This report is dedicated in memory of John Ssemogere, the former Co-director of RASD. DEVELOPING A RESOURCE CENTER IN RURAL UGANDA: A SMART HOME, EWB, RASD PARTNERSHIP ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS DUKE SMART HOME RURAL AGENCY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRATT SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DUKE UNIVERSITY SCOTT STEINBERG, WILLIAM PATRICK, LEE PEARSON, TOM ROSE JULY 20, 2007 Abstract: The Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) is a Ugandan non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Nkokonjeru dedicated to providing free or low-cost information about sustainable living to the local community. This project focused on enabling RASD to achieve their goals by finishing construction on the 1000 sqft main facility, providing a solar power station rated at 162 watts, providing a low power 40 watt computer cluster composed of 2 Linux computers, furnishing the cluster with a digital library of 1500 books focused on appropriate technology, and providing a Universal Nut Sheller made by the Full Belly Project for increasing the value of locally harvested coffee. The project was a partnership between the Duke University chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the Duke Smart Home Program, and RASD. All systems were implemented at 100% functionality and all supplies were either commodities, or were sourced locally. Local labor was utilized for the implementation effort, and relationships were formed with local solar providers and local computer providers for both short and long-term maintenance needs. It is our hope that RASD will not only become a powerful source for public information, but also become a rally point for future outreach programs such as Duke Engage.
Transcript
This report is dedicated in memory of John Ssemogere, the former Co-director of RASD.
DEVELOPING A RESOURCE CENTER IN RURAL UGANDA: A SMART HOME, EWB, RASD PARTNERSHIP
ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS
DUKE SMART HOME
RURAL AGENCY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
PRATT SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DUKE UNIVERSITY
SCOTT STEINBERG, WILLIAM PATRICK, LEE PEARSON, TOM ROSE
JULY 20, 2007
Abstract:
The Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) is a Ugandan non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Nkokonjeru dedicated to providing free or low-cost information about sustainable living to the local community. This project focused on enabling RASD to achieve their goals by finishing construction on the 1000 sqft main facility, providing a solar
power station rated at 162 watts, providing a low power 40 watt computer cluster composed of 2 Linux computers, furnishing the cluster with a digital library of 1500 books focused on appropriate technology, and providing a Universal Nut Sheller made by the Full Belly Project for increasing the value of locally harvested coffee. The project was a partnership between the Duke University chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the Duke Smart Home Program, and RASD. All systems were implemented at 100% functionality and all supplies were either commodities, or were sourced locally. Local labor was utilized for the implementation effort, and relationships were formed with local solar providers and local computer providers for both short and long-term maintenance needs. It is our hope that RASD will not only become a powerful source for public
information, but also become a rally point for future outreach programs such as Duke Engage.
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Table of Contents 1. Introduction
1.1. Stake Holders in Project 1.2. Assessment Trip – May 2006 1.3. Implementation Trip – August 2007
1.3.1. Travel Team 1.3.2. Purpose
2. Background 2.1. Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) 2.2. Full Belly Project and the Universal Nut Sheller 2.3. Inveneo and Linux Solutions 2.4. Power Options 2.5. Internet Service Provider Options 2.6. Operating System Selection 2.7. Printer Selection
3. Project Design 3.1. Solar Power
3.1.1. Kyocera 54W Solar Panels 3.1.2. Steca PR Solar Charge Controller 3.1.3. Ultra Power SLA Solar Battery 3.1.4. 150W DC-AC Inverter 3.1.5. IP-65 Box 3.1.6. Cables, Frames and Surge Protection
3.2. Inveneo Workstation Computers 3.2.1. Xubuntu Open Source Operating System 3.2.2. Kingston 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drives
3.3. HP 460cb Printer 3.4. Library
3.4.1. Agriculture in Uganda Books 3.4.2. Appropriate Technologies Digital Library
3.5. MTN Internet Service 3.6. Universal Nut Sheller Dissemination
3.6.1. Universal Nut Sheller at RASD 3.6.2. Building Support from Other Organizations
4. Pre-Trip Logistics 4.1. 5 Week Lead Time 4.2. Project Contract 4.3. Nkokonjeru, Uganda 4.4. Queen Elizabeth National Park 3-Day Safari
5. On-Site Work 5.1. Resource Center 5.2. Solar Power 5.3. Computers 5.4. Library 5.5. Universal Nut Sheller Dissemination
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6. Future Considerations 6.1. Duke Engage Partnership 6.2. Internet Service Provider 6.3. Maintenance of the system 6.4. Project Ideas from Trip
----------------------------------------- Appendix 1: Project Budget Appendix 2: Trip Budget Appendix 3: Material Specifications Sheets Appendix 4: Project Invoices Appendix 5: Contacts Appendix 6: Solar System Calculations Appendix 7: Receipts
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1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Stakeholders in Project The Rural Agency For Sustainable Development The Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Nkokonjero, Uganda, that works to improve the lives of rural Ugandan citizens in the Mukono district. RASD gives seminars on water sanitation, better agricultural practices, rain water harvesting, and technical skills such as carpentry and mechanics. Ignatius Bwoogi is a graduate of Makerere University and the co-founder and director of RASD. Duke Smart Home The Duke Smart Home Program at Duke University is a student-based organization that combines technology development with engineering education and public outreach. Its primary purpose is to advance smart living technology while providing a first-class education for Duke undergraduates. The program, centered in a specially designed, 6000 sqft house, will include ongoing engineering teams, partnerships with industry, and engagement with the public. Duke Engineers Without Borders Duke EWB endeavors to partner with communities in the developing world to improve the quality of life through environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable engineering projects. During the academic year, teams work-on, design, and coordinate events on campus to raise awareness of international issues in sustainable development particularly targeted towards engineering students. 1.2 Assessment Trip – May 2006 Duke Engineers Without Borders students first contacted RASD when Lee Pearson and Benjamin Abram traveled to Nkokonjero, Uganda in May 2006. Lee and Ben visited RASD for three days and spoke with Ignatius and other RASD volunteers about what the organization does and how Duke EWB students could help the organization grow. Further, Ignatius showed the students the beginning construction of a resource center, where the RASD team could teach seminars in class rooms as well as have demonstration plots for agriculture. The brick walls were completed for four buildings at the center, but only one building had a roof. Unfortunately, the organization ran out of funding when local vanilla prices crashed, and the construction was stalled. Ignatius, Lee, and Ben planned out a crude budget for the completion of the center and prioritized furnishings for the center and projects to be conducted there.
