{"id":14248,"date":"2015-02-11T09:22:17","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T08:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.sma-sunny.com\/?p=14248"},"modified":"2023-06-21T15:49:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T13:49:57","slug":"photovoltaic-diesel-hybrid-system-in-bolivia-supplies-energy-to-remote-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sma-sunny.com\/en\/photovoltaic-diesel-hybrid-system-in-bolivia-supplies-energy-to-remote-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Photovoltaic Diesel Hybrid System in Bolivia Supplies Energy to Remote Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pando region in the north of Bolivia is extremely remote and sparsely populated. Since a utility grid here is out of the question, the region is supplied with power from a diesel power plant. Until December 2014, just 65 percent of the population had access to electricity. Thanks to a photovoltaic diesel hybrid power plant located in Pando\u2019s capital, Cobija, the region is now on course to having its own sustainable energy supply by eliminating its dependency on fossil fuels and increasing its electrification rate to 80 percent. By expanding its power plant to include solar energy, the local electric utility company will save around 1.9\u00a0million liters of diesel fuel each year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The streets of Cobija are frequently loud, dusty and choked with exhaust fumes. The heat and humidity quickly make you break out in a sweat, and everywhere there is hustle and bustle. Entire families often ride astride motorized two-wheel vehicles, while taxis transport visitors at breakneck speeds through the city\u2019s streets. Thanks to its status as a special customs zone, the capital city of the Pando Department is currently enjoying an economic upturn the likes of which have not been seen since the 1940s when the rubber industry boomed. Cobija has become one of the most important commercial centers for consumer durables. Many everyday items are offered at much lower prices here than in Brazil, which lies within walking distance. It\u2019s possible to get your hands on almost any conceivable product here. Major construction projects such as a new airport or soccer stadium are announced on billboards. The only sticking point is how to supply energy for the around 55,000 people who live in the city and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toward a sunnier future: the shift away from diesel<\/strong><\/p>\n

A truck trundles along the road, sending up huge dusty clouds of sunbaked earth behind it. This 17 metric ton vehicle is transporting diesel to the diesel power plant on the outskirts of the city. These heavy trucks arrive at the plant twice a day\u2014and recently as much as three times a day. However, it\u2019s not uncommon for the drivers to find themselves thwarted by the Madre de Dios river when it bursts its banks following the heavy rainfall typical of this region, making the highway and access road to the power plant impassable. When this happens, the fuel sometimes even has to be loaded onto boats. Fossil energy carriers are still highly subsidized in Bolivia and so relatively cheap, although this has the effect of masking the high costs involved in their supply and transportation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The city\u2019s newest pride and joy: the photovoltaic diesel hybrid system<\/strong><\/p>\n

But there is a way that Cobija can satisfy the growing energy needs of its inhabitants and businesses: solar energy. With good solar irradiation levels of around 1,500\u00a0kWh\/kWp per year, the region offers the perfect conditions. And so, just nine months following publication of the invitation to tender, the world\u2019s biggest photovoltaic diesel hybrid power plant with battery-storage systems entered operation here back in December 2014, becoming the city\u2019s newest pride and joy. \u201cWe are proud of the fact that Bolivia\u2019s first large-scale PV system also happens to be a hybrid plant,\u201d says Stefan Tait, Senior Sales Manager Hybrid, who coordinated the project for SMA.\u00a0 \u201cFor us, it is also a flagship project for our Sunny Central Storage battery inverters because it demonstrates how we can significantly further increase the photovoltaics component of power generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Cobija<\/a>

Cobija is extremely remote and, during the heavy rainfall typical of this region, difficult access. When the Acre border river overflows its banks, the access road to the diesel power plant is also unpassable.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sustainable energy supply facilitates growth <\/strong><\/p>\n

The PV system is just a few kilometers away from the diesel power plant, also on the outskirts of the city. The modules have an output of 5.2\u00a0megawatt-peak (MWp), while the connected lithium-ion battery-storage system has an output of 2.2\u00a0MW. As an intelligent control component between the diesel and PV power plant, the SMA Fuel Save Controller (FSC) calculates the maximum permissible photovoltaic output from the energy flows in the utility grid. This keeps the system stable and ensures that the diesel generators are controlled smoothly. The FSC also controls the battery by compensating fluctuations in PV energy generation and electrical loads. This allows the electric utility company to save around 5,200 liters of diesel each day, which equates to annual savings of 1.9 million liters of fuel and the corresponding amount of CO2. Another positive effect is that the diesel generator does not have to operate for as many hours because it no longer needs so much reserve power\u2014this is now partly the job of the batteries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Major potential for renewables<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Cobija, the PV system is a real highlight. The topping-out ceremony in September was attended by President Evo Morales, who inaugurated the first third of the system. \u201cThe fact that the sun is now replacing truckloads of diesel here is something that many people initially found hard to grasp,\u201d says SMA development engineer Tim R\u00f6singer, who commissioned the batteries and battery inverters. \u201cThe concept of generating energy with zero emissions is for many people here completely new territory.\u201d But the potential is huge, and the geographical preconditions both in the highlands of Bolivia and in lower-lying areas with many rural and remote areas are ideal for the construction of off-grid solar-energy-based systems. The government is also planning to integrate renewable energies in the energy supply on an even greater scale to supply more homes, public buildings, schools, hospitals and social facilities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\t\t