Photo: Temsan AŞ. - Türkiye Elektromekanik Sanayi / YouTube
Turkish engineers designed a foldable photovoltaic system of 15 kW. Anyone can install it within 15 minutes. The micro solar power plant is handy in case of disasters and for refugees. The same firm is developing a portable hydropower turbine of up to 1 MW. It claims it can be placed on canals and small streams. Little or no construction work is required.
The portable mini solar power plant can be switched on in no time. When a devastating earthquake hit Kahramanmaraş and surrounding areas in February of last year, Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources reached out to its firm Türkiye Electromechanic Industry (Temsan). It tasked the engineers to come up with a solution for the quick restoration of electricity supply in case of such disasters.
The result of the Mobitem project is a small, movable and portable photovoltaic system. It fits into a 2.5-meter-high container of 21 square meters.
One unit covers up to 60 families
The effective capacity is 15 kW and anyone can set up the system within 15 minutes. It consists of 30 solar panels, an inverter and a 57.5 kWh battery. In ideal conditions, when sunlight is strong, one unit covers the basic needs of 60 families, Temsan claims. The battery can be charged in five hours.
The 525 W photovoltaic panels are made in Turkey. Six go to the top of the container and the rest are mounted on four platforms on wheels that are stretched and folded with a scissor mechanism.
Mobitem has additional prototypes of different sizes, of which one is designed to water fruits and vegetables. It is built into a small trailer, which includes a water tank. The company said it would launch sales of the products when it completes testing.
Easy power source for water purifiers
Temsan also made a compact and foldable hydropower system. The capacity ranges from just 500 W to 1 MW. Installing the Hidrotem implies little to no construction work.
The machine is intended for canals and outlets from pipelines and reservoirs. For example, the rear end of a wastewater processing facility. The firm said the user can operate the unit via a mobile device.
The Municipality of Arsin near Trabzon ordered one of 265 kW for its water plant. Zonguldak, a city northwest of Ankara and also on the Black Sea coast, is buying a 213 kW unit.
The Ministry of Water and Energy, where I am working now, is working in the Energy sector, mostly in rural areas on off-grid. So such articles are very important to promote Renewable Energy.