Energy with a Warm Smile

Spring - Antigua & Barbuda

Until October 2006, Arlene Marsh and the other residents of Turtle Bay, Antigua have lived without mainline electricity. Gulliver Johnson spoke with Arlene about how her life has been using solar renewable energy as her only power source for almost 10 years.

In short, solar energy is harnessed using two primary methods. Solar-thermal Power exploits solar radiation for hot water production and electricity generation by flat plate collectors (mainly of the thermosiphon type, for domestic hot water or for the seasonal heating of swimming pools) or Solar thermal-electric Plants. Solar power from photovoltaics involves the conversion of solar energy to electricity in photovoltaic cells. Passive solar energy for the direct heating, cooling and lighting of residential properties.

1. Where do you live and how long have you been there? I have been living on Proctor’s Point, Turtle Bay, in the Parish of St. Paul’s for the past 9 1/2 years.

2. How have you survived without mainline electricity? Up until October 2006 we used Solar Electricity Panels to power our home.

3. Was your renewable source economical? Yes, I found it to be quite economical. The system was sourced out of the USA nearly 10 years ago; at that time the cost of the system was estimated to be the same as 5 years worth of electricity from the local power company. The life span of the inverter averages 10 years and the batteries 5 years. The maintenance on the system is very low.

Solar cells (solar panels) capture the sun’s energy and change it to electricity. Inside a solar panel, each cell contains silicon, an element found in sand that absorbs sunlight. The energy in this absorbed light produces a small electrical current. Metal grids around the solar cells direct the currents into wires that lead to the power controls.

That time the cost of the system was estimated to be the same as 5 years worth of electricity from the local power company. The life span of the inverter averages 10 years and the batteries 5 years. The maintenance on the system is very low.

4. What are the pros of your system? Once the weather is good you have a constant supply of electricity with the Solar System. There was no need to worry about power outages from the mainline system or surges once the power returned. Also after natural disasters such as a hurricane, with the solar system you had electricity during and after the storm (as the batteries can hold power up to 3 days without sun) where as with the mainline supply, power is taken off during the storm and depending on the extent of damages can take several months before the supply returns.

In short, the batteries store the solar power generated and discharge the power as needed. The battery bank consists of one or more solar deep-cycle type batteries. Depending on the current and voltages for certain applications the batteries are wired in series and/or parallel.

Inverters in a nutshell, change Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC). Stand-Alone inverters can be used to convert DC from a battery to AC to run electronic equipment, motors, household appliances, etc. Synchronous Inverters can be used to convert the DC output of a photovoltaic module, a wind generator or a fuel cell to AC power to be connected to the utility grid. Multifunction inverters perform both functions.

5. You now have public electricity, how does this fair, do you suffer power-cuts? The new APUA electricity that we are now receiving is directed through our solar system, so even if there are power outages we don’t suffer as our solar system takes over.

6. Do you have any further advises for people considering the use of alternative energy sources? I would say yes, go for it. In my opinion, renewable energy is a much better source for a back-up system than a standard generator - the solar way is much more environmentally friendly.