Lithium ion battery systems for decentralized solar photovoltaic storage in Sub-Saharan Africa

Jaza Energy Hubs supply energy separate from the unreliable local grid for rural communities in Africa. They do this via solar energy, which is abundant in this area, and store the energy in specially made lithium ion batteries. These batteries are removable so that locals can take to their dwelling. Because of old data being used and the sun having a varying amount of energy output through the day there has been cases of mismatched demand and generation. This means that people are not able to receive power when they need it. This project aims to look at the data collected since the hubs were installed and perform tests to find the characteristics of the batteries so that it will not occur in the future. Doing these two tasks also will provide insight on how to make larger installations to service more people.

Faculty Supervisor:

Lukas Swan

Student:

David Theuerkauf

Partner:

Jaza Energy Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Dalhousie University