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Figure 1.1: Map of Nkokonjeru in Uganda 1.3 Implementation Trip – Aug 2007 1.3.1 Travel Team A group of students and faculty traveled to Nkokonjero, Uganda to work with the Rural Agency of Sustainable Development in the summer of 2007. The project team consisted of: Lee Pearson (CE/BME ’08) and Will Patrick (ME ’10) of Duke Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and Scott Steinberg (BME/ME ’09) and Tom Rose (Director of the Duke Smart Home Program) from the Duke Smart Home Program. 1.3.2 Purpose
The purpose of the partnership with RASD is to provide an opportunity for Duke engineering students to become involved in sustainable development issues and to provide hands on design opportunities. The RASD resource center will provide a site for future Duke students interested in appropriate technology and sustainable development to work, research, and gain experience in the developing world. A main thrust of the project is as well to help build the capacity of RASD to conduct their work in the community and provide opportunities for mutually beneficial endeavors between our groups. There were three components to the 2007 summer project.
1. Solar power station 2. Low-power computers 3. Resource center construction 4. Universal Nut Sheller dissemination
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2. BACKGROUND The purpose of the resource center construction was to provide a usable space for RASD seminars and an adequately secure building for installing the solar powered computer system. The best way to do the resource center construction, we decided, was to let RASD contract the construction work to a business in Uganda. This would allow the necessary building construction to be done before we arrived to install the solar powered computer system. While this was a risk on our part, we felt it was the most effective way to get the construction done on time. When we arrived we felt gratified to see that the money had been spent effectively, receipts were kept, and photos of the construction were taken.
2.1 Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) The Rural Agency for Sustainable Development was formed in 2000 as a Community Based Organization (CBO) in the Mukono District of Uganda. The headquarters is in Nkokonjeru, which is halfway between Kampala and Jinja in the southern part of the country near Lake Victoria. After a few years, RASD became a certified Non Governmental Organization (NGO). The photo below is of the founding members of RASD taken by EWB last year when visiting the area.
Figure 2.1: Members of RASD The project mission statement of RASD from their temporary website is as follows:
RASD carries out its activities in the Mukono District to facilitate people to live in healthy conditions, promote sustainable environmental management, agriculture, provide safe water, hygiene education and sanitation provision, facilitate education training for skill acquisition, advocacy for gender issues and good governance.
RASD carries out these activities through educational seminars and "sensitization" activities to promote best practices. We are currently constructing a centralized resource center in Nkokonjeru to better carry out these activities. (from www.duke.edu/~lmp10/RASD%20website2/index.htm).
2.2 Full Belly Project and the Universal Nut Sheller The Full Belly Project is a NGO based in Wilmington, NC that is known for disseminating the Universal Nut Sheller (UNS), a mechanically powered machine that can shell a variety of nuts. The mechanically powered machine can shell a variety of nuts and berries, including peanuts and coffee. All of the machine parts are produced from ubiquitous materials, which predominantly are concrete and metal. For more information on how the Universal Nut Sheller and a video of it being used in Mali to
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shell peanuts see http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-Nut-Sheller/. A photograph of the machine can be found in Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.2: The Universal Nut Sheller
Previous to 2007, The Full Belly Project has disseminated their technologies in Mali, the Philippines and Uganda working with local non-profit groups or coops. In all of these occasions the UNS was being used to help peanut farmers or co-ops shell their nuts. These local groups would be taught how to create the machines and then hopefully continue to manufacture the machines after Full Belly Project members left the country. The Full Belly Project decided to change their model in 2007 to instead facilitate the creation of UNS production facilities that would work on a for-profit model to produce and disseminate the technology. They decided to create a production facility business in Uganda as they had already had established relationships with potential entrepreneurs in the country.
