Rural Energy Partnership
DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

FITZROY PROJECT

    Project Aim

The aim of this project is to significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to provide adequate heat and hot water to the farm manager’s house by a utilising excess electricity generated by the existing wind turbine.

      Background

Fitzroy farm has been operated by Falklands Landholdings Corporation Ltd. (FLH) since 1991. There are 13 domestic properties at Fitzroy settlement, 3 providing housing for FLH employees. All the Falklands Landholdings owned domestic properties in the settlement have their heating and hot water supplied by diesel fuelled boilers. The diesel is transported by road over 25 miles from Stanley.

Current system at the Managers House

25kW Diesel Fuelled Boiler     installed in 2000

Hot Water Cylinder     installed in 2000

The current system uses on average 12,000 litres of diesel a year costing £6,000 (Diesel price £0.50 per litre). It is estimated that the boiler operates approximately 4,500 hours per year.

Project Design

The idea is to install a frequency controlled, switch connected to an immersion heating in the new hot water cylinder. When the wind turbine is producing excess electricity, the electrical frequency in the Fitzroy network will rest slightly, the new frequency switch will turn on when the frequency rises above a pre-set limit. This will mean that some of the excess electricity is used to heat water and to help reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to provide adequate heating and hot water.

Project Planning

After the award of the Rural Energy Partnership Development grant the design began. The first step was to find out if there was any excess electricity being produced at Fitzroy and, if there was, how much? From the excessing monitoring system, it was easy to find out that around 50% of the time there was more electricity being generated than the demand but what is hard to find out is the over generation by 1 watt or 10 kilo-watt. The next step was to find out what was available off the shelve that could be used to help utilise some of the excess electricity.

After a lot of research a suitable frequency controlled switch was chosen that will be connected to a new immersion heater, the main reason was that the setup would require little work to install the system and if it works could easily be fitted to other houses in the settlement.

The system was ordered in November 2016 through the local installer and supplier PowerSense.

Project Installation

The system was delivered to the Islands in early March 2017, but due to the capacity of local tradesman the system is hoped to be installed before the summer starts in 2017. The installation is estimated to take a maximum of two days. The total cost of the installation is expected to be no more than £2,000, if the system generates as predicted the payback will be an estimated 2 years.

Update 30^th September 2017

The equipment has been installed but has not been connected yet. It is anticipated to be connected within the next month, so that the business can start utilise the excess electricity generated by the wind turbine.

Update 6^th July 2018

The issue of lack of labour and the innovative technologies has really hindered the two project at North Arm and Fitzroy. There is still full commitment to get both projects operational and show the benefits of the installation of innovative technologies in the Islands.

Rural Energy Partnership
DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

TEAL INLET PROJECT

Project Aim

The aim of this project is to significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to provide adequate electricity to a single domestic dwelling by introducing a sustainable technology for the first time.

Background

The current energy system at Teal Inlet is a diesel hybrid system, installed to supply the house with electricity    

Current system,

1 x 5.6kW diesel generator,   installed in 2014

1 x 3kW Outback Inverters,   installed in 2011

550Ah battery bank,   installed in 2011

The current system uses on average 2500 litres of diesel a year costing £1250 (Diesel price £0.50 per litre). It is estimated that the generator runs between 500 - 700 hours per year.

Project Design

1.5 kW of Solar Photovoltaic Panels installed facing north at an angle of 40° is estimated to provide around 1350kWh per year of electricity. It is predicted this will reduce the running time of the generator by 200 hours a year, saving around £300 per annum.

Project Planning

After the award of the Rural Energy Partnership Development grant the design of the array began. The first thing that was to be decided was to install a roof mounted system or ground mounted system. As there was no suitable buildings with north facing roofs, the decision was made to install a ground mounted array.

Once the decision was made we contacted the Falkland Islands Government Building Advisor to find out it any permits were required for the installation. The building advisor was very helpful and informed us that the array would not require planning permission but would require a building permit. The form was very easy and quick to complete and was submitted along with a drawing of the building and map of the settlement. Very quickly we received the approved building permit.

With all permissions in place the array was ordered in April 2015 through the local renewable supplier and installer PowerSense.

While the system was being shipped from the UK, I was thought it would be a good idea to get the electrical systems of the property checked for safety. A proportion of the expense for this work on the domestic property can be covered under the Domestic Electricity Safety Check and Improvement Grant Scheme. This scheme is managed by FIDC and is open to all domestic properties owners across the Falkland Islands to improve the electrical safety.

