UDC-BDU Partnership: Renewable Energy Project at Bahr Dar University Samuel Lakeou, Ph.D. (1, 2) Tassew Tadiwose Zewdie, Ph.D. (3,4), Tewodros Gera, MSEE (5,6) (1) Professor and Chairman, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, USA (2) Director, Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, USA (3) Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, (4) Course chair, Energy and Power System (5)Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, (6) Course chair, Electrical Machines, Instrumentation and Control Systems ABSTRACT: The paper describes the realization of a standalone, PV/Wind powered water delivery system, undertaken jointly by the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, USA and Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia. This UDC-BDU partnership was supported by a Seed Grant from the US Embassy in Ethiopia. The project is a model that can be duplicated in various rural communities which need ambulant water delivery. The proposed water delivery includes potable water to rural communities and cattle, as well as water for small scale drip-irrigation. The design introduces novel features providing versatility and mobility to the system. The paper describes also the academic merit of the project by highlighting its integration in the BDU’s undergraduate and graduate power engineering curricula. Keywords: Stand-alone PV systems, Water Pumping 1 INTRODUCTION This paper summarizes the collaborative work between the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Institute of Technology at Bahir Dar University, in Ethiopia supported by a seed-grant support from the US- Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia through a press release issued in March 2011 [1]. The proposal for establishing this partnership was crafted following a one year Fulbright fellowship of the first author at Bahir Dar University in 2009-2010, when it was deemed appropriate to continue the effort of introducing research on the application of solar and wind power based water pumping systems for alleviating the population’s needs related to potable and irrigation water in rural Ethiopia. Both UDC’s and BDU’s Presidents supported the proposed partnership in 2011. Similar projects were previously undertaken in collaboration with a local NGO and the Addis Ababa University [2]. The current project has used lessons learned from the initial projects and established a model standalone PV and wind powered water pumping system on the campus of the BDU’s Institute of Technology (BDU-IOT) and subsequently designed a suitable “mobile” standalone system that could be servicing several localities in the State of Amhara, with existing spring water or presenting a good potential of accommodation shallow water wells. 2 INITIAL PREPARATIONANS AT BDU 2.1 Initial vision The research team was promptly formed at BDU- IOT, following the partnership agreement and soon after a close cooperation was established with UDC’s CERE. Both sides acknowledged that photovoltaic energy source (PV) systems can be used for pumping water for irrigation of land, as well as for pumping drinking water. It was recognized that access to a safe and clean water supply is one of the primary factors in improving the health and quality of life in rural communities. In the developing world, including Ethiopia, there is an acute need of potable water in rural communities, which are generally not connected to a centralized system, for supply drinking water. The principal means of water supply in the developing world are: the hand pump for smaller demands; and the diesel-engine-driven pump for larger quantities. Solar PV pumping can be more appropriate than these technologies in many applications. As communities expand, hand pumping may not be sufficient even if the well and spring water capacity is large. The advantages of PV base pump systems in rural communities in developing countries include:  No gap between the first investment and the first production of electricity, because electricity is available immediately after PV system construction;  No need for expensive solar tracking systems;  Direct room temperature conversion of light to electricity through a simple solid state device;  Less maintenance cost due to absence of moving parts and longevity of solar panels;  Ability to function unattended for a long period of time;  Modular nature in which desired current, voltage and power levels can be achieved by more integration;  No fuel consumption and therefore environmentally friendly;  Wide power handling capability;  High power to weight ratio;  Solar water pumping systems need little supervision requiring only periodical checking. Solar pumps automatically start soon after sunrise and continue to work unattended until sunset; and  Simple water transfer from dam to tank 28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition 4417