Duke Engineers Without Borders members met Jock Brandis, the inventor of the UNS and Roey Rosenblith, Director of Outreach for the Full Belly Project, in December 2006. Duke EWB members agreed to work with the Full Belly Project in disseminating the technology in Uganda the following summer by helping them start-up a production facility and work on making the RASD resource center a distribution site for the machines. 2.2.1 Production Facility Over the course of the 2006-2007 academic year, a team from Nourish International and the Full Belly Project designed a social venture to create a UNS production facility in Iganga, Uganda. The facility was created the heart of Uganda’s peanut farming region, which would hopefully provide a market for the machines. Nourish International and Full Belly Project worked closely with Henry Masagazi, a native Ugandan, in the design of the facility. Masagazi was determined to be the entrepreneur to own and operate the facility. The project was funded by grants from two business venture competitions, the Carolina Challenge (UNC) and the Duke Start-Up Challenge. Duke EWB members Benjamin Abram, William Patrick, and Lee Pearson worked with Joel Thomas of Nourish International and Roey
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Rosenblith in the Duke Start-Up Challenge Competition. The production facility began operating in late June 2007, and immediately began selling UNS machines to government agricultural agencies. 2.2.2 Coffee’s Potential Roey Rosenblith of the Full Belly Project spent over a month and a half working to create the production facility in Iganga and assessing other potential uses for the machine. He traveled to the Mukono district (Nkokonjero’s district) and brought the UNS to the Coffee Research Institute. At the institute Rosenblith tested the machine with coffee and discovered that the machine could easily husk coffee (separating the coffee pulp from the bean). He also relayed the fact that only a limited amount of peanuts are grown in the Mukono district so are primary focus should be on working with RASD volunteers to build interest of the machine among local coffee producers. 2.3 Inveneo and Linux Solutions Inveneo is a San Francisco based organization that sells low power computing, communication, and hub stations for projects in 6 different African countries. Duke Smart Home discovered Inveneo during a chance encounter with the CEO of a disaster relief organization in the Atlanta Organization in the Atlanta airport. When the team contacted Inveneo and discussed the RASD project, it was clear that Inveneo was a perfect match for the computer needs of the project. Inveneo has many certified partners and the one that we were put into contact with about the entire solar and computing system was Linux Solutions. See their company logos below.
Figure 2.3: Inveneo (left) and Linux Solutions (Right) Logos
Linux Solutions is a technology focused company based in Kampala, Uganda. The team conversed with Linux Solutions via email and determined what was available for each system. Linux Solutions is the company that will be the main installer for the system when the team travels to Uganda. To find out more information about Inveneo, visit: http://www.inveneo.org. For more information about Linux Solutions and projects they have done, visit: http://www.linuxsolutions.co.ug.
2.4 Power Options The village of Nkokonjeru connects to the main power grid but EWB’s site visit last year concluded that the power was unreliable. The city power would go off for days without any warning. The team decided then to investigate wind and solar power technologies. Smart Home has expertise in the later of the two and decided that a solar system was best because it is sustainable, and Nkokonjeru is located nearly at the equator and receives a great deal of sun throughout the year. Although solar power is typically too expensive for the average Ugandan citizen, it is appropriate for some institutions. 2.5 Internet Service Provider Options Uganda is mostly a rural country with a communications infrastructure worse than its power. The team researched remote internet service providers and discovered 2 options: satellite and cellular dial-up. The
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advantage of satellite is that it can be accessed anywhere and has speeds up to 158kb/s. The disadvantage is it is very costly and beyond the project budget. The second option, cellular uses a data network with slower speeds, up to 19.2kb/s, but is cheaper and is pay as you go. It was decided due to budget constraints that a cellular dial-up method would suit the needs of the resources center for basic internet communication such as email and basic web browsing. However, due to internet availability, and several failures of services, the internet aspect dropped off the project. With the establishment of Wi-Max service scheduled for late 2007, internet may again become a possibility.
2.6 Operating System Selection When deciding whether Linux or Windows would be best for the project purpose, Linux was chosen because it is free, open source, and reliable. Windows software is more common, but there exists similar software in Linux that would serve the needs of the resource center. Additionally, another advantage to choosing Linux over Windows is the decreased likelihood of obtaining viruses in Linux.
2.7 Printer Selection The resource center needs a printer that can function in times where power is unavailable or critical. Inveneo suggested a battery powered printer by HP that is both mobile and reliable. The consumables for the printer, (mainly ink and paper) were provided by the project team in quantities to last a year. They are also available in Kampala at competitive costs.
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3.0 PROJECT DESIGN
Figure 3.0: Project Architecture of Solar Power System The design of the system is simplified in Fig. 1 above. It breaks down into a solar power solution, workstation computers, a printer, and a cellular based internet provider.
3.1 Solar Power Solution The solar power solution has many components, which are sub-categorized below. See the appendix for a calculation of how much energy the system will produce throughout the year in Uganda. 3.1.1 Kyocera 54W Solar Panels The project estimated a total need of 150 watts of power. Linux Solutions is providing 3-54W panels made by Kyocera called the KC-50T. They are a multi crystal solar panel with 36 cells. See the figure below for each panel.
Inveneo Inveneo
RASD
HP Printer AC Outlets
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Fig. 3.1.1: Kyocera KC-50T Solar Panel They each provide up to 17.4 volts of power under standard conditions. Kyocera is proven to be reliable and are certified by many standards. To see a product spec sheet for the panels, see the appendix. 3.1.2 Steca PR Solar Charge Controller The solar charge controller is the component that regulates the voltage from the panels to the battery. The particular model specified is a 15A controller by Steca (see figure below for similar unit).
Figure 3.1.2: Same Series Controller Unit It was launched in 2004 and has many features such as built in amp-hour counter, temperature compensation and boost charging. For more details and specifications of the model, the PR1515, see Appendix 2.
3.1.3 Ultra Power SLA Solar Battery The battery is the component that stores the energy produced by the solar panel for a later use such as in times of inclement weather.