Project Installation

The installation started in September 2016 with the concrete footing blocks pored, after the blocks were set the ground mounting frame was installed by family members. The installation of the panels and associated parts took PowerSense under 2 Days to complete the installation of the array. The array was commissioned on the 11th October 2016. The total cost of the installation was £1,940, if the system generates as predicted the payback will be 6.5 years.

Output Data

1. The array output from the installation on the 11^th October 2016 until 31^st January 2017.

The solar array has covered 100% of the demand for the property. Before the array was installed the diesel generator would normally operate 2 hours a day to cover the electricity demand and this has not been required. The diesel generator required around 2.5 litres of fuel per hour to operate but the solar array have meant that the diesel generator has not been required, meaning that around 550 litres of diesel haven't had to be burnt to meet the demand; a saving of £275 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre) over a three month period.

2. Period - 1^st February 2017 until 30^th September 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault. With the limited number of daylight hours in the winter months and overcast days within this period, the array has still covered just over 75% of the properties energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by almost 360 hours, meaning 720 litres of fuel have not been used, saving £360 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

3. Period - 1^st October 2017 until 7^th December 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault, as the daylight hours have extended as the time of year moves from spring into summer. The array has covered just over 95% of the property’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by almost 130 hours, meaning 325 litres of fuel have not been burned, saving £160 of fuel costs (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

4. Period - 8^th December 2017 until 28^th March 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault throughout the summer. The array has covered just over 100% of the properties electrical energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by almost 220 hours, meaning 500litres of fuel has not been used, saving £250 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

5. Period - 28^th March 2018 until 28^th June 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault throughout the Autumn and beginning of Winter. The array has covered just over 60% of the properties electrical energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by almost 107 hours, meaning 267 litres of fuel has not been used, saving £133 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

6. Period - 28^th June 2018 until 19^th September 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault throughout the Winter although there was an extended period of claim and overcast weather that has meant that more fuel has been consumed than expected. The array has covered 50% of the properties electrical energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by 80 hours, meaning 200 litres of fuel has not been used, saving £100 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

 Annual Update - Teal Inlet Domestic Property

The aim of this installation is to demonstrate that a small solar array would be ideal for a single house system (holiday homes, etc.), and give adequate electricity for at least the central heating controls, fridge and freezer to operate for a week without requiring a diesel generator to operate.  

The 1.5kW solar array was commissioned at Teal Inlet on the 11^th October 2016 and has worked without fault for just over a year to 7^th December 2017 (422 days).  The Solar array has covered 84% of the electricity demand of the property, has helped to save an estimated 710 of operational hours of the diesel generator, representing 1,775 litres of diesel which equates to £887.50 fuel cost savings (diesel price at £0.50 per litre). While planning the installation of the 1.5kW array it was estimated that the array would save around £300 per year in diesel cost and have a payback of 6.5 year. The array is currently performing 255% better than expected, mainly because the solar data available for the Falkland Islands is very conservative. If the array continues to perform as it has in the first year of generation, the payback is estimated to be 2.53 years.

The owner of the array says; “The solar power system installed at Teal Inlet has helped me to save money in this the first year of operation. It gives me lots of power to use throughout the year without the need for me to keep going outside to put the generator on.”

This project has demonstrated that a small solar array connected to a single home off-grid system in the Falkland Islands is an ideal addition to the electricity generation system.

FIDC is committed to helping reduce the costs of running and make a business more sustainable. Our Energy Advisor is available to visit and make detailed recommendations on how this can be achieved. This case study highlights the real gains from following our guidance.

Rural Energy Partnership
DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

HARPS PROJECT

Project Aim

The aim of this project is to significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to provide adequate electricity to the farm and the domestic dwellings at the settlement on West Falkland by a utilising a sustainable technology not yet adopted by other farms.

Background

When Harps Farm was purchased in 2014 there was only a diesel generator supplying electricity to the settlement. Where the demand for electricity by the farm and from a young family are constant, it was uneconomic to work off a diesel generator running 24 hours a day. A hybrid system was installed in 2015 to reduce the hours the generator operates, but adding a renewable source will further reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

Current system,

1 x 15kW diesel generator,   installed in 2000

2 x 6kW MPP Solar Inverters,   installed in 2015

500Ah battery bank,   installed in 2015

The current system uses on average 3,000 litres of diesel a year costing £1,500 (Diesel price £0.50 per litre). It is estimated that the generator runs between 800 - 1,000 hours per year.

