In Africa, weak power infrastructure is a long-term problem that restricts social and economic development. In most areas, a large number of people still live in an environment without electricity or with extremely unstable electricity, which has seriously affected the development of medical care, education and basic industries. At the same time, as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change, Africa urgently needs an energy solution that is both affordable, stable and environmentally friendly.
Against this background, SCU tailored a set of smart microgrid systems based on solar-energy storage-diesel generators for a newly built hospital in Liberia, providing stable, clean and efficient power support for medical institutions in remote areas, and also providing a demonstration case for energy transformation in Africa.
Challenges of continuous power supply: hospital construction in an environment without electricity
Located in a remote area of Liberia, the hospital does not have access to city electricity and relies only on existing solar systems and diesel generators. Although it has alleviated the power pressure to a certain extent, it lacks efficient energy management and energy storage equipment, and the power system is unstable, with high operating costs and cumbersome maintenance. Frequent power outages not only affect normal operations but also threaten the use of medical equipment and the safety of patients’ lives. How to ensure 24-hour, uninterrupted power supply to the hospital has become the key to the project.
SCU Solution: Smart Microgrid Driven by Clean Energy
Combined with local actual conditions, SCU provides a microgrid system based on AC coupling architecture, integrating solar, energy storage and diesel power generation, intelligently dispatching multiple energy resources, and ensuring the continuity and reliability of hospital electricity.
Solution Configuration:
- Solar system: 300kW photovoltaic array, with MPPT controller to maximize solar energy utilization efficiency.
- Energy Storage System: 20ft energy storage container, battery capacity 860kWh, equipped with 200kW bidirectional PCS (charging and discharging power), supporting seamless switching on and off the grid.
- Diesel generators: 200kVA backup power supply, as a backup guarantee in extreme weather or low energy storage power.
- Energy Management System (EMS): Integrates remote monitoring, energy scheduling and fault diagnosis functions to achieve intelligent operation of the entire system.
System operation logic: Intelligent scheduling to achieve optimal energy utilization
Photovoltaic priority power supply
When there is sufficient sunlight during the day, photovoltaic power directly supplies power to the hospital load, and the remaining power is used to charge the battery.
Energy storage seamless takeover
At night or on cloudy days, the battery storage system automatically takes over and continuously supplies power.
Intelligent start and stop generator
When the battery power drops to the set threshold, the system automatically starts the diesel generators to supplement the power supply and charge the battery.
EMS centralized management
The entire process is remotely monitored and optimized through the SCU EMS system to achieve unattended operation.
Achievements and value: Green medical energy model
Clean and low-carbon: The system makes full use of solar energy, and the diesel engine is only used as an auxiliary, and carbon emissions and fuel consumption are greatly reduced.
Stable power supply: Ensure the all-weather operation of the hospital’s core load and improve the reliability of medical services.
Cost controllable: Diesel use is reduced, and operating costs are significantly reduced.
Strong adaptability: The equipment is suitable for tropical climates with high temperatures and high humidity, and operates stably.
Remote operation and maintenance: Centralized management and remote fault warning are achieved, and operation and maintenance are more efficient.
Conclusion: Assisting Africa’s energy transformation and lighting up the future of development
SCU’s energy practice in Africa has already had successful precedents. Previously, SCU has deployed a solar-energy storage-diesel generators microgrid system for another African hospital, providing stable support for medical institutions in an environment with power shortages, and has been highly recognized by customers. The successful implementation of the Liberia project once again verified SCU’s ability to integrate energy and optimize systems in complex environments.
In the future, SCU will continue to increase its investment in Africa and emerging markets around the world, deepen the application of renewable energy technologies, promote more “power-free areas” to achieve energy independence, and inject continuous momentum into the popularization of clean energy around the world.