Renewable Energy Development for the Afghanistan National Security University by Bill Stein 31 jan 2012

US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONG®

Renewable Energy Development for a Military Training Complex in Afghanistan

William Stein Benjamin Barnes US Army ERDC-CERL Energy, Utility & Environment Conference (EUEC 2012), Session K-3 Phoenix AZ USA 31 January 2012

Distribution Statement A - Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

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Outline • Information collected after feasibility study • Results from discussion with SSA • Assessment plan • Wind • Solar PV • Solar Hot Water + Diesel/Propane Boilers • Lighting retrofit • Reflective roofs • Window retrofit • Waste water treatment potentials • WTE • Phases II and III • Acknowledgements

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Information collected after feasibility study The 3 X cost multiplier does not capture in sufficient detail the site conditions

• Logistical difficulties: • 1 MW turbine requires a 300 ton crane • Largest section to move by truck is 35m long • Multiple contractors around Kabul verify that the

largest crane available is 125 tons.

• Theft and vandalism are issues.

• Lack of technical capacity available for operation and maintenance.

• USAID failures in micro-hydro caused them to recommend: “In the short-term, make every effort to slow developments to match the capacity by downsizing planned government and donor programs … to accommodate sustainable development.”

• Rough terrain, insufficient roads.

Eastern ridge of ANSU site, typical terrain. Photo credit: Ben Barnes, CERL

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Results From In-Brief with the Senior Science Advisor (SSA) to the Commander

GO-AHEAD GIVEN TO: • Reduce the size and increase

the number of wind turbines. Five 10-12 kW units tentatively approved; potential for more.

• Install 50 kW PV in multiple small systems.

• Consider efficiency and low-tech RE for RFP.

• Cancel complex WTE plant. • Cancel complex anaerobic

digester.

EMPHASIS ON: • Social value: demonstrating that

RE can work here, showing the public that we’re trying things that work.

• Five-year paybacks are preferred • Waste and waste-water sludge

both still require trucking off the installation, which presents a security issue. If possible, SSA would still like recommendations on these items.

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Renewable Energy • 10-12 kW wind turbines • 50 kW PV in multiple small systems. • Solar hot water (potentially with diesel or propane

boiler) • Transpired solar walls on the few buildings with

makeup air Energy Efficiency • Lighting retrofit • Window retrofit • Reflective roof coatings

Assessment Plan Technologies Considered

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• Met with Renewable Energy Enterprises (REE), an Afghan-owned company with a permanent presence in Kabul.

• Exchanged emails with and reviewed the work of Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan (SESA), a company installing systems and training Afghan technicians in Kabul.

• Concluded that qualified, local companies exist, both with experience in the technologies we are considering.

Assessment Plan Verify Availability of Technology/Contractors

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Wind Power Installing a 1MW wind turbine is impossible at worst, risky at best

The limitations mentioned above make a 1 MW turbine risky at best. Even if it could be installed and maintained, it is an unrealistically large investment for a site with no detailed wind study. Furthermore, multiple small resources increases resiliency in a difficult maintenance environment; failed turbines represent a smaller percentage of the overall capacity, and can be cannibalized for parts if necessary.

http://www.brighterenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/nordic.jpg

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Wind Power Contractors in Kabul have the capacity to install and maintain small turbines

Panjshir Valley wind power project, SES Afghanistan (using

10 kW Bergey) http://sesa.af/projects/panjshir-valley/gallery/panjshir-windpower-

small-2/

22 Bunkers ERDC Partnership: Wind and Solar Project by IHFD

(partner of REE). WWW.IHFDLLC.COM

The expected payback period (very roughly estimated) of the new, smaller wind turbines is 20 years, or about 2.5 times that predicted for the larger turbine.

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Wind Power Site Determination

Wind data from the Kabul airport (~8 mi. East) indicate a predominantly N and NW wind. Monthly data suggest that this flow is largely dependent on immediate solar radiation, as it decreases substantially in the Winter.

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Wind Power Site Determination

LIDAR data from the Intelligence Fusion Cell assisted in understanding large scale features likely to change the speed and prevailing direction of the wind.

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Wind Power Site Determination

Site observations on different days and times helped verify assumptions on wind behavior and assess constructability. GPS data and observations recorded for each potential site.

Observing wind walking from peak to saddle on NW ridge. Photo credit: Ben Barnes, CERL

Bill Stein observing wind at NW peak at ANSU site. Photo credit: Ben Barnes, CERL

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Wind Power Site Determination

Proposed locations.

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Wind Power Site Determination

Proposed locations – East Ridgeline.

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Wind Power Site Determination

Proposed locations – Northeast Ridgeline.

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Wind Power Site Determination

Proposed locations – Northwest Ridgeline.

