electrical power generation, managed by a joint venture

enterprise, in the rural areas of PNG.

II. RENEWABLEENERGYSOURCES

Fig. 1 What renewable energy sources the world is using

Source: renewable-solarenergy.com

Fig. 1 shows the renewable energy sources that the world is

using as clean energy solutions to the polluting sources of

energy that produce carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping

pollutant that cause global warning. The renewable energy

sources includes biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar, tidal,

wave, ocean current, wind and wood [1], [2]. Papua New

Guinea has an enormous capacity of renewable energy sources,

especially hydro and solar energy that can be harnessed to

produce electricity for the bulk of PNGs population who

dwell in the rural areas with no access to electricity.


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A.Hydro EnergyHydro energy is a renewable energy source and involves

the use of water. Hydropower uses the movement of water

under gravitational force to drive turbines to generate

electricity. Hydro is a great source of energy unlike solar and

wind, the rivers, streams and springs can offer a 24/7 supply

of renewable energy [1], [2]. The first ever water power

station was in Godalming, Britain in 1881 introducinghydropower as a source of electricity. PNG has significanthydroelectric potential. Fig. 2 shows a run-off-the-river micro-

hydro system.

Fig. 2 Micro-hydropower system layout Source: energy.ltgovernors.com

B. Solar EnergySolar radiation, often called the solar resource, is a general

term for the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun.

Solar radiation can be captured and turned into useful forms of

energy, such as heat and electricity, using a variety oftechnologies. Solar energy is among the largest potential

sources in PNG. Fig. 3 shows a solar photovoltaic system.

Fig. 3 Solar photovoltaic power system layout

Source: allaboutsolarenergy.com

The basic building block of a photovoltaic (PV) system is

the solar cell. When sunlight strikes PV cells, electrons are

released and then gathered to create an electrical current. A

thin silicon cell, four inches across, can produce about one

watt of direct current electrical power in full sunlight. The

direct current is converted into alternating current to operate

household appliances. One PV cell alone may not produce

much power, but a number of photovoltaic cells are grouped

together into arrays, large panels or sheets that collectivelyform a solar collector system [1], [2].

III.RENEWABLEENERGYTECHNOLOGIES(RETS)Technologies in the renewable energy sector are fast-

moving and innovative. While technologies offer new

opportunities, they also carry risk. This risk can be managed

by focusing on well-established renewable energy technologythat offers value for money and proven longevity.

Electricity generation consists in transforming energy from

nature into electrical energy. Table 1 depicts the most

common technologies available at the moment: their primary

energy source, their renewability and the CO2 emissions rate

based on the life cycle of the technology [5], [6].

TABLEI

ELECTRICITYGENERATIONTECHNOLOGIESINRURAL

ENVIRONMENT

Technology Primary

Source

Renewable

(Yes/No)

C/I

Continuous

Intermittent

AC

/

DC

Emissions

(life cycle

mean

gCO2eq/kW)

Combustion

Oil

Gas

Coal

Biomass

No (C)

No (C)

No (C)

Yes (C)

AC

AC

AC

AC

780

530

1000

70

PV Sun Yes (I) DC 56

Hydraulic

Mechanical

energy:

water

Yes (C) AC 8

Wind-farms

Mechanical

energy:

wind

Yes (I) AC 14

Source:Olatz Azurza and others, ICREPO1, March, 2012

A.Hydropower TechnologiesHydropower technologies have a long history of use

because of their many benefits, including high availability and

lack of emissions. Hydropower technologies use flowing

water to create energy that can be captured and turned intoelectricity. Both large and small-scale power producers can

use hydropower technologies to produce clean electricity.Hydropower can be described as the production of power

by using the gravitational force of falling or flowing water.

Hydropower is the process of changing the kinetic energy of

flowing water in a river into electrical power that we can use.

