In the war-torn nation of Afghanistan, the Indian Government and people are contributing
immensely to the urgently needed rehabilitation exercise. Su-Kam is also doing its
bit.
An official department of the Government of Afghanistan, needed to install communication
towers across 17 provinces out of 34, powered entirely by solar energy, with a diesel
generator on site to serve as a standby. Of the 17 sites, 15 are designed to deliver
a back-up period of 3 days in a row, with no solar power at all. The remaining 2
sites will deliver a back-up period of 5 days.
That official department chose Su-Kam to provide the entire solar power solution
on a turnkey basis. Su-Kam won the contract against global competition.
Su-Kam Power Conditioning Unit (PCU)
Su-Kam has developed the PCU through its own in-house R&D and it has proved
to be an invaluable piece of hardware for the solar power movement. The PCU is an
integrated system consisting of a solar charge controller, inverter and grid charger.
It offers the option of charging the battery bank either through solar energy or
the electricity grid or the diesel generator.
The PCU constantly monitors the battery voltage, solar power output and the electric
load. Over a period of sustained power usage, when the battery voltage falls below
a pre-set level, the PCU will automatically transfer the load to the grid or the
diesel generator. It will also charge the battery bank through the in-built grid
charger. Once the batteries are charged to the pre-set level, the PCU cuts off the
system from the grid or diesel generator and resumes feeding the load from the
battery bank. Simultaneously, it returns to charging the battery bank from the available
solar power.
The PCU is designed to always give preference to solar power and will use power
from the grid or the diesel generator only when the available solar power or battery
charge is insufficient to meet the load requirement.
For remote locations like the communication towers of Afghanistan, Su-Kam technology
is providing the ideal solution in an area of critical national importance. And
making a huge positive impact on the lives of millions of people.