Figure 3.1.3: Sample Deep Cycle Battery The specified product by Linux Solutions is rated as a 12V 100Ah deep cycle battery. Its recharge life is at 350 cycles if it discharges completely, which is about a year. However, if the battery is only discharged by 30% each time, it can have a maximum cycle rating of over 1500 cycles. For more detailed specifications on the battery, see the Appendix. 3.1.4 150W DC-AC Inverter The DC-AC inverter is installed in the system for powering alternative electronics. Both the computer and printer can take DC power, which comes from the panels, so the AC inverter will be useful for powering things such as a cell phone, a lamp, or even a sewing machine. See figure below for a sample photo of an inverter.
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Figure 3.1.4: Sample DC-AC Inverter 3.1.5 IP-65 Box The IP box is the encasement for all of the wires and parts that will be subjected to the environment. See the figure below for a sample model of an IP-65 box.
Figure 3.1.5: Model of an IP-65 Box The rating system for IP boxes stands for Ingress Protection. The first number signifies protection against solids. 6 is the highest available and it means the box is totally protected against dust. The second number is protection against liquids. A 5 rating is defined as protection against low pressure jets of water from all directions – limited ingress permitted. It is in the middle of the category, but should be sufficient for the climate in Uganda and the placement of the IP-box. For more information on the rating system, visit: www.aquatext.com/tables/ip_ratings.htm.
3.1.6 Cables, Frames, and Surge Protection The cables, frames and surge protection data have not been provided by Linux Solution, but they are sufficient to mount the 2 panels, connect everything in the system, and protect it from surges in power that would potentially harm the devices. No documented information was provided on these components.
3.2 Inveneo Workstation Computers The site will be supplied with 2 Inveneo Workstation computers. An identical model has been ordered for Smart Home and EWB. This will stay in the US and was used to familiarize with the computer and OS before travelling to Uganda. Furthermore, it now serves as helpful technical support center for the RASD center.
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The workstation chosen is an ultra-low power computer that has virtually no moving parts due to its solid state design for extreme environments such as Uganda. It runs on an AMD LX800 processor that operates at 500Mhz and has a 2gb flash internal hard-drive. See the figure below for a photo of the workstation.
Figure 3.2: Inveneo Complete Workstation (Computer on Right) The workstation is assembled by attaching the computer to the back side of the monitor. This way, it takes very little space and is one complete unit. For more detailed specifications on the computer, see the Appendix. 3.2.1 Xubuntu Open Source Operating System Xubuntu is a light version of the popular Ubuntu OS, which is based in Linux. It uses an Xfce desktop environment. See the photo below for a sample desktop background.
Figure 3.2.2: Sample Desktop Background
Xubuntu is intended for less powerful systems because it uses less memory and power to function. This is why the team chose this system over other Linux based systems. For more information, visit the homepage for the project at http://www.xubuntu.org/.
3.2.2 Kingston 2GB USB2.0 Flash Drives The Inveneo computers come with 2GB Flash Drives that run the Xubuntu OS. However, 2GB is just barely enough to run the system. Since there is no extra internal memory on the computer, the team purchased 5 2GB usb flash drives for the RASD center. They are cheap, reliable, swappable, and can hold many documents, programs, and anything else for the computers at RASD.
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Figure 3.2.3: Kingston 2GB Flash Drive
3.3 HP 460cb Mobile Printer The HP 460cb (see photo below) suits the needs fine and is an efficient and mobile inkjet printer.
Figure 3.3: HP 460cb Printer The feature that allows it to stand head over shoulders of other printers is it comes with a lithium-ion battery that is rated to provide 450 pages of printing in one charge. This should relieve the solar panel system. It also features optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity for future additions to the system in times of stress. It is compatible with Linux and was recommended by Linux Solutions. The team has purchased and will bring an additional 9 black ink cartridges and 3 color cartridges as spares for the resource center. For more information on the specifications of the printer, see the Appendix. 3.4 Library The resource center was without any substantial books so the project team researched valuable books that would be appropriate to the RASD mission. The team found 2 great sources: a set of books written by the Ugandan research in agriculture and a digital library of over 1,500 books. 3.4.1 Agriculture in Uganda Books The Ugandan based group called the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) published a 4-volume series in 2001 on agriculture in Uganda. The main editor for the series is J.K. Mukiibi – the director of NARO. The team purchased the complete four volumes in the series, General Information (ISBN: 9970-02-243-1), Crops (ISBN: 9970-02-234-2), Forestry (ISBN: 9970-02-240-7), and Livestock and Fisheries (ISBN: 9970-02-239-3), in paperback form to bring to Uganda on the visit. These detailed books will be helpful resources for RASD because they are specifically written on agriculture in Uganda. For more information about NARO, visit: http://www.naro.go.ug/.
