Portable solar system powers rural development 
Solar energy is a clean, renewable and economical source of energy that can help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels to mitigate global warming. It produces energy off-grid to remote communities with no electricity or as part of a hybrid energy generation system. Many people without access to electricity live in regions with excellent solar availability but must pay a disproportionate amount of their income for energy.

European geographic conditions are different from America
 In Europe, rural, mountainous and remote regions make a significant contribution to the economy. These areas require a clean, cost-effective system to support smart energy grids capable of reducing the development gap between them and urban areas. The Horizon 2020 SUNINBOX project has addressed these challenges and initiated a standalone, easy-to-install, photovoltaic generator where all the equipment is configured at the factory ready for use as a portable 'plug and play' system. "All the component parts necessary for generating electricity, like electronic systems, battery packs and the solar tracker can be packed into a standard 20-ft shipping container for easy transportability," says project coordinator Sergio Hernández-Bazan. 

Follow the sun for inexpensive solar power
 Currently, SUNINBOX possesses an inverter power capability of up to 90 Kilovolt-amperes (kVA) to change the direct current, DC, power from the lithium Ferro-phosphate battery system into conventional mains alternating current, AC, for operating electric lights, electrical devices and so on. "The mixed configuration allows optimal management of the solar resource, both for direct consumption and storage," explains Hernández-Bazan. Project partners employed an innovative telescopic solar tracker to orientate the solar panels toward the sun. According to Hernández-Bazan: "A geolocation system allows the tracker to position and deploys the entire photovoltaic field semi-automatically according to its location. This takes less than 10 minutes and the system is ready for use in less than 30 minutes."

Solar is always a cheaper, cleaner alternative

Researchers created SUNINBOX with two types of markets in mind. The first consists of rural areas in southern Europe with high levels of solar radiation and large numbers of farms using irrigation. "With regards to irrigation, energy represents around 40 percent of total water costs, so water use and energy costs cannot be considered independently. SUNINBOX, therefore, represents a realistic alternative for increasing energy use efficiency for irrigation," Hernández-Bazan claims.
The second market for the device is remote smart energy grids and rural electrification projects in Africa and Latin America. Here SUNINBOX's portable system can deliver power to support local development in areas where solar radiation is high, but accessibility to the local electricity grid is difficult. Recently, energy in such areas was obtained using diesel generators, but now SUNINBOX can lower the cost of energy while producing no carbon dioxide. "In Africa, the cost of energy with our system is EUR 0.3 /kWh compared to more than EUR 0.5 /kWh using diesel generators," points out Hernández-Bazan.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

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