Project Design

4 kW of Solar Photovoltaic Panels installed facing north at an angle of 22° is estimated to provide 3200kWh per year of electricity. It is predicted this will reduce the running time of the generator by 250 hours a year, saving around £500 per annum.

Project Planning

After the award of the Rural Energy Partnership Development grant the design began. The first thing that was to be decided was to install a roof mounted system or ground mounted system. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, the main ones being that a ground mounted system will generate more electricity but the mounting system costs will be higher, whereas the business could spend the same amount on upgrading an existing building and install the array on the roof out of the way of vehicles and animals but will generate less. The difference between the output was around 400kWh per year (around £50 extra fuel saving a year) but the difference in the investment was around £2,000 more for a ground mounted system.

The decision was made to install the array on the roof of an new building at the settlement. We contacted the Falkland Islands Government Building Advisor to find out it any permits were required for the installation. The building advisor was very helpful and informed us that the array would not require planning permission but would require a building permit. The form was very easy and quick to complete and was submitted along with a drawing of the building and map of the settlement. Very quickly we received the approved building permit.

With all permissions in place the array was ordered in April 2015 through the local supplier Southern Imports.

While the system was being shipped from the UK, It was thought good to contact a local electrician to get the electrical systems of the buildings connected to the generation system checked for safety. A proportion of the expense for this work on the domestic property can be covered under the Domestic Electricity Safety Check and Improvement Grant Scheme, this scheme is managed by FIDC and is open to all domestic properties owners across the Falkland Islands to improve the electrical safety.

Project Installation

The installation started on the 11th October 2016 after the new building had been erected. The installation by the farm owners (with a good knowledge of electrical installation) took around 6 days as the array was commissioned on Saturday 17th October 2016. The total cost of the installation was £3,170, if the system generates as predicted the payback will be 6.4 years.

Output Data

1. The array output from the installation on the 17^th October 2016 until 31^st January 2017.

The solar array has covered 100% of the expect demand of the business. The array was never expected to cover the high power demand from shearing and welding. Over the above period the business has required the diesel generator to be operating for an estimated 40 hours. The business before the array was installed would normally operate the diesel generator for around 3 hours a day to cover the demand. The diesel generator required over 3 litres of fuel per hour to operate but as the installation of the solar array has reduced the operating time of the diesel generator by 280hour, 840 litres of diesel have not been burnt; a saving of £420 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre) over a three month period.

2. Period - 1^st February 2017 until 31^st May 2017

The array has continued to work without any issue. There has been a number of overcast/foggy days in a row at Harp farm over this period, but the array has still covered over 80% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by almost 500 hours, meaning 1400 litres of fuel have not been used, saving £700 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

3. Period - 1^st June 2017 until 30^th September 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault over the winter but the number of daylight hours available has required the generator to run more hours in this period than it has in the previous 6 months. Although the number of daylight hours has been limited, the array has still covered over 60% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by around 340 hours, meaning 1000 litres of fuel have not been used, saving £500 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

4. Period - 1^st October 2017 until 14^th December 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault throughout spring and summer. Over the period the use of the generator was only required when high energy demand tasks performed on the farm, for example shearing, pressing and welding. The array has covered over 80% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by around 250 hours, meaning 475 litres of fuel have not been used, saving £237 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

5. Period - 15^th December 2017 –27^th March 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault over the summer as the business owner reports. The business installed a 3kW wind turbine on the early March 2018 and this means that the wind and solar should cover the majority of the energy requirements per year. Before the Wind Turbine was installed the diesel generator was only required when high energy demand tasks such as shearing, pressing and welding were being performed on the farm. The array has covered over 98% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by around 400 hours, meaning 1,200 litres of fuel has not been used, saving £600 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

6. Period - 27^th March 2018 – 25^th June 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault for the business over the Autumn and beginning of Winter. Now the business has got a wind turbine and Solar array they the diesel generator is being running every month and in the odd wintery claim days. The array and wind turbine have  covered over 93% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array and wind turbine has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by around 330 hours, meaning 1,000 litres of fuel has not been used, saving £500 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

7. Period - 25^th June 2018 until 19^th September 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault for the business over the Winter but with an extended period claim and overcast weather there has been extra fuel than expected consumed. The renewable energy system has covered over 78% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array and wind turbine has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by around 270 hours, meaning 810 litres of fuel has not been used, saving £405.00 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

Annual Update - Harps Farm, West Falkland

The aim of the installation at Harps Farm, West Falkland, is to demonstrate that a small/medium size solar array would be ideal for a farm business with a single domestic house, and give adequate electricity for most of the business and domestic tasks on site without requiring a diesel generator to operate.  