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Wind Power Future Potential

After two or more years, the 10 kW turbines will indicate which wind sites are the best, paving the way for installation of a larger 275 kW Vergnet, which is the largest tilt-up wind turbine available. It can be installed or maintained with a 20 ton crane.

www.vergnet.com 16

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Photovoltaics Installing a 2 MW PV array is risky and expensive. Senior Science Advisor requested

smaller and approved a total of 50 kW in smaller systems.

The technical limitations mentioned above make a 2 MW solar array risky. Theft and vandalism remain and issue at ANSU, so smaller, roof mounted systems are preferred. The same small inverter size throughout will increase system resiliency and is more within the capacity of the available contractors. http://www.industcards.com/nellis-pv.jpg

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Sayed Karam solar power project, Sustainable Energy

Service Afghainstan http://sesa.af/projects/sayed-karam-solar-pv-

project/gallery/

22 Bunkers ERDC Partnership: Wind and Solar Project by IHFD

(partner of REE). WWW.IHFDLLC.COM

The expected payback period (very roughly estimated) of the new, smaller solar systems is 24 years, or about 1.6 times that predicted for the ground-mounted 2-MW system.

Photovoltaics Multiple contractors in Kabul have the capacity to install and maintain small,

grid-tied solar systems

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The expected payback period (very roughly estimated) of the SHW systems is 9.4 years.

Solar Hot Water Multiple contractors in Kabul have the capacity to install and maintain domestic SHW

systems, which have a better payback than other renewables considered.

An REE affiliate manufactures solar thermal panels in Kabul. They also import and install

systems. WWW.IHFDLLC.COM

Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan installs evacuated

tube collectors. http://img.diytrade.com/

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Solar Hot Water Multiple contractors in Kabul have the capacity to install and maintain domestic SHW systems, which have a better payback than other renewables considered.

• The current hot water scheme is many electric resistance tanks in every building.

• The assessment identified buildings with heaters in the same general location, making supplementing with solar hot water more feasible.

• Diesel boilers also have the potential to reduce diesel consumption per Btu of hot water by a factor of 3 or 4. Propane is also an option, as it will be supplied to the DFACs for cooking.

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Solar Hot Water Comparing a low-solar-fraction electric backup SHW system to a ordinary

diesel boiler.

A low solar fraction with electric backup can consume more diesel than a simple diesel boiler. The “break-even” solar fraction when comparing these two systems, is 69%. (assuming a genset efficiency of 25% and a diesel boiler efficiency of 80%)

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Solar Hot Water Four options

• Use a high solar fraction solar system (>80%) with the existing electric water heaters as backup.

• Accept the added complexity of SHW with a diesel or propane backup.

• Implement diesel or propane boiler alone.

• Heat pump water heaters with or without solar backup (this option likely unavailable)

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Lighting Retrofit The lighting load can be cut in half in most places.

Magnetic ballasts were used in Phase I because electronic ballasts are difficult to get in Kabul. ANSU is large enough to justify importing a large order from Dubai, however, and the high reliability of programmable start electronic ballasts suggests that 10-15% spares should be adequate for the foreseeable future.

Typical two-lamp fixture from Building 229 on ANSU. Photo credit: Ben Barnes

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The spaces are also over-lit. 6500K lamps are more common in Afghanistan than in the US, and the light they provide is used more efficiently by the human eye. The US-based designers might not have taken this into account when designing the lighting; one lamp-fixtures in most locations would give adequate lighting. Replacing with one-lamp fixtures with electronic ballasts will have a (roughly estimated) 4.4 year payback.

6500K lamps excessively illuminating a barracks corridor at ANSU. Photo Credit: Ben Barnes

Lighting Retrofit The lighting load can be cut in half in most places.

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The expected payback period (very roughly estimated) of the reflective roof coatings is 5 years. This does not include the small contribution to PV and SHW systems from the higher reflectivity roof.

Reflective Roof Reflective roofs have the potential to increase comfort in most buildings and

reduce cooling energy in the air conditioned buildings.

Bill Stein inspects new ‘TC Ceramic®’ coating on a roof in Baghdad in 2004. Photo Credit: Richard Kelly

Coated Bagdad roof next to uncoated roof. Photo Credit: Richard Kelly

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Other Technologies Assessed

• Window Retrofits. • Waste water biogas digester. • Solid waste to energy

incineration (briquette machine or electricity plant).

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• Feasibility determined for several demonstration scale retrofit technologies for Phase I and II.

• Recommendations made for Phase III to avoid unnecessary retrofit.

Conclusions

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Acknowledgements

• CSTC-A, for sponsorship • AMEC, for providing food, lodging, hospitality and

security at their site, traveling around with us and providing information and recommendations in a timely manner.

• MACTEC, for meeting with us, and entertaining a long discussion about design changes.

• REE, for meeting with us and discussing their experiences in Afghanistan.

• SESA, for exchanging emails with us and discussing their experiences in Afghanistan.

• TAD Intelligence Fusion Cell, for supporting the effort by promptly responding to requests for GIS information.

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Questions and contact information

Bill Stein Office phone 520-456-1377 E-mail [email protected]

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