Most hydropower stations use either the natural drop of a river,

such as a waterfall or rapids, or a dam is built across a river to

1 International Conference on Renewable Energy and Power Quality
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://allaboutsolarenergy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Solar-Energy-Systems.jpghttp://www.google.com/imgres?start=131&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGIE_en&biw=1280&bih=496&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=VB3hdsTURAA0vM:&imgrefurl=http://ltgovernors.com/series/buying-and-using-renewable-energy-at-home&docid=WubA-_4e49iG2M&imgurl=http://ltgovernors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/microhydro-power.png&w=528&h=325&ei=XNTAT6KQG46yrAfl26jjCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=778&vpy=140&dur=25000&hovh=176&hovw=286&tx=163&ty=107&sig=105364822785496169649&page=9&tbnh=121&tbnw=196&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:131,i:62http://allaboutsolarenergy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Solar-Energy-Systems.jpghttp://www.google.com/imgres?start=131&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGIE_en&biw=1280&bih=496&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=VB3hdsTURAA0vM:&imgrefurl=http://ltgovernors.com/series/buying-and-using-renewable-energy-at-home&docid=WubA-_4e49iG2M&imgurl=http://ltgovernors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/microhydro-power.png&w=528&h=325&ei=XNTAT6KQG46yrAfl26jjCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=778&vpy=140&dur=25000&hovh=176&hovw=286&tx=163&ty=107&sig=105364822785496169649&page=9&tbnh=121&tbnw=196&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:131,i:62http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.html


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raise the water level, and provide the drop needed to create a

driving force. Currently it is the most widely used source of

renewable energy.

Water is collected and flows through the penstock and is

carried down into a turbine. The turbine is connected to a

generator. As the water flows in, water pressure increases

causing the turbine to revolve, this in turn spins the generator.

This produces electricity that can be stepped up in voltage

through the stations transformers and sent across transmissionlines [2]. The remaining falling water, having served its

purpose, exits the generating station, where it rejoins the main

stream of the river.

B. Solar EnergySolar energy technologies produce electricity from the

energy of the sun. For example, photovoltaic systems capture

the energy in sunlight and convert it directly into electricity.

Alternatively, sunlight can be collected and focused with

mirrors to create a high intensity heat source that can be used

to generate electricity by means of turbine or heat engine [2].

Small solar energy systems can provide electricity for homes,

businesses, and remote power needs. Larger solar energysystems provide more electricity for contribution to the

electric power system.

IV.THEPAPUANEWGUINEAENERGYSECTORThe energy sector in Papua New Guinea mostly depends on

three main types of energy: electricity, oil and gas. The energy

sector accounts for 14% of the countrys GDP. PNG Power

Limited (PNG Government owned) is the sole national

electricity company responsible for generation, transmission,

distribution and retail of electricity in PNG. It has major

transmission and distribution networks in Port Moresby,

Ramu valley and Gazelle Peninsula (Rabaul) that are supplied

by major hydro power plants. It also supplies electricity to 19

regional centres by diesel powered thermal generation as

shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 PNG Power Limited generation, transmission and distributionnetworks. Source: PNG Power Limited

Oil Search, in which the Papua New Guinea government

holds 17.6% of shares, is the largest oil company. Inter Oil, a

vertically integrated company with petroleum licenses

covering about 8.7 million acres of land, is the second largest

oil company in Papua New Guinea. Both companies dominate

the gas market in Papua New Guinea as well. PNG will be

setting for major changes in this energy sector very soon,

because of the PNG LNG project. However on the renewable

energy sector, it remains severely underexploited fororganizational and technological reasons [7].

There are many factors that contribute to this very sad state

of affairs however notable amongst all is: the absence of an

electricity industry policy, energy policy and rural

electrification policy to guide the development of the energy

sector; and the high investment cost associated with

establishing transmission lines due to the PNGs rugged

topography. However recent initiative by the Somare Temu

government in 2006 has paved way for the development of

three important policies. These are the Electricity Industry

Policy, the National Energy Policy and the Rural

Electrification Policy. The draft Electricity Industry Policy isin its final stage to be endorsed and released by the

government soon. The National Energy policy and the Rural

Electrification policy are still in their early draft stages and

subject to further consultation and improvisation. The delay in

the formulation and implementation of these policies has

deprived the bulk of the population especially in the rural

areas without electricity. Table 2 shows the number of people

with access to electricity supplied by the PNG Power Limited

and without access to electricity in each province in PNG.

