Project: Micro Hydro Generation Plants

Duration: 2 placements of 3-4 months

Partner: Friends of Lanka, Sri Lanka

Please note, applications for this project are now closed 

PROJECT SUMMARY

• Working with the NGO Friends of Lanka in Sri Lanka to design and implement a micro hydro generation system in a remote rural area of Kegalle district with the aim of providing around 12kW of power to the local village and users.
• The finished project will be maintained and managed by the local community. A large part of the placement is to accurately record and evaluate the whole procedure with a view to sustainability.

REQUIREMENTS

Advanced-level: Final year students or recent graduates preferred, ideally with some experience of micro hydro systems and project management.

PROJECT INFORMATION

EWB are offering two placements of 3-4 months (4 months would allow the interns to stay for a complete micro hydro installation from start to finish) in Sri Lanka, in conjunction with the NGO Friends of Lanka:

Project description and background

Friends of Lanka has completed ten micro hydro power projects in the Kegalle district during the past three years. The World Bank funds these projects with more funding and engineering consultation coming from the DFCC bank. These projects provide electricity to most remote rural areas. Construction work has been done with maximum community participation and the power plants are managed by Electricity Consumer Societies of the villages. The design is done by about 4 qualified engineers. The construction is carried out by 3 skilled technicians and around 30 local labourers from the community.

Each project is set up by first forming a local group from the designated society (called the Electricity Consumer Societies of the villages). They are then connected to the World Bank, and a credit fund is set up for them. The NGO then provides the technology and technical expertise whilst the project is built using the capital from the fund that the villages would otherwise not have. Once built, the capital is paid back by the villagers in three to five years. There have been many success stories so far of projects becoming self-supported; however, there is scope for improvement in this field.

Up until now, the NGO has bought in the turbines for the plants, but has now started to venture in producing this technology themselves and designing their own (due to faults with the purchased turbines). As the design of these is very much in its early stages, this is something they are keen to look at to see if the design can be improved. This placement would be attached to one such micro-hydro generation plant that is due to be designed and built over the summer. The placement would cover both the design and construction stage.

Project goals

a)To leave a community with power managed and run by themselves.

b)To leave the NGO with improved designs for future projects (turbine design in particular) and documentation on assessments, evaluation including cost sharing and charging methods, operation & maintenance procedure.

1)Design phase - To try and improve the design by working with the design engineers in particular focusing on the turbine design. This a good chance to contribute whilst also getting a good introduction and understanding of how the plant will be built.

2)Construction phase – Having the knowledge from the design stage, and therefore having a grasp on the project, the volunteer will play a leading role in construction assisting the skilled technicians organise the locals and helping overcome any difficulties that may arise.

3)Long term sustainability - Another important aspect is sustainability. There is a chance to observe the entire process of developing the micro-hydro plant, to propose better documentation, assessment, evaluation including cost sharing and charging methods, operation & maintenance procedure, involvement of locals in the management of the plant. There is a real opportunity to get involved with the locals and achieve a great deal on this front.

Project organisation

The projects will run for approximately 4 months (although this can be shortened to 3 for undergraduates), in the period from late June/early July 2006. The placements are voluntary placements, and the selected students are expected to arrange their own air travel, visas, insurance, and vaccinations. EWB-UK will provide assistance in organising the arrangements for these, and will put the students in contact with the host NGO to finalise food and accommodation arrangements as soon as the selection process is complete.

Costs and funding

The total costs (including flights, accommodation, food, transport in-country, insurance and vaccinations) are likely to be in the region of £1300 per intern. EWB-UK will contribute 50-67% of these costs. The students are encouraged to find the remainder themselves through other funding sources. In special cases, extra financial support may be provided if the intern is unable to supply the remaining money, but only if it has been demonstrated that sufficient effort has been made to raise additional funds.

Pre-departure requirements

All placements will require very thorough research and preparation to be done in the UK before departure.

All selected volunteers WILL have to attend an EWB-UK training course. The courses will be on April 7-9 and June 23-25 (TBC) so if applying, please keep one of these weekends free and preferably both.

Requirements on return

On return students will have to write a publicity report, technical report and a full evaluation. They will also give a presentation detailing their experience and what they have learnt. Some of these projects could lead to further research in the UK, for example as a final year project.