No Smoke, No Flames PV powered health care in Guyana, South America Aubrey Marks copyright1990 by Aubrey Marks BEGIN ITALICS Introduction by G.W. DeCelle We met Aubrey Marks at the Appropriate Technology Associates (ATA) training seminar on June 1990 in Hyde Park, VT. Ken Olsen and Johnny Weiss were conducting this seminar at David Palumbo's Independent Power & Light. Ken had just returned after spending a year working with PV powered health centers in Central and South America. He helped us understand the vital significance of Aubrey's work throughout his homeland of Guyana. Aubrey Marks is no stranger to travel. This thin, quiet and unassuming man is probably one of the few persons living anywhere to have installed over 1,000 solar modules worldwide. He is now solely responsible for maintaining Guyana thirteen PV systems. They are scattered throughout 83,000 square miles of Guyana (about the size of Idaho). Each of these critical systems powers vaccine refrigerators, hospital lighting or medical equipment. Aubrey is committed to PV powered health care and maintenance in his home country. He provides expert care and maintenance despite little funding for worn out or defunct parts, including batteries. After a two day 44 mile maintenance walk through the bush of Guyana, carrying all necessities on his back, Aubrey arrived home in Georgetown to find a letter from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a division of the World Health Organization (WHO). They were notifying him that they would sponsor him to attend the ATA workshop being held in Vermont within a week. In ATA's workshop he worked quickly and precisely - "no smoke, no flames". At the end of a long and busy day, when fellow students couldn't quite get all those wires to fit into the disconnect box., Aubrey patiently and neatly put it all together. It was an added privilege for us all to have worked along side Aubrey. G.W. DeCelle. END ITALICS NO SMOKE, NO FLAMES Aubrey Marks I am grateful to the World Health Organization for the opportunity to participate in the PV design and Installation program mentioned earlier. Many people participated who had no technical knowledge of PV systems, but at the end of the workshop they were designing and had actually installed three PV systems. Two of these systems were powering private homes in the lovely Vermont countryside. From February to June 1982, U.S. AID sent me to attend the Alternative Energy Training Program at the University of Florida. This provided the background for helping to install two systems in Guyana. I also installed two systems in Kenya, one system in Ecuador and one system in Zimbabwe during 1983. PV in Guyana Many scattered communities are in the outback of Guyana. The health sector has started to provide lights, refrigeration, sterilization and water supply to hospitals and health stations to remote areas. Because of PV, the vaccination program has been more effective and more children are being protected from many diseases which easily attack them from birth. Following are some of the major PV installations in my country. SCHEPMOED: This PV powered refrigerator freezer, with 8 modules, was the first system to be installed at the Schepmoed Health Station in September 1982. It was installed by ARCO engineers, but the person who operated the system did not stay around very long. The system has suffered because it was left unattended for such a long time until I came along to begin maintenance on it. WARAMURI: In January 1983, Development Sciences Inc. of MA went to Guyana to install a U.S. AID system. This system has 55 modules which are connected to 20 C&D 250 Amp Hour, 6 Volt batteries for a total system voltage of 120 Volt DC. There is no inverter and the lights and sterilizer are rated at 120 VDC. A DC to DC converter provides 12 Volt DC for the refrigerator/freezer and the radio. This system has worked for the last 7 1/2 years, but we expect battery failure in the near future. We have reduced the lighting loads and disconnected five modules because of the batteries being in such poor condition. SAND - CREEK: In the southern Savannahs we installed an 88 module PV system in June 1984 which has 9, 12 Volt, 500 Amp Hour Exide batteries to power the Health Station through a 240 Volt AC inverter. During the last two years, I found that the batteries required equalization charging more regularly. I visit this system three times a year for preventative maintenance and equalization. Equalization must