TABLE2NUMEBROFPNGPOWERLTDELECTRICITYCUSTOMERS

Name of Province Population

ofProvince

Population

withElectricity

Population

withoutElectricity

Central 183983 3182 180801

Gulf 106898 411 106487

Milne Bay 210412 1340 209072

National Capital

Dist.

254158 41766 212392

Oro 133065 961 132104

Western 153304 652 152652

Eastern Highlands 432972 5445 427527

Enga 295031 1396 293635

Simbu 259703 1721 257982

Southern Highlands 546265 1131 545134

Western Highlands 440025 6175 433850East Sepik 343181 2380 340801

Madang 365106 3297 361809

Morobe 539404 12136 527268

Sandaun 185741 1070 184671

Autonomous Region

of Bougainville

175160 570 174590

East New Britain 220133 6496 213637

Manus 43387 3353 40034

New Ireland 118350 1202 117148

West New Britain 184508 1982 182526


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The draft National Energy Policy covers indigenous energy

resources in PNG that includes, oil, gas, hydropower and other

renewable. The policy aims to improve the quality of life and

sustainable national development of these resources through a

robust and vibrant energy sector. The draft Electricity Industry

Policy identifies the importance and versatility of electricity as

an input of production and thus, an essential ingredient to

sustain economic and social growth of Papua New Guineans.

The draft Rural Electrification Policy encapsulates the needfor up scaling rural electrification through development of

renewable energy resources with the vision to enhance

livelihood of rural population through sustainable provision of

electricity. The policy acknowledges the availability of

untapped indigenous renewable energy sources in the country

such as solar, hydro, wind, marine, biomass, geothermal andbio energy and aims for the utilisation of these indigenous

renewable energy resources for the rural communities in PNG

[7]. Therefore this paper analyses the renewable energy

capacities and technologies that can be implemented for the

rural population of PNG.

V. RURAL ELECTRIFICATION WITH RENEWABLEENERGYSOURCESINPAPUANEWGUINEA

Development and adoption of reliable renewable energysources in the rural areas for rural electrification has become a

major challenge to most parts of the world. According to the

International Energy Agency (IEA), there was in 2008 an

estimated 1.5 billion people, or 22% of the worlds population,

living without access to electricity, 85% of whom live in the

rural areas and Papua New Guinea is no exemption. Thisenergy outlook for the rural people is unacceptable as the

modern renewable energy technologies can play a crucial role

in developing rural electrification to provide electricity to the

people living in the rural areas.The role of energy and more specifically electricity is the

key player in all aspects of sustainable development.

Sustainable development of the energy sector is a potential

factor to maintain economic competitiveness and progress.

Access to modern energy reduces poverty and hunger and

improves access to safe drinking water through food

preservation and pumping system (MDG12

). It fosters

education by providing light and communication tools(MDG2), it improves gender equality by relieving women of

fuel and water collecting tasks (MDG3), and it reduces child

and maternal mortality as well as incidences of disease by

enabling refrigeration for medication as well as access to

modern equipment. It also helps to fight pandemics like HIV(MDG4, 5, 6). Finally, if access to electricity is implemented

with environmentally sound technologies, it directly

contributes to global environmental sustainability (MDG7).

Energy alone is not sufficient to alleviate poverty, but it is

certainly necessary and there will be no major development

progress without a growing number of people gainingsustainable access [7], [8].

2 Millennium Development Goals in PNG

In PNG, which has no national power grid but large river

systems and abundant sunshine, renewable energy has

tremendous potential to transform remote rural lives with

clean and sustainable electricity. Renewable energy projects

for power generation not only help combat climate change but

can help transform communities in rural areas by revitalising

local economies and drawing the people together. Fig. 5

shows the guidelines for off-grid electrification project

designers [9], [10].

Fig. 5 Elements of a sustainable rural electrification project

Source: Designing sustainable off-grid rural electrification projects

To maximize the chances of sustaining operation of an off-

grid electrification project over the long term, fundamentalproject design principles must observed, as follows:

The conception and implementation of the off-gridelectrification project must be consistent with the

overall rural electrification plan for the region.

