2011 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Jan Mar May Jul
Sep Nov
Months
Solar Energy (kWh/m^2),
Wind speed (m/s)
26
26.5
27
27.5
28
28.5
29
29.5
30
Ambient temp (C)
Solar energy
wind speed
Ambient temp
0
20
40
60
80
0:00
5:00
10:00
15:00
20:00
Time (h)
Power (KW)
Koh Mak Noi
Koh Chik
kilometers west of the mainland. Koh Mak Noi village,
which has approximately 283 houses with a population of
1,394, was selected for this study. Most of the residences
derived their electricity from small diesel generators
(lower than 3 kW rated power) and solar home systems.
Fig. 1. Location of Mak Noi Island in Phang Nga province.
The majority of a typical family’s primary income is
derived from small scale near-shore fishery. Some houses
have small shops selling groceries and fishing equipment
to the local community. A small number of families own
land on the island with small rubber plantations. An
approximate estimation for occupations on the island is
85% fisheries, 10% shops, and 5% rubber plantations.
Koh Mak Noi village has not yet become a tourist
destination. The biggest obstacle to tourism development
is the lack of electricity. It is unlikely that grid extension
will be possible in the near future. This is because current
electricity demand on the island is low; therefore it is not
economically viable for the Provincial Electricity
Authority (PEA) to invest in an expensive underwater
cable to connect the island with the mainland.
B. Input data
Weather information: The meteorological data for this
study is based on data from the METEONORM program
[98] in TMY2 format located at a Phuket weather station,
in Phuket province, that is adjacent to the village to the
southwest. The solar energy available at Koh Mak Noi
village is high during the sunny months (October to May)
and low during the monsoon when wind energy is high.
The yearly average solar energy is 4.83 kWh/m
2
Energy demand information: The current electricity
supply limits the use of appliances. From the survey
conducted in January 2011, most of the villagers
expressed their wishes of having grid quality 24-hour
electricity for their refrigerators and rice cookers. The
estimate of future demand for electricity in Koh Mak Noi
village was based on actual electricity-demand profiles
from Koh Chik village (reference site), adjusted by
population differences between the two communities. We
assume that the Koh Mak Noi village demand profile will
perform similarly to Koh Chik village. On this basis, Koh
Mak Noi village’s electricity demand is estimated at 722
kWh per day, with peak demand of 66 kW (estimated at
3 times that of Koh Chik village) [6]. The daily load
profile is higher in the morning (5.30 AM-8.00 AM),
when the villagers prepare their meals using high power-
consumption rice cookers. It peaks again in evening
hours (18.00 PM-22.00 PM) for the dinner preparation
and watching local favorite programs on TV.
.day.
Wind speeds are generally higher in the monsoon months
(June to September), as compared to the other months.
The annual average wind speed at 10 m hub height is 1.6
m/s. The maximum and minimum ambient temperatures
in this period are 29.5 °C and 27.3 °C in April and
September, respectively. The yearly average ambient
temperature is 28.1 °C.
Fig. 2. The monthly meteorological data at Koh Mak Noi village.
Fig. 3. Load profile of Koh Chik village and Koh Mak Noi village.
Component characteristics information: The invest-
ment costs, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, and
life time of each component for this study is based on
Table 1, except PV array cost. Where possible, all PV
modules from the existing solar home systems on the
island are utilized in the hybrid power system.