be accomplished by using power from the PV panel. This method requires over a week of normal sun and sometimes I must leave before the week is up. In that case I instruct the staff on it's completion. KUMAKA: During August 1984, we installed the largest PV system in Guyana at the Kumaka District Hospital. It has 506 modules and 36, 6 Volt, 1500 AMP Hour Exide batteries and two 8 KVA 120 Volt DC to 120 /240 Volt AC inverters. Damages occurred after two months of operation because the shut down sequence was not adhered to. Apparently the battery switch was opened and under full sun the high voltage damaged the inverters. An attempt is being made to rehabilitate this system in 1990. ORALLA: In April 1985 an 88 module PV system was installed at the Oralla Health Clinic. This system has the only cold storage health facility on the Corentyne River. It has 9, 12 Volt, 500 Amp Hour batteries which provide power through a 2 KVA, 120 Volt DC to 240 Volt AC inverter. MABARUMA: Another 88 module system is installed at the Mabaruma Hospital in August 1985. This system has 9, 12 Volt, 500 AMP Hour Exide batteries and a 2Kva inverter providing only lighting. Three other small stand alone systems were installed in 1985 in Mabaruma by a person other than myself, but the systems in Guyana are being maintained by me at the present time. Those systems are: 1. A Sunfrost double door freezer that works on the upper section only because the original batteries were replaced by a smaller size, thus reducing the amount of energy available. This will be rectified soon. 2. A Sunfrost single door vaccine freezer chest had it's batteries replaced in January 1989 and has been working very well over the past 18 months. 3. A stand alone water pump was also installed at the hospital in 1985. This unit is out of operation presently, nut the batteries will soon be replaced. LOND CREEK: WHO/PAHO presented a PV powered refrigerator/freezer to the Ministry of Health in Guyana during 1985. This system was completely rehabilitated in February 1990 under the guidance of Steve McCarney (now Regional Manager of Photocomm in San Juan, Puerto Rico). We replace the batteries, controller, thermostats and the power and control cables. It has worked well over the last 8 months and has 8 modules, 2, 12 Volt, 200 Amp Hour batteries and a Polar Products freezer. MAHDIA: Another WHO/PAHO PV powered refrigerator/freezer was installed at the Mahdia Hospital in 1986. The system has 6 modules but the batteries will soon be replaced because the present set are shot. LETHEM: WHO/PAHO provided a PV power refrigerator/freezer at the Lethem Hospital in November 1988 where utility power is available for only 5 hours a day. This systems has 5 modules and 4 sealed batteries which solely power the refrigerator/freezer. AISHALTON: This system is similar to the one installed at the Lethem Hospital. Installed in December 1988 it is the hardest to maintain because of its location. You must travel 1.5 hours by air and 150 miles by road. In the rainy season the road trip becomes impossible. KAMARANG: This PV system was also provided by WHO/PAHO. It is similar to the two above systems and was installed in March 1989. In March 1990 we added a 12 Volt DC light for the technician to use in the Malaria laboratory. These last three systems have not given us any problems so far. PV Maintenance With limited spare parts we have a planned maintenance program which provides for a visit at 4 month intervals to all locations except Kumaka. They are on a 3 month schedule, but is actually doubled because the battery is on charge without a controller. Most of the installations are located in areas where boats, trucks or aircraft are the only means of transportation. Sometimes these trips also involve a long walk because of high rivers which make vehicle travel impractical. Most of the area have crocodiles, malaria carrying mosquitos, snakes and other animals, but we do our work with maximum precautions. Access Author: Aubrey Marks, A.J. Marks and Associates, POB 10844, Georgetown, GUYANA. For information on the PV Training for Global Energy Health contact Appropriate Technology Associates (ATA) at 410 Garfield Ave, Carbondale, CO. 81623. Phone 303-963-2682. See HP # 17 for more info on Dave Palumbo's setup and HP # 13 for ATA workshop description. Acknowledgements Thanks to G.W. DeCelle of Greenwind, Independent Power and Light in Vermont, and John D'Angelo of Utility Free in Colorado for making this article happen