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Content archived on 2022-12-27

PV ELECTRIFICATION OF 60 MOUTAIN HUTS IN FRANCE

Objective

Electrification of about 60 mountain huts of different sizes in the Southern French Alps. (Lighting, refrigerator, water pumps, radio connection).
See also projects SE./00167/87, SE./00073/89 and SE./00205/90.
The average energy cost of all systems is evaluated to 7.1 ECU/kWh and to 3.4 ECU/kWh for replications. In many of the sites grid connection is not possible. In cases were grid connection would be possible the energy cost would be of the order of 15 ECU/kWh.
Many similar systems were implemented in other natural parks, which proves the interest of the users for this improvement of comfort (lights) and safety (radio telephones) in these isolated sites.
More attention has to be paid in future projects to battery maintenance (accumulation of funds for replacement).
Five sub-projects:
PNE(Parc Nat.des Ecrins) with 23 subsystems,(45 to 540 pW)
DISQ(district du Queras) with 16 subsystems, (45 to 360 pW) SIVG(Sivom de Guillestre) with 8 subsystems, (45 to 360 pW)
CAF(Club Alpin Fran?ais) with 3 subsystems, (180 to 900 pW)
ONF(Office National des Forets) with 11 subsystems, (45 pW).
41 of the subsystems are very small (one or two modules with 45 or 90pW). The 12 V dc circuits supply only lights and CB-radio power. The larger systems have DC refrigerators, deep freezers. In the Refuge de l'Alpe system a 24 V dc water circulation pump for the floor heating sytem is operating either directly (on sunshine) or off the batteries. At this site a thermal water heater system (18 sqm, GIORDANO) is also installed.
In the Refuge de l'Aigle system a self starting 24 V dc pump is installed in summer to lift 1500 l/h of water from a glacier 35 m higher to a storage tank.
Nr.subsystems : 61
Power subsys. : from 45 to 900 pW
(1*900+1*540+6*360+5*270+1*225+5*180+13*90 +25*45)
Total power : 8.6 kWp
Backup : none
Nr. of modules : about 215
Module descrip : Photowatt BPX 47451
Connection : Two modules in series (24 V); the number of parallel strings depends on the size of the system.
Support : on the roofs or on the walls.
Max.pwr.trcker : none
Chrg.controler : SOLELEC
Battery : OLDHAM, STECO, VARTA, FULMEN, 24 and 12 V.
Capacity : Depending on size of the system at 900 pW 360 pW 180 pW
Batt. (Ah) : 850 400 200
Batt. (kWh) : 20 9.6 4.8
Inverter : In four subsystems (CLEMESY (design CEA, Caderache)).
Inv. in (V) : 24 V
Inv. out(V) : 220 V
Inv. power(kW) : 1
Load descrpt. : Mainly 24 V dc lights (8 and 13 W fluo lamps), refrigerators (60W), deep freezers (60W)
and radio links (50W). One dc circulation pump (45 W), one dc volumetric pump (200W), four inverters 24 V dc/220 V ac, 1 kVA. Monitoring : Some monitoring is made only on the largest subsystem: CAF, refuge de l'Alpe(900 pW). Only amperehour meter readings are taken (production, consumption). Two other subsystems , CAF2, refuge de l'Aigle(180 pW) and CAF3, Les Bans (360 pW are only qualitatively monitored (working or not working).

Call for proposal

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Coordinator

PARC NATUREL REGIONAL DU QUEYRAS
EU contribution
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Address
RUE DE LA GARE
05600 GUILLESTRE
France

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Total cost
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