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3.4.2 Appropriate Technologies Digital Library The Appropriate Technology library is a collection of over 1,500 books digitally formatted on DVD or CD media. It was compiled by the project, Village Earth: The Consortium for Sustainable Village Based Development. Each book is full text and images and is organized in a system of 31 categories. Some sample categories are agriculture, energy: solar, health care, forestry, water supply, and small industries. For example, the category Energy: Solar has 25 books within its collection. This will be an extremely valuable resource for the RASD center because it gives them a library that takes up virtually no physical space, yet has collective knowledge that is appropriate to their mission of sustainable development. We are extremely excited to see how this library is used by the RASD center. It will play an even stronger support while there is no internet at the site. The order form for the purchase can be found in Appendix 3. For more information about the AT Library, visit: http://www.villageearth.org/Publications/ATLibrary/index.htm. 3.5 MTN Internet Service This is included in the report to explain that internet was originally supposed to be part of the scope, but was not installed due to financial and availability factors. MTN is one of the leading service providers for the country of Uganda. They had a cellular internet dial-up service called Yelloline, which was picked for the project. It was an affordable, simplistic, and met the needs of basic communication, yet due to its slow service, it was cancelled on June 8th 2007. When this happened, the team had to investigate other alternatives and WiMax looked like the best solution. The reason for which WiMax does not work currently is it is not available in Nkokonjeru and it is very costly – a basic package starts at US$70 per month of service. To give a perspective on how ludicrous the price is, according to UNICEF, the gross national income per capita in Uganda was US$280 in 2005! The team will evaluate other internet solutions in Uganda, and this will likely be a project for the future of the RASD center. A lesson was learned from the internet story in rural Uganda. Sometimes, it’s not worthwhile even to install a system that might work, if the company or service is not reliable for the long term. Even if the provider is functional, it is still potentially not a viable solution. Uganda is a third world country – it must take time for a sustainable communications infrastructure to develop. Internet is a main goal for providing the computing in the RASD center, so the lesson from this first report will be used when re-evaluating the internet option. 3.6 Universal Nut Sheller Dissemination We had two major goals for our dissemination project. The first was to introduce the technology to Ignatius and others volunteers at RASD and permanently demonstrate the technology at the RASD center. Secondly we wanted to talk to local people farmers and organizations in order to build support for the machine. 3.6.1 Universal Nut Sheller at RASD Our first goal for disseminating the technology was to gain support from the RASD members. We knew that we could not make any impact in the short period of time we were in Uganda without the help of local people who knew much more about local coffee producers. So we planned to travel to Iganga, Uganda to buy a UNS from the production facility and bring it back to RASD. While introducing the machine to RASD, we specifically wanted to show them how to adjust the machine to shell different types of nuts. Secondly after introducing the machine to RASD, we wanted the RASD resource center to house the sheller to demonstrate how it can be used to local coffee producers. Local coffee producers could be brought to the RASD
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center to see the new technology and then RASD could give them the contact information for the production facility in Iganga if they were interested in buying a machine. 3.7.2 Building Support from Other Organizations First, we decided to set up a meeting to visit the Coffee Research Center, which is apart of the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO). Roey brought a UNS machine to the center and we wanted to follow-up and see what the researchers thought about the machine’s ability to shell coffee. The institute might be able to provide us more information on the coffee market and coffee production. Further, we thought people at the institute may be able to connect us with local producers who we could introduce the technology to. We also wanted to visit AEATRI, the Agricultural Engineering and Research Institute, located near Kampala. Engineers at the institute test existing appropriate agricultural technologies and also design new innovations. They publicize their findings and advertise to different agricultural organizations specific technologies that are optimal for farming. We thought the institute would be an incredibly interesting place to visit as the facility houses a number of different appropriate technologies that are being used to advance agriculture productivity in Uganda. Engineers also would be able to test the UNS machine against another mechanically powered machine found in Uganda called (for lack of a better name) the rocker style peanut sheller.
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4.0 PRE-TRIP LOGISTICS
4.1 5 Week Lead Time In order to make sure the parts are ready for installation when the team arrived in Uganda on August 1st, there was a 5 week lead time on shipping and acquiring the parts. The team took this into consideration and processed the payment as quickly as possible. The biggest aspect of the lead time is the components from the US, which are the computers and the printer. Most of the other parts were locally purchased in Kampala, Uganda. 4.2 Project Contract The team contracted out to Inveneo in 2 separate invoices. One was everything going to Uganda and the other was the extra computer for Smart Home and EWB at Duke. By paying Inveneo, who are based in California and the partner with Linux Solutions, Inveneo was then able to pay Linux Solutions in Uganda in 2 wire transfers: 1 for the ordering parts and 1 for labor after the job completes. The invoices are included in the Appendix. 4.3 Nkokonjeru, Uganda While staying in Nkokonjeru for the majority of our time, the team contacted a convent in town for lodging. A private van was arranged by Ignatius Bwooji, the director of RASD, to pick the team up in the airport to get to Nkokonjeru. The team is at the site for the first 8/9 days of the trip. In theory only a maximum of 4 are required for installation of the solar panels, computers, and printer. The rest of the time was left open to problems encountered and teaching the locals how to use the computers and software. Also, a woman from Tulane University, Crystal Watley, is performing a similar project in Kenya and visited the team in Nkokonjeru to watch the installation and learn about the system. 4.4 Queen Elizabeth National Park 3-Day Safari After working in Nkokonjeru, the team joined up with the CBU team from Duke’s EWB also in Uganda and went on a 3-day luxury safari at Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is located in the southwest of Uganda and was one of the highest biodiversity ratings in the world. It used to be full of wildlife, but in the 1970’s hunters killed off almost everything. Since then, the park has been rebounding and is growing each year.
