ATULAYAN VILLAGE

Atulayan is a small isolated island in Camarines Sur, Philippines, about 3 km. off the beach of Nato. Living on the island are some 100 families deriving livelihood from fishing and seaweed farming. A few households have family members working abroad. Idyllic Atulayan also has white sand beach coves which are undeveloped for the most part.

Prior to the installation of Appropriate Energy's Hybrid Remote Area Power System (HRAPS), the village only had four hours of sub-standard electricity supplied by a diesel generator. On days when they ran out of diesel fuel, the villagers made do with candles and kerosene lamps for lighting. Generator breakdowns (which were often) posed bigger problems because of the lack of funds for repair and maintenance work. With the sponsorship of Congressman Arnulfo Fuentebella and Administrator Conrado Estrella of the National Electrification Administration, the Camarines Sur IV Electric Cooperative Inc. (CASURECO IV) spearheaded the installation of Appropriate Energy's HRAPS in Atulayan.

The system was sized to supply an average of 36.5kWh/day, enough to provide electricity for lighting and appliance use in 72 households (compact fluorescent bulbs, color TVs, radios, electric flat irons, and karaokes), a school (lights and a computer), streetlights, and the village playground (lighting during fiestas). Supply of electricity to a seaweed dryer supports the livelihood of the village's seaweed farmers.

Appropriate Energy HRAPS

The Atulayan hybrid system has the Appropriate Energy wind turbine as primary energy generator and solar panels as secondary energy source. A diesel generator acts as a back-up during days when there is no wind or when the sun does not shine. With the integration of inverters and a battery bank, the village is able to enjoy grid-quality 24-hour AC power, 220V single-phase and 380V three-phase. Since the system was developed specifically for remote areas, it has automatic start-stop controls and easy operation and maintenance procedures. Technical background, other than the training provided by Appropriate Energy, is not a pre-requisite for persons taking care of operation and maintenance. As in the case of Atulayan, the villagers themselves are responsible for day-to-day management and operation of the system.

Since Appropriate Energy's wind turbine generates power even at a low wind speed of 4.5 meters per second (found in 80% of the earth's land mass), its installation did not need extensive wind monitoring. With Atulayan's good wind resources, the turbine supplies most of the energy requirements of the island. The turbine's patented tilting axis enables power generation even during periods of very high wind speed. In the event of a typhoon, the turbine tower can be lowered to protect the blades from flying debris.

ATULAYAN BAPA

A participative approach was taken to make the villagers feel that they "own" and are responsible for the system. Thus, they were involved throughout the whole process -- from initial discussions on the project and its implications for their daily lives, through the determination of system loads, civil works construction and HRAPS installation to demand side management orientation.

To ensure sustainability, CASURECO IV organized the Atulayan Barangay Power Association (BAPA) which was given the task of managing the power system inclusive of household connections, operation and maintenance, billing and collection, and user education. CASURECO IV and Appropriate Energy conducted training on capability building while technology transfer was led by the technical team of SPPI and Appropriate Energy.

The Atulayan system was turned over to CASURECO IV and the Atulayan BAPA in June 2000.

SYSTEM ECONOMIC

The initial capital cost of this project was subsidized by the Philippine government, but now the system is self-sustaining. Before the installation of the system, the villagers were paying US$0.30/kWh for sub-standard electricity (4 hrs./day). Now they are being charged the mainland rate of US$0.087/kWh for grid quality power available 24 hrs/day. Any diesel usage charged to the consumers is in the form of a Cost of Fuel Adjustment. (Based on past months' experience, the genset runs for two hours every two to three days). This system of charging gives the village utility the reserve funds it needs for maintenance and possible expansion.

THE ATULAYAN PROJECT IN PICTURES

	HRAPS components on a light truck arrive at Nato pier.
	Components and parts being unloaded at Atulayan beach. The small fishing boat Christian, was used to transport them from Nato pier to the island of Atulayan.
	Villagers help bring wind turbine tower parts to the tower site atop a hill on the island.
	Technology transfer starts with village folk helping with the tower and wind turbine assembly.
	The wind turbine being assembled.
	The assembled tower and wind turbine being raised.
	Construction of the powerhouse for the rest of HRAPS components.
	Installation and assembly of system components in the powerhouse.
	The equally important capability building and demand-side management training.
	Life in beautiful Atulayan goes on - with improved living standards and a better base for economic development.
	Power line from the turbine tower site to the powerhouse below.
	Lights on using power from Appropriate Energy HRAPS.
	The school computer powered by wind and solar. The computer was donated by Appropriate Energy.
	This seaweed dryer was built using local materials and by the local carpenter. The seaweed dryer will use electricity to increase the speed and quality of seaweed production from the seaweed farms.
	The solar panels installed next to the power house. The solar panels produce a maximum of 16 amps at 48 Volts.
	The President of the Philippines at the grand opening of the 1st hybrid power system in the Philippines.
	A majority of the people who worked to make this project happen. Starting from left to right Francis Nacianceno, Roland Navarra, General Dumal, Michael Elliott, Beth Peralta (President of SPPI), Fadzil Bin Ismail, Eric Kalkhurst (Managing Director), Joey Jaboneta, Del Rosario, The Barangay (Village) Captain, Bonney, Engineer Favoreal. Notable exceptions Congressman Fuentebella and John Rees.

Appropriate Energy HRAPS SPECIFICATIONS - ATULAYAN ISLAND

Ave. Load: 36.5kWh/day; Peak Load: 11.5kW

• 1 x S20000 wind turbine (48V) & 24 m tilt-up tower, w/ lightning protection
• 3 x 5.5 kVA sine wave interactive inverter, tropicalized
• 1 x 48 V battery bank 2000 Ah (C20) and battery racks c/w maintenance kit
• 1 x Appropriate Energy 40A control box
• 12 x 75Wp solar panels c/w pole mount array frames and wiring
• 1 x 75 kVA gen set (retrofit of existing Atulayan unit, thus oversized)
• 1 x genset controller
• 1 x system wiring and earthing kit plus DC panel

Note: (CASURECO IV provided the powerhouse, power and distribution lines.)

MAINTENANCE

The S-20000 wind turbine needs to be inspected once a year by a certified representative, requiring about 1 hour to complete. Bearings need to be replaced once every 5 years by a certified presentative, less than a day to complete. Batteries have to be maintained by the user.

 Typically, household use of electricity is high early in the day, goes down during the day and peaks in early evening. Hence, most of day-time power can be allocated to rural industry, such as seaweed drying for Atulayan.

The availability of grid quality AC power for industries creates a dynamic environment of growth and development for the rural community.

Ability to pay for power increases as the proportion of power dedicated to industrial and agricultural uses increases.

Expansion in demand for electricity is easily met by adding modular components to the system.

 
The proud Appropriate Energy wind turbine and tower overlooking Atulayan Bay.

The graph above depicts the cost of energy to the Atulayan community. The cost of energy is directly proportional to the renewable energy production. As the wind speed increases more renewable energy is produced, reducing the need for a diesel genset backup.
(This graph was produced by the HOMER program which was designed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the U.S.)

How A Appropriate Energy Remote Area Power System Works

• Benefits of the Appropriate Energy System:
Supports mandated total electrification of barangays
Improves living standards in remote areas
Free energy from renewable resources
Power available 24 hours/day (240V single/380V three-phase)
Long life, low maintenance componentry
Independent power package
Environmentally friendly
Automatic operation
Modularly expandable
Can provide energy for livelihood activities

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