The 4kW solar array was commissioned at Harps Farm on the 17^th October 2016 and has worked without fault for just over a year to 14^th December 2017 (423 days).  The Solar array has covered 81% of the electricity demand of the property, has helped to save an estimated 1,370 of operational hours of the diesel generator, representing 4,650 litres of diesel which equates to £2,325 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre). When planning the installation of the 4kW array it was estimated that the array would save around £500 per year in diesel cost and have a payback of 6.4 years. The array has currently performed at 400% better than expected, mainly because the solar data available for the Falkland Islands is very conservative. If the array continues to perform as it has in the first year of generation, the payback is estimated to be 1.58 years.

Mr Kevin Marsh, the farm owner, reckons that “the Solar array has been one of the most successful assets we have added to our remote farming business. It has exceeded our expectations both in efficiency, producing ample power for most of our business electricity demands - and reliability, with absolutely no structural or technical issues a year on. Although in the depths of winter short daylight hours limit in arrays input, for nine months of the year sufficient to excessive power is produced. The array requires minimal maintenance making it ideal for us, freeing up time and expenses to be utilised elsewhere in the business. We couldn’t recommend a similar system enough.”                                                                                                     

This project has demonstrated that a small to medium solar array connected to a small farm businesses off-grid system in the Falkland Islands is an ideal addition to the electricity generation system.

FIDC is committed to helping reduce the costs of running and make a business more sustainable. Our Energy Advisor is available to visit and make detailed recommendations on how this can be achieved. This case study highlights the real gains from following our guidance.

Rural Energy Partnership
DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

SAUNDERS ISLAND PROJECT

Project Aim

The aim of this project is to significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to provide adequate electricity to the farm and the 5 domestic dwellings at the main settlement by introducing a another sustainable technology.

Background

The current energy system on Saunders Island is a wind hybrid system. It was installed in 2001 to supply the farm with 24 hour electricity. The demand for electricity has grown on the farm over the last decade and with diversification into tourism the energy system is undersized.

Current system,

2 x 2.5kW Proven wind turbines, installed in 2001

1 x 15kW diesel generator,   installed in 2001

2 x 4kW Trace Inverters,   installed in 2001

660Ah battery bank,   installed in 2001

The current system uses on average 3,000 litres of diesel a year costing £1,500 (Diesel price £0.50 per litre). It is estimated that the generator runs between 800  - 1,000 hours per year.

Project Design

4 kW of Solar Photovoltaic Panels installed facing north at an angle of 20° is estimated to provide around 3200kWh per year of electricity. It is predicted this will reduce the running time of the generator by 250 hours a year, saving around £500 per annum.

Project Planning

After the award of the Rural Energy Partnership Development grant the design of the array began. The first thing that was to be decided was to install a roof mounted system or ground mounted system. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, the main ones being that a ground mounted system will generate more electricity but the mounting system costs will be higher, whereas the business could spend the same amount on upgrading an existing building and install the array on the roof out of the way of vehicles and animals but will generate less. The difference between the output was around 400kWh per year (around £50 extra fuel saving a year) but the difference in the investment was around £2,000 more for a ground mounted system.

The decision was made to install the array on the roof of an existing building at the settlement. We contacted the Falkland Islands Government Building Advisor to find out it any permits were required for the installation. The building advisor was very helpful and informed us that the array would not require planning permission but would require a building permit. The form was very easy and quick to complete and was submitted along with a drawing of the building and map of the settlement. Very quickly we received the approved building permit.

With all permissions in place the array was ordered in April 2015 through the local renewable supplier and installer PowerSense.

While the system was being shipped from the UK, it was thought it would be a good idea to get the electrical systems of the buildings connected to the generation system checked for safety. This work was carried out by FIC, with a proportion of the expense for the work on the domestic properties covered under the Domestic Electricity Safety Check and Improvement Grant Scheme. This scheme is managed by FIDC and is open to all domestic properties owners across the Falkland Islands to improve the electrical safety.