Figure 4: Photo of Queen Elizabeth National Park The team travelled with Travelust African Safari group, a registered safari company, and stayed at the Jacana Safari Lodge in the park. The cost of the trip was US$400 per person and included everything (meals,
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transportation, park fees, guide, etc.) except for water and personal gifts. After the safari, which was from August 10-12th, the team split apart from EWB and some returned to the United States. The following itinerary below is taken from http://www.travelust.com/ugandaElizabeth.php: Day one: Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, you could stop by the Uganda Equator to take pictures or shop for a souvenir. After lunch at the Lake view Hotel in Mbarara, head for the East African Rift valley before arriving in Queen Elizabeth National park. After an evening game drive, transfer to your accommodations for dinner and overnight at Jacana Safari Lodge. The meals provided are lunch and dinner. TRANSIT TIME: 6 HOURS Day Two: After an early morning cup of tea at 6:30am, depart for a game drive on the northerly parts of the park along the Kasenyi track. This is the best time for opportunities of viewing the cats in action. Later, return for breakfast. In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Kazinga for solitary Buffalo, Hippo and other animals at the edge of the channel as they cool off. European migrant birds like the terns and gulls congregate here in large flocks. Eat dinner and overnight at Jacana Safari Lodge. Day Three: After a relaxed breakfast, transfer to Kampala. The meals provided are breakfast and lunch. TRANSIT TIME: 6 HOURS
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5.0 ON-SITE WORK 5.1 Resource Center
Over the summer, RASD made enormous strides in the construction of the resource center. Here are before and after pictures of the resource center:
May 2006 August 2007
Figure 5.1: Photos Taken Before and After of Main RASD Building
The entire interior and exterior of the main building was completed. The second building neared completion, only needing doors, plaster and paint. Ignatius and the others from RASD took exceptionally good records of their purchases and showed receipts of every purchase (See the Appendix). Every dollar of the $5000 we had sent was accounted for in records. Ignatius and Lee worked together to come up with a budget for completing the three other buildings making up the resource center complex. To finish the resource center’s second building (the one to the right in the picture above), $3,000 will be need for plaster, flooring, paint, glass for 6 windows, leveling, and the latches on the windows. Also, building 3 and 4 of the resource center had only a foundation and some walls, so to finish that it was estimated to cost another $10,000. 5.2 Solar Power The setup of the computer system began on August 4th 2007. Wire James, the primary contact at Linux solution, and others arrived and began work immediately. Wire and others from Linux Solutions were very professional and the setup was nearly flawless. There were only 2 problems during the installation that were noticed by the team and solved. First, the mounting frame for the solar panels was pre-welded when it arrived. It was intended to be installed on a flat roof, but didn’t account for the slope of the roof. What was critically wrong about this design is the solar panels would have been set at an angle far away from the angle of incidence from the sun. Because of Nkokonjeru’s close geographic location to the equator, the ideal angle of the solar panel was calculated to be 0.3 degrees (see PVWatts calculation in Appendix 6). So, the team worked to measure the slope of the roof and the new angle required by the mounting bracket. With a quick re-welding job that took a couple of hours in the village, the solar panels were re angled for maximum power output. The end result is a slightly steeper angle is to let water and dust wash off the panels over time.
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Figure 5.2.1: Solar Panels Mounted at Fixed Angle
The second problem was a wiring issue between the panels on the roof and the solar charge controller. The team noticed it the second day when the system was working by taking power from the previously charged battery, but wasn’t getting any current from the panels. The team found a multi-meter in the village and used it to diagnose the problem. The following day, the Solar Company came to the site with more tools and by the end of the day, the panels were outputting 10.2A at 14V. They did a training of the system with members of RASD to show how the system works and proper maintenance of the battery.
Figure 5.2.2: Working Solar System 5.3 Computers The installation of the computer system went very well because the computers had been checked and started up by Linux Solution prior to arrival on site. The only changes made were settings on the display, creating a user name and password, and testing the portable flash drives.
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The most important part of computers was training. It included 2 days of computer basics and how to operate Linux. It was helpful to teach how the Inveneo computers operate and the differences with Open Office and Microsoft Office. Ignatius and the other members at RASD took notes and later experimented on the systems to understand the computers.
Figure 5.3: System Training 5.4 Library The Appropriate Technologies Library was a huge success. It gave the RASD center over 1,500 books and did so in an easy way for RASD to utilize. Navigation within the catalogue of books was demonstrated to the group by the team.
Figure 5.4: Scott Teaching How to Operate the Library
The immense value of the library could be demonstrated by an instance that occurred on the site. During one of our lunch breaks, Ignatius brought out a perfect condition 1911 Singer model sewing machine made out of cast
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iron. He said that they had received the sewing machine as a donation from a UK based non-profit called Work Aid, but that they had been afraid to use it because they didn’t know how to operate it and were worried that they might break it. As a test case, we fired up the AT Library to see if there were any relevant books and a quick search showed that there was indeed a book titled Manual Sewing Machine Operation and Maintenance. The book was perfectly appropriate and was fundamentally critical to the proper operation of the sewing machine. With the introduction of the sewing guide from the AT Library, future use of the sewing machine became trivial. 5.5 Universal Nut Sheller Dissemination While in Uganda, the team visited the Universal Nut Sheller production facility, obtained a Universal Nut Sheller for the RASD resource center, taught RASD officials how to use the machine, and researched coffee production in the Mukono district. 5.5.1 Production Facility and UNS Introduction On August 16th, the team visited the Full Belly Project production facility. The team met with Henry Masagazi, the Ugandan entrepreneur running the business, and discussed the damage incurred by a recent fire. Production had been halted but fortunately the facility still had a number of fabricated machines on site. The team bought one of the machines back to the RASD resource center in order to introduce the machine to Ignatius Bwoogi and other RASD members. EWB members explained how the machine worked, specifically how to adjust the rotor position to shell different sized nuts and berries. RASD officials and EWB members then tested the machine to evaluate its ability to do wet-processing of coffee (coffee husking while the coffee cherry is still fresh, not dried). Figure 5.5 shows EWB and RASD members husking coffee.