A cost-benefit analysis of alternatives must be carriedout to determine the least-cost solution.

In the assessment phase, effort must be made tomaximize community awareness, involvement, and

support, which is vital to project success.

Both the government and implementing agency musttake full ownership of the project.

One must obtain the governments upfront commitmentto pick up the subsidy slack when external grant co-financing ends.

Competence of the local Project Management Unit(PMU) is critical to project success.

For off-grid electrification projects that rely on private-sector participation, the simplest delivery mechanism or

business model should be applied.

The government must put in place light-handedregulatory measure that simplify operations for private-

sector participants and limit the cost of doing business.


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Appropriate training should be provided to participantsof off-grid electrification projects at various levels.

One should maximize opportunities for productive andinstitutional applications that complement the provision

of household service.

Opportunities for international co-financing should beexplored.

VI.CASE STUDY: WANTUN MICRO-HYDRO ANDSOLARPOWERPROJECT

The Department of Electrical and Communication

Engineering at the Papua New Guinea University of

Technology has considered rural electrification has one of its

priorities and has been helping rural communities carrying out

feasibility studies of their proposed micro-hydro and solar

power sites. Papua New Guinea has many good rivers, streamsand even mountain springs that can be turned into micro-

hydro power systems and even together as water supply

systems for the benefit of the communities in the rural areas.

Papua New Guinea situated along the equation also has

abundance of sun shine all year round that can be harnessed to

produce electricity.For the past 15 years the department has carried out nine

micro-hydro feasibility study projects and a numbers of solar

power feasibility study projects for the rural communities.

However none of the past projects have been implemented due

to financial constraints face by the rural communities. The

case study presented in this paper is on the recent feasibility

study of a micro-hydro and solar power system for the

Wantun Community Learning and Development Centre

(WCLDC) in the Onga Waffa Local Level Government in the

Markham District of Morobe Province as shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 Wantun micro-hydro project site Source: Google Map

The WCLDC is an Indigenous Peoples Organization of

approximately five thousand (5,000) rural villagers,

endeavouring to meaningfully participate in the development

process of the nation of Papua New Guinea. They believe that

it is the rural people themselves or project beneficiaries who

can make pivotal decisions and play the most important roles

in improving their quality of life and standard of living and

bring in lasting changes to their communities through

development projects.

A.Micro-Hydropower (MHP) SystemMicro-hydropower technologies have a long history of use

because of their many benefits, including high availability and

lack of emissions. In light of this project, the application of

micro-hydropower appears ideal for the Wantun communities.

The provision of electricity is a vital step in developing

infrastructure which, in turn, entails vast improvement to

quality of life, learning opportunities (education) and also

competitiveness of local businesses. Also it is believed that

the installation could provide valuable community and

educational resources as well as a creditable communication

tool for the use of renewable energy within the MarkhamDistrict of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.

Micro-hydro is an ancient source of renewable energy and,in the light of the national governments CO2 reduction targets

and funding incentives, the Wantun micro-hydro scheme in

the Markham District of the Morobe Province of Papua New

Guinea was investigated for the installation of micro-hydro

power scheme. The feasibility study of the site was carried out

from 9th to 13th April 2012. The micro-hydro project included

detail site survey of the river and the area, which includes

current existing load demands, the specifications of the turbine

and generator, design of the system, purchase and delivery of

all required materials to the project site and the final

installation and commissioning of the scheme.

During the feasibility study, three river sources were

investigated. The three river sources were Tamur, Yawai and

Wara Kalap. From this feasibility study the Yawai mountain

stream was determined to be the most viable location for

micro-hydro site, with a head of approximately 216 meters.

The flow of the Yawai mountain stream is adequately high

year round so that the theoretical limit of power productiondoes not limit the proposed project. A flow of 20 litres per

second in the penstock is necessary to develop the 40 kW of

power that was deemed necessary. HDPVC pipe was

concluded to be the optimal penstock material, with a

diameter of approximately 0.25 meters. Channel and intake

designs and dimensions have also been calculated, to ensure

that the required flow is maintained. HDPVC pipe of 0.225

meters is recommended for the intake pipeline.

B. Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) SystemNo solar power feasibility study was carried out on-site for

the Wantun village community but it is noted that solar energy

is among the largest potential sources in PNG. Average

insolation in most parts of PNG is 400-800 W/m2, with 4.5 to

8 sunshine hours per day all year round. Of the 23 locations

assessed in PNG, Port Moresby, National Capital District has

Project Site
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_benefits.htmlhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/water/hydro_history.html


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the largest solar energy resource with 2,478 sunshine hours

per year and the lowest is Tambul, Western Highlands

Province, with 1292 hours per year. Wantun village in the

Morobe Province is situated closer to the equator than Port

Moresby and therefore would have a slightly larger solar

energy resource than Port Moresby.

C.Hybrid Microhydro/SPC Micro-grid SystemA ConceptIn recent decades rural electrification has been done with

renewable energies through individual generation, that is, one

user one installation. Technology now allows evolution

towards collective installations through the use of hybrid

mini-grid/micro-grid system with generation and distributed

accumulation as shown in Fig. 7. From the feasibility study

of the Wantun micro-hydro and solar power systems, it is

proposed to develop a micro-grid system using the two

renewable energy sources for the supply of electricity to the

Wantun village communities. The micro-grid system will be

a hybrid power system using the micro-hydro and solar

energy sources. Hybrid renewable energy system is one of

the most promising applications of renewable energy

technologies in rural areas, where the cost of the gridextension is prohibitive due to the tough terrains and the

price of fossil fuels increase drastically with the remotenessof the location. Applications of hybrid systems range from

small power supplies for rural households providing

electricity for lighting or water pumping and water supply to

village electrification for the rural communities [11], [12].

A micro-grid is a discrete energy system consisting

distributed energy sources (e.g. renewable, conventional,

storage) and loads capable of operating in parallel with or

independently from the main grid. A micro-grid includes

generation, a distributed system, consumption and storage,

and manages them with advanced monitoring, control and

automation systems. A fully-developed micro-grid has the

capability of automatically disconnecting and operating

independently from the main grid.

Fig. 7 Hybrid micro-grid rural electrification system layoutSource: outbackpower.com

D.Bloom Energy for Rural ElectrificationA ConceptBloom Energy is the latest energy technology developed by

Dr K. R. Sridhar, the principal co-founder and Chief

Executive Officer of Bloom Energy that utilises an innovative

new fuel cell technology to produce clean, reliable and

affordable electricity from a wide range of renewable energy

sources and air [13]. Fig. 8 illustrates how bloom energy

servers create electricity.

Fig. 8 A new way of generating clean electricity

Source: ttp://www.bloomenergy.com

The new fuel cells are called bloom boxes or bloom energyservers. The bloom box fuel cells are a stack of ceramic 3

wafers with a proprietary ink on each side separated by a

3 The primary material of the Bloom Box is beach sand, a plentiful and

ubiquitous resource, which is baked into thin ceramic wafers
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dc+micro+grids&view=detail&id=C417880F9EF3B37ACD68008397029925AE48AB87&first=0&qpvt=dc+micro+grids&FORM=IDFRIRhttp://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dc+micro+grids&view=detail&id=C417880F9EF3B37ACD68008397029925AE48AB87&first=0&qpvt=dc+micro+grids&FORM=IDFRIR


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metal alloy. Fuel (typically natural gas, but it may be operated

with biogas) goes in one side of the ceramic wafer, and

oxygen goes in the other as illustrated in Fig. 8. The resulting

chemical reaction, which does not involve combustion,

produces electricity. In addition, the fuel cells act not only as

an electricity generator, but also as a storage device and are

reportedly very fuel efficient. Each bloom energy server

provides 100 or 200 kilowatts of power as shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 How bloom energy server works Source: Bloom Energy

The bloom energy servers can be substituted for the

generator in Fig. 7 and integrated with the renewable energy

sources and provide a perfect solution for rural electrification

in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea. PNG Power Limited

together with the two major PNG LNG4

projects should tap

into this new technology because:

The bloom energy servers can be run on natural gas andwe have a lot of LNG from the projects.

