Held within the walls of the shipping container lie high tech measurement tools, that the project team will carefully set up and monitor in three project locations throughout Ghana. The equipment, which the German project partners WestfalenWind and University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhine-Sieg meticulously packed and inspected in Paderborn on the 12th of December, will allow the collection of location specific weather and energy requirement data.

Given the central role that weather plays in affecting the amount of power generated via PV solar panels, tools used for measuring solar-module temperature, global solar radiation and dust accumulation on the solar panels, as well as a cloud camera to track and monitor weather patterns will provide much needed data for the project. Using information received from these sources, scientists in the project will be able to create a forecast based algorithm to maximize reliability and quality and ensure optimal usage of solar panels.

Also included in the shipment is an electrical load data logger, which gathers information on the energy usage of the health facilities partaking in the project. The project team will use the data received from the recorder to develop a PV-diesel-design-tool tailored to the sector specific needs of the health facilities. This will result in a reliable and economical design and evaluation of PV-diesel-hybrid-systems. As a result, both the PV-diesel-design-tool and forecast based algorithm will contribute to helping lower black out risk, maximizing economic and ecological feasibility and ensuring the protection of health equipment requiring high quality electricity. Close cooperation between EnerSHelF partners demonstrates the benefits of interdisciplinary, international synergies and partnerships. As the shipping container makes its way to Ghanaian partners, the project team will continue striving towards practical and ecological energy solutions for Ghanaian health facilities.