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CORDIO Status Report 1999.pdf

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countries in the next decade. Wind energy is a domestic<br />

source of energy and can improve a nations degree of<br />

self-sufficiency. Wind power plants of, for example, 50<br />

MW can be in operation in less than a year from signing<br />

the contract.<br />

Wind turbines can be used competitively as a dispersed<br />

energy production technology in areas with dispersed<br />

electricity consumption.<br />

Wind power has proved to be a reliable technology.<br />

It is modular, more power can be added quickly as the<br />

demand increases and it is a cost effective technology in<br />

many developing areas and nations. The most common<br />

ownership of wind turbines are through a co-operative<br />

or community.<br />

Besides the classical applications, electricity producing<br />

wind turbines are used in hybrid systems, together<br />

with for example solar cells and a backup diesel-driven<br />

generator system. These integrated systems are very<br />

suitable in thinly populated areas or areas where<br />

electrification is not yet fully implemented. The advantage<br />

is that the investment in the wind turbine and solar<br />

cells can be paid for by the fuel saved for the diesel<br />

generator.<br />

Example:<br />

The Mexican village of Xcalac (pronounced Sca-Lac) is<br />

a fishing and tourist village of 250 people. It has some of<br />

the best fishing and skin-diving in Mexico, but is<br />

relatively undeveloped.<br />

The closest power lines are 110 km away and the<br />

cost to extend the grid to Xcalac has been estimated to<br />

$3.2 million. The village has been powered by diesel<br />

generators, but reliability of the diesels has been very<br />

poor.<br />

In 1992, Xcalac was re-electrified, at a cost of<br />

~$450,000, with a wind and solar hybrid system. Until<br />

mid-1995, the system did not have a working backup<br />

diesel, so the electricity came solely from wind and sun.<br />

Even now, the backup generator is used infrequently<br />

due to high operating costs.<br />

SOLAR ENERGY<br />

The first solar cells were developed at Bells Laboratories<br />

in the 1950s. The cost of the electricity delivered by<br />

these cells were a thousand times higher than the<br />

normal price of electricity. Today, the price is much<br />

closer to the price of a traditional system. The price of<br />

This solar power unit suitable for export<br />

to the developing world was developed by<br />

the University of Sydney. It consists of a<br />

combination of solar cells for electricity<br />

and sun panels for heating of water.<br />

Photo: Bull/Greenpeace.<br />

– 86 –

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