The bloom energy servers operate independent of thepower grid, which is a perfect solution for the rural

micro-grid power systems.

VII.

BUSINESSMODELSFORRURALMICROGRIDSThe definition and classification of business models for

rural electrification is challenging, especially what criteria to

used in these classifications. However, it is a very important

exercise since a key for success of micro-grid systems is the

local institutional arrangement determining who invests,

develops, owns, and operates the systems. There are a numberof business models for micro-grid management of rural

electrification. These are community-based model, private-

4 Liquidified Natural Gas

based model, the utility-based model, and hybrid business

model [14], [15]. The community-based model involves the

community to take ownership and operate, provide

maintenance, tariff collection and management of the system.

The private sector-based model involves a private company in

the financing, construction and operation of the system. The

utility-based model in PNG would involve PNG Power

Limited to take full responsibility of the establishment and

management of the micro-grid rural electrification system.The hybrid models try to combine different approaches to

benefit from the advantages of each of the models and to

minimize shortcomings. Fig. 10 shows a hybrid business

model which will be adopted for the Wantun integrated micro-

hydro and solar power system.

Fig. 10 Hybrid business model Source: Rural electrification with renewable

energy

Under the hybrid business model, PNG Power Limited or aprivate company implements and owns the Wantun micro-grid

power system, WCLDC manages it on a daily basis and a

private company provides the technical back-up and

management advice.

VIII. CONCLUSIONSThis paper presents a comparative study of the indigenous

renewable energy resources and off-the-shelf renewable

energy technologies, to develop a sustainable hybrid micro-

grid rural electrification system for the bulk of population

living in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea. The paper alsodiscussed the energy sector and rural electrification in PNG,together with a case study of a feasibility study of Wantun

micro-hydro and solar power system in the Markham District

of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

Renewable energy projects can serve a critical niche in

supplying much-needed electricity to rural, off-grid

communities in Papua New Guinea. Connecting the electricitygrid to rural and remote areas is very uneconomical to carry

out. Therefore it is more economical to electrify the rural areas

with a micro-grid by means of existing renewable energy


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sources available locally. The micro-grid configuration

represents energy distribution architecture from the producing

site to consumers and eventually the interconnection between

several sites and several consumers.

From the discussions, it is recommended that PNG has

abundant hydro and solar energy potentials that can be

developed under a renewable energy hybrid business model to

fast- track the rural electrification program and provide

electricity to the people living in the rural areas of Papua NewGuinea. The concept of the micro-grid power system using

renewable energy sources together with the bloom energy

server is a cost effective and sustainable system and should be

implemented in the rural electrification program in Papua

New Guinea.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the

financial support of the Department of Electrical and

Communication Engineering and the Research Committee of

the Papua New Guinea University of Technology.

BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Mr. Sammy Aiau

Mr. Aiau is a faculty at UNITECH

since 1985 in electrical andcommunications department. Mr.

Aiaus area of research are control

systems engineering, energymanagement, renewable energy and

power systems control. Mr. Aiau has

conducted several short courses in

programmable logic controllers (PLC)

at UNITECH regularly and is widely

known in industry. Mr. Aiau alsoexplored technology education in Australia (1989-1991) and Canada (1994-

1995). Mr. Aiau is a senior faculty at UNITECH in ECE department and was

also an acting head of department (2003-2005). Mr. Aiau is a very amicableperson as per UNITECH alumni feedback and always a cheerful helping hand

who cares for his pupil.

He is a UNITECH alumnus with a Master of Philosophy (MPhil, 1993) in

Electrical Engineering (Power) and a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng., 1978)

in Electrical Engineering (Communications).