Figure 5.5.1: RASD officials test the machine’s ability to husk coffee.
RASD officials were impressed by the machine’s ability to husk coffee effectively and quickly and saw the machine’s potential to improve coffee production in the Mukono region.
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5.5.2 Researching Coffee Production in the Mukono Area Lee Pearson and RASD officials visited the Coffee Research Institute 10 miles north of the resource center in order to research how coffee is produced in the Mukono district. Roey Rosenblith of the Full Belly Project brought the institute a UNS earlier in the summer while he was working to set up the production facility. The team learned more about coffee production in general, including ways to improve production with techniques such as wet-processing and planting wilt-resistant coffee strains. Further, the team learned more about the nuances of the coffee market, including the price per unit for coffee at different stages of processing. Coffee in-the-cherry (unprocessed) can be sold for 100 Ugandan Shillings (UDX), while processed coffee is sold for 700 UDX. It costs 600 UDX for a small coffee producer, who can’t afford an expensive diesel powered processor, to contract out the coffee processing, thus netting no profit. Providing a local farmer with a UNS could potentially increase their profits seven fold. 5.5.3 Agricultural Engineering and Appropriate Technology Research Institute Visit On August 14th, Lee and other EWB members visited the Agricultural Engineering and Appropriate Technology Institute (AEATRI) north of Kampala. AEATRI is a government institute that is a part of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) specializes in the testing and creation of agricultural appropriate technologies. Engineers at AEATRI showed the EWB members a number of appropriate technologies. Especially of 5.5.4). A fan creates an airflow that winnows the peanut shells away from the peanuts as they drop into the green bucket.
Figure 5.5.3: A diesel powered peanut sheller.
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Figure 5.5.4: The rocker style sheller, a mechanically powered alternative to the peanut sheller.
Later, on August 19th, Lee Pearson brought a UNS machine to the AEATRI for the organization to keep. AEATRI agreed to test the UNS head to head against the rocker style sheller at a later date. Further, Lee bought a rocker style sheller to bring back to the United State for further testing.
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6.0 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS This section is to outline some future considerations such as DukeEngage, internet service, maintenance of the system, a business plan for the RASD resource center, and specific project ideas to be worked on for RASD. 6.1 DukeEngage Partnership DukeEngage is a multimillion dollar program instituted in 2007 to fund civic engagement opportunities for all Duke Students in their community, across the nation, and internationally. Selected students will spend at least 8-weeks with a specific project focus. They ran a pilot in the summer of 2007 and will be expanding the program in the summer of 2008 and need more project ideas. The team met with Eric Mlyn, the director of DukeEngage, to discuss the RASD project before the trip June 1st 2007 and how it can become part of the DukeEngage model. Mlyn was very excited about this opportunity to bring students to RASD as a site to test technology in the third world setting. A post trip meeting is scheduled for September 24th 2007. For more information on DukeEngage, visit www.dukeengage.duke.edu. 6.2 Internet Service Provider The computers are ideal for connecting to the internet for communication and virtually unlimited resources. Internet service is a very high priority and goal of the project. The team discussed the nature and need for internet in Nkokonjeru and Ignatius and John agreed that it would be worthwhile to pool resources and install it at RASD. So, when a provider such as MTN becomes available in area, RASD will likely buy a subscription and figure out a model to make it sustainable. The most important thing is the demand is clearly evident in Nkokonjeru and will be addressed in the future internally at RASD if not by a student project such as DukeEngage. 6.3 Maintenance of the System The local providers of the systems installed make maintenance fairly easy to control. Linux Solutions is based in Kampala and can come to Nkokonjeru if needed to troubleshoot any products. While internet is not available in the area, it is available in Kampala at a café. Duke can email fixes to software issues or files and the USB flash-drives can transfer data to and from RASD. Also, calling a cell phone in Uganda is free from the incoming end and cheap for the US with a calling card. One of the reasons the team purchased an extra computer from Inveneo was to serve as a link with RASD for tech support. If internet is not available, someone at RASD can always call Duke to get support on the system and software issues. The solar panel system is maintained by the power company, which has been sub-contracted by Linux Solutions; however, the team doesn’t expect them to have any problems for some time because solar panels systems have lasted decades and the solar battery should last years if maintained properly. Finally, the training sessions on the systems should have taught RASD basic methods to keep the system running with little trouble and they know who to contact in the event of an issue. 6.4 Project Ideas from Trip With two of the buildings constructed for the RASD resource center, there are now many opportunities for future products. Some of the most promising projects include:
1. ISP – a student could work with the RASD project manager to negotiate pricing and availability of an internet service provider that could work at the RASD resource center. Much research has been done already in this area, but it was not available this last August. Discussions with RASD leadership revealed that the marginal cost of getting internet at the center was almost the same as the money they spend currently on transportation to Kampala and internet café fees. The difference in cost could be offset by setting up the first internet café in Nkokonjeru Town Council and running the center part time as a business to fund operational costs and future projects.
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2. Improving the Universal Nut Sheller to specialize in coffee husking – While the nut sheller worked on de-pulping coffee, the efficiency could be improved. The sheller could be made to be stronger, lighter, and have a lower fall through rate of beans that do not get de-pulped. Research could also be done into making the sheller molds out of alternatives to the current fiber glass technology which is the most expensive part of the process currently.
