NEWSLETTER #30 - SOCIETY OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENTISTS

Volume 8, Issue 1

January-March 2019


CONTENTS

Chair's Foreword
International School Awards 2018
Enhancing PV Cell Output  Using Mirrors/Reflectors
Earth Science Events
References and selected reading

Chair’s Foreword*

Welcome to the 30^th issue of Society of African Earth Scientists Newsletter.

Firstly, we draw attention to the success of a number of African Schools from across our continent in the International School Awards, in particular, we look at the work of Corona School in Agbara, Nigeria who won an award in the Business Plan category and executed a successful Water Sanitation and Hygiene project. On behalf of SAES we would like to congratulate Corona School on their successes.

   We also take an enthusiastic look at some research into photovoltaics from around the world that suggests solar panel power outputs can be significantly increased simply using reflectors. This promises to be an effective way to reduce the costs of solar panels in terms of output per £1 or $1 spent.

   Last but not least: In 2013 SAES set a challenge to use Google Earth to measure the land area and coastline of Africa as part of Day of Earth Sciences in Africa (DESA), 20-21^st March each year. Six years later it will be interesting to revisit this activity and note if there have been any significant changes in result. The challenge to revisit this activity has therefore been set. The activity guide is to be found by searching "geodata collection activity" on the blog and we look forward to reviewing the results in a future newsletter issue.


Corona School, Agbara State, Nigeria - International School Awards 2018

Chukwunyere Kamalu with Adewale Akinwunmi (Headteacher, Corona School)

Corona School is to be commended and is featured here; not only  for its success in the 2018 International School Awards in the Business Plan category, but furthermore, because the school has made a significant achievement in successfully executing a Water Sanitation and Hygiene development project conceived and planned through an exceptional community effort involving the pupils and staff of Corona School with the help of the local community’s skilled artisans and professionals. This is particularly notable as their community in Agbara, Nigeria, suffered two past cholera outbreaks in a ten year period which led to the tragic loss of life of five members of the community with many residents taken ill.

   The School was able to spearhead a community drive to take action to improve community public health and hygiene and protect against a future repeat of the cholera outbreaks of the past, by collaborating with local project stakeholders made up predominantly of the members of the local Transformer Club and Gavel Club. These clubs helped to organise fundraising for the project for materials and labour to execute the agreed plan.

   The stakeholders together cooperated to construct: 1) A four-room public toilet and washroom facility and 2) A borehole with water storage tank and  water taps that now make water for drinking and sanitation available to the local population.

   Most importantly, the project stakeholders have been able to devise a system that will make this a sustainable provision and will enable this facility to be available for community long term benefit. The stakeholders have secured a guarantee from the local Community Development Association that it will ensure the continued maintenance of the facility; with a Committee appointed by the Community Council ensuring the continued maintenance and effective running of the facility into the foreseeable future.

Enhancing PV Cell Output Using Mirrors/Reflectors

A fair number of studies are now to be found on the internet, which demonstrate that the solar power output  of solar panels can be significantly increased by placing mirrors or reflectors in suitable close proximity.

   Arshad et al in 2014  in Pakistan [1] were able to show that the use of mirrors improved output by 32%. However, it was also the case that the use of mirrors/reflectors increased irradiance and also the temperature of the solar panels. Unfortunately, raising temperature also decreases the efficiency of the panels. This was ameliorated by applying a cooling  mechanism  and led to a 52% improvement in  panel power output.

   Naseer K Kasim et al in Iraq [2] report a gain in output power of over 48% when reflectors are applied to their solar panels. Since their trough shaped solar reflectors caused a rise in incident radiation levels which increased and thus increased the PV module short circuit current. The reflectors do cause a rise in temperature which leads to a fall in voltage. However, the percentage drop in  voltage (V) is far less than the .percentage drop in current  (I), so there remained a net increase in power P = V x I.

   Andrews, Pollard and Pearce [3] showed that a 45% increase in solar panel output was made by employing reflectors, in this case made of a sophisticated form of Aluminium.

Trough shaped mirrors attached to solar panels. From Kasim et al , 2018

   There is a surfeit of further studies supporting the examples discussed above  [4, 5, 6]. The results of these studies raise the possibility of designing suitable furniture (to accompany solar panels) that is covered in reflective material that is cheap and easy to access such as aluminium foil. Such furniture with suitable fixings and proximity would enhance irradiance and increase the PV module current and thereby the power output of the panels for relatively little cost. 

Earth Science Events

June 6-7, 2019

Zimbabwe Mineral Resources Conference

VISION: Pro- and preceded by geological field trips. Will be subdivided into two morning and afternoon sessions.

VENUE: Harare, Zimbabwe

July 11-13, 2019

World Congress on Geology and Earth Science

VISION: Providing innovative research methodologies for Earth Sciences.

VENUE: London, UK

August 4-9, 2019

70th Annual Meeting of International Society of Electrochemistry

VISION: Linking resources to sustainable development

VENUE: Durban, South Africa

October 6-9, 2019

16th SAGA Biennial Conference and Exhibition "Current Informing the Future"

VISION:The conference, a staple of the geophysical community in Africa, provides a forum for engagement, idea generation and sharing.

VENUE: Durban, South Africa

October 6-10, 2019

17th African Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering "Innovation and Sustainability in Geotechnics for Developing Arica"

VISION: Innovative and sustainable infrastructure is crucial for Africa's economic integration. As such, the vision of improved geotechnics is a positive notion directed at the development of the continent.

VENUE: Cape Town, South Africa 

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References, Selected Reading, etc

References on photovoltaic research

1.     Arshad, R., Tariq. S., Niaz, M., M. Jamil, “Improvement in Solar Panel Efficieny Using Solar Concentration by Simple Mirrors and Cooling”, 2014 International Conference on Robotics and Emerging Allied Technologies in Engineering (iCREATE), Islamabad, Pakistan.

2.     Kasim, N.K., Atwan, A.F., Eliewi, F.M., “Improve the performance of  solar modules by reflectors”, The Sixth Scientific Conference “Renewable Energy and its Applications”, IOP Conference Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1032 (2018) 012031.

3.     Andrews, R., Pollard, A., Pearce, M.J., “Photovoltaic System Performance Enhamcement With Non-Tracking Planar Concentrators: Experimental Results and Bi-Directional Reflectance Function (BDRF) Based Modelling. Link: https://www.academia.edu/16836963/Photovoltaics_Systems_Performance_Enhancement_With_Non_Tracking_Planar_Concentrators__Experiment

4.     Srisailam, Ch., Srihari, T., Chinna Babu, T., “Improvement of Solar Energy By Mirror Reflection Technique”, International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science Volume 3,  Issue 3, May-June, 2015.

5.     Rizk, J., and Nagrial, M.H. (2009), “Impact of reflectors on solar energy systems”, International Journal of Electrical, Computer, Energetic, Electronic and Communication Engineering Vol 2, No.5, 2008.
6.  Ahmed, S., Mia, M.M.A, Acherjee, S. and M.A.A. Ansary, "More Efficient Use of Photovoltaic Solar Panel Using Multiple Fix Directed Mirrors or Aluminium Foils Instead of Solar Trackers in Rural Perspective of Bangladesh", International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research Vol. 3, Issue 4, April 2014.

*Board of the Society of African Earth Scientists: Dr Enas Ahmed (Egypt), Osmin Callis (Secretary - Guyana /Nigeria), Mathada Humphrey (South Africa), Dr Chukwunyere Kamalu (Chair - Nigeria), Ndivhuwo Cecilia Mukosi (South Africa), Damola Nadi ( Nigeria).