2. Prof. (Dr.) N. Gehlot, Senior IEEE MemberDr. Narayan Gehlot is a renowned

leader in communications with over

15 years (post doctorate) of research

and development experience in

systems, board and chip design. He

has worked in some of worlds

leading laboratories in

telecommunications and computer

networking such as Indian Institute of

Technology, Madras, India; Bellcore,

Morristown, NJ; AT&T Bell

Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ and Lucent

Technologies Bell Labs Holmdel, NJ. A genuine innovator who has

contributed to more than 51 (33 issued) patents globally in a wide range of

technologies such as wired and wireless communications, fiber optics for

FTTx, long haul, metro, intercontinental submarine systems, network

management system, line monitoring systems, computer, internet, security,

database, networks, vehicular technologies, Raman amplifier etc. Dr. Gehlots

patents have been cited in more than 333 issued patents.

Dr. Gehlot strongly believes that ideas5 are the key assets to success whereas

solution to a problem is only a matter of time. He is an outstanding researcher,

innovator known for successful collaborations with Universities and

intellectual property creation. He is bestowed with the unique ability of

foresightedness to look ahead and plan. At Bell Labs Dr. Gehlot was honored

as an "Outstanding Asian American for Lucent's Success" along with world-

renowned researchers and 1998 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Daniel Tsui. Dr.

Gehlot is an alumnus of BITS, Pilani, India; NJIT, Newark, NJ, USA and

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. He is a Senior Member of

IEEE and has keen interest on fundamentals of nature beyond science. Dr.

Gehlot is currently a faculty at UNITECH, Lae, PNG. Prof. Gehlot is

currently the Head of Department at UNITECH, Lae, PNG.

REFERENCES

[1] What is Renewable Energy? How Renewable Energy Works? Available on http://www.renewablw-solarenergy.com

[2] Clean Energy Solutions: Renewable Energy Available onhttp://www.sierraclub.org/renewables

[3] Renewable Energy Definitions Available on http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/energy_definitions/definition-of-renewable-

energy.html[4] Policy Database Details: Independent State of Papua New Guinea

(2010) Available on http:www.reeep.or/index.php?id=9353&text=

policy& special=viewitem&cid=71[5] Olatz Azurza,Inaki Arranbide and Itziar Zubia, Rural electrification

based on renewable energies. A Review,International Conference on

Renewable Energies and Power Quality, Spain, March, 2012[6] United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTA

Current Studies on Science, Technology and Innovation, Renewable

Energy Technologies for Rural Development, United Nations, 2010[7] Rebecca Ogann Kiage, Managing Key Landowner Issues within the

Context of the Proposed PNG/QLD Hydro Project Wabo Project,

MSc (Energy and Resources) thesis, UCL School of Energy andResources, Australia

[8] Sustainable Energy Regulation and Policymaking for Africa, Module10: Increasing access to energy services in rural areas

[9] Operational Guidance for World Bank Group Staff, Designingsustainable Off-Grid Rural Electrification Projects: Principal and

Practices, The world Bank, The Energy and Mining Sector Board,November, 2008

[10] Renewable Energies for Remote Areas and Islands (Remote), IEARenewable Energy Technology development, Final Report, April,2012

[11] N. Chayakul, D. Tayati, W. Pruksikanun, P. Kanchanakaroon, T.Komolmit, Y. Srisiriuthaiwong and W. Tayati, Planning of

Sustainable Renewable Energy system for Remote VillageElectrification, Solar 204: Life, the Universe and Renewables.

[12] Sixth Framework Programme: Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems forthe Supply of Services in Rural Settlements of Mediterranean PartnerCountries, Agricultural University of Athens.

[13] Bloom Energy Technology Available onhttp://www.bloomenergy.com

[14] Rural Electrification with Renewable Energy, (Technologies, qualitystandards and business model), Alliance for Rural Electrification.

[15] Micro-grids, Promotion of Micro-grids and Renewable EnergySources for Electrification in Developing Countries,

EIE/05/011/S12.419343 Micro-gridsResults Report-2008 February.

5 Albert Einstein "The formulation of a problem is often more essential than

its solutions, which may be merely a matter of mathematical expressions orexperimental verifications."

Devloping & Sustaining Efficient Renewable Energy Source for Rural Areas in Papua New Guinea

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