Project Installation

The installation started on the 15th August 2016 after the building had been re-cladded. The installation took around 5 Days (with help from the farm employees) as the array was commissioned on Wednesday 24th September 2016. The total cost of the installation was £4,230, if the system generates as predicted the payback will be 8.5years .

Output Data

1. The array output from the installation on the 24^th September 2016 until 31^st January 2017.

The solar array has covered 75% of the demand of the business. The array was never expected to cover the high power demand of shearing. Over the above period the business has required the diesel generator to be operating for an estimated 66 hours. The business before the array was installed would normally operate the diesel generator for around 2 hours a day to cover the demand not met by the wind turbines. The diesel generator required 5 litres of fuel per hour to operate but as the installation of the solar array has reduced the operating time of the diesel generator by 192hour, 960 litres of diesel have not been burnt; a saving of £480 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre) over a three month period.

2. Period - 1^st February 2017 until 31^st May 2017

The array has been installed for over six months and is working well but there has been a small issue with the existing energy system that means there has been a little more fuel used than expected. With this issue, the systems have still covered 70% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by 200 hours over this period, meaning 1000 litres of fuels have not been used, saving £500 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

3. Period - 1^st June 2017 until 30^th Setember 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault over the winter but the number of daylight hours available and a technical issue with the energy system already in place, has resulted in more fuel being used than anticipated. However, the systems have still covered 30% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by 100 hours over this period, meaning 500 litres of fuels have not been used, saving £250 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

4. Period - 1^st October 2017 until 31^st December 2017

The array has continued to work without a fault over the spring but an issue with the existing energy system (NB/ the battery not holding charge) and the high demand of electricity for essential farming tasks, have resulted in more fuel being used than expected. With the issue, the systems have still covered over 22% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator by over 62 hours over this period, meaning 310 litres of fuels have not been used, saving £155 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

5. Period - 1^st January 2018 until March 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault over the summer, but an issue with the existing energy system and the high demand of electricity for essential farming tasks have led to more fuel being used than expected. With the issue, the systems have covered over 22% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator, with 400 litres of fuels not being used, saving £160 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

6. Period – 4^th April 2018 until 21^st June 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault over the autumn and beginning of winter but an issue with the existing energy system with will hopefully be sorted before the spring, means there has been more fuel used than expected. With the issue, the systems have still covered over 45% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator saving 535 litres of fuels has not been used, saving £267.50 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

7. Period – 21^st June 2018 until 16^th September 2018

The array has continued to work without a fault over the winter but with an extended period claim and overcast weather and an issue with the existing energy storage system which will hopefully be sorted soon, there has been more fuel used than expected. The renewable energy system has covered over 75% of the business’s energy demand over this period. The installation of the solar array has reduced the expected operating time of the diesel generator saving 1,010 litres of fuels, saving £505.00 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre).

Annual Update - Saunders Island Farm

The aim of this installation is to demonstrate that a small/medium size array would be an ideal addition to a Wind Hybrid Electricity Generation system for a farm business, and give adequate electricity for most of the business and domestic tasks on site in the periods when the wind is not blowing sufficiently enough.  

The 4kW solar array was commissioned on Saunders Island on the 15^th August 2016 and has worked without fault for over a year to 31^st December 2017 (503 days). However, there has been an issue with the existing battery bank not holding charge. With this issue, the Wind turbine and Solar array has still covered 64% of the electricity demand of the property, and the addition of the Solar Array has helped to save an estimated 960 of operational hours of the diesel generator, representing 2,880 litres of diesel which equates to a saving of £1,440 (diesel price at £0.50 per litre). When planning the installation of the 4kW array it was estimated that the array would save around £500 per year in diesel cost and have a payback of 8.5 year. The array has currently performed at 210% better than expected, mainly because the solar data available for the Falkland Islands is very conservative. If the array continues to perform as it has in the first year of generation, the payback is estimated to be 4 years.

The array has performed well but would have performed even better if the existing battery bank on site could have held a full charge, this issue will be resolved in the first quarter of 2018.                                                                                               

This project has demonstrated that a small to medium solar array connected to an off-grid wind hybrid system in the Falkland Islands is an ideal addition to the electricity generation system.

FIDC is committed to helping reduce the costs of running and make a business more sustainable. Our Energy Advisor is available to visit and make detailed recommendations on how this can be achieved. This case study highlights the real gains from following our guidance.