3. Coffee Nursery – The Mukono District is a prime growing location for coffee and currently that is the main agricultural product. The coffee research center we visited has developed strains of coffee that produce higher yields and are resistant to coffee wilt (a disease which has devastated many coffee crops in the district). A student could work with the research center and with RASD to coordinate distribution and testing of new strains. The coffee research center is very selective about who they give seedlings out to and with partners from the United States working with RASD, they will have the credibility (dubiously deserved) to negotiate with the research center. Many poor farmers who cannot afford seedlings could then work with RASD to sign up for a payment plan over the course of several seasons to pay off the initial investment they were given in seedlings. The farmers could attend RASD courses to make sure they grow their crops properly and maintain quality. This would also provide a supply of coffee which the RASD center could shell and potentially get to export quality.
Other projects discussed with RASD include: • Finishing the Resource Center Construction • Construction seminars and wood shop • Welding and machine shop • Roofing • Carpentry • Sewing machines and seamstress training • Furniture making • Finishing the RASD website • Developing a rugged projector system for presentations in rural areas
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Appendix 1: Total Team Budget
Item Description Seller Model # Quantity Cost Round Trip Plane Tickets from US-
VAT taxes on Printer Inveneo - 1 $104 Bank Transfer Fees Inveneo - - $235
Solar Power Solution Linux Solutions See below - - Kyocera 54W Solar Panel Linux Solutions KC-50T 3 $1,185
Ultra Power SLA 100AH Solar Battery
Linux Solutions RA12-100DG 1 $210
Battery Cables Linux Solutions - 2 $20 Ultra Power DC-AC Inverter Linux Solutions - 1 $102
15A Steca Solar Charge Controller Linux Solutions PR1515 1 $153 11W DC ESL Linux Solutions - 2 $24
Frame Linux Solutions - 1 $55 Surge Protection Dehn 75 Linux Solutions - 1 $80
IP 65 Box Linux Solutions - 1 $95 Transport/ Out of Pocket Linux Solutions - 1 $62 Power Equipment Labor Linux Solutions - 1 $155
VAT on Power Equipment Linux Solutions - 1 $137 Wiring for Solar Power Package Linux Solutions - 1 $239
Deployment Costs Linux Solutions - - $800 Total $13,269
*Please note that this value is an approximation based on the cost of the necessary vaccinations (yellow fever, polio, hepatitis A, and typhoid) from the travel clinic. Other medications needed
were for malaria and traveler’s dysentery.
The team was also given a $500 per person travel advance and a per diem by Duke University for travelling expenses such as food and lodging. This excludes personal travel effects.
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Appendix 2: Trip Budget
Date Item Price (UGX) Price US$
Tom's Records Follow: 9/30/07 Concrete Mold Shipping 0.00 0.00
8/1/07 Phone + Sim card + 10k air 92,000.00 55.76 Watter, Food for a week 60,750.00 36.82 Water, Food for a week (2) 90,980.00 55.14 Private Hire for tip to RASD 150,000.00 90.91 Visa Tom 82,500.00 50.00 Visa Scott 82,500.00 50.00 Visa Lee 82,500.00 50.00 Exchange 0.00 0.00 Exchange 0.00 0.00 Exchange 0.00 0.00 Dinner 1st night w/ Ignatius, John 75,000.00 45.45
8/3/07 Market, food stuffs 8,200.00 4.97 Market, food stuffs 2,600.00 1.58 Market, food stuffs 6,500.00 3.94 Glue 700.00 0.42 Welding solar frame 3,500.00 2.12 Soda 2,000.00 1.21 Gas for welding trip 6,000.00 3.64
8/4/07 Air Time 40,000.00 24.24 8/5/07 Charcoal 4,000.00 2.42 8/6/07 Potatoes 2,400.00 1.45
Sim Card and Air Time 28,000.00 16.97 Gas for 2 bikes 5,000.00 3.03 Oil for 2 bikes 1,200.00 0.73 Chez Johnson Hotel (Kampala) 59,000.00 35.76 Dinner at Chez Johnson 45,000.00 27.27 Antibiotics 2,500.00 1.52
8/7/07 Boda Boda Hotel -> IHK 1,500.00 0.91 Taxi IHK-> Barklays -> IHK 6,000.00 3.64 Exchange 0.00 0.00 Scott's Surgery 0.00 0.00 Snaks at IHK 2,100.00 1.27 Lunch at IHK 5,200.00 3.15 Snacks at IHK 7,300.00 4.42 Taxi from IHK - Kampala 9,000.00 5.45 Pharmacy Supplies 9,500.00 5.76 Computer Supplies 41,000.00 24.85 Lunch in Kampala 6,000.00 3.64 Phone 69,000.00 41.82 Sim Card 3,000.00 1.82 Public Means, Kampala -> Nkoko 4,000.00 2.42 Air Time 10,000.00 6.06
8/8/07 Private Hire from Thelma's to Airport 100,000.00 60.61
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Scott Leaving system 0.00 0.00 Cooking Oil 2,700.00 1.64 Private Cook (7 days) 35,000.00 21.21 Room Rental at Convent (8 days) 56,000.00 33.94 Air Time 20,000.00 12.12 Taxi Kampala - Nkoko 4,000.00 2.42 Gas for Boda Boda (2) 10,000.00 6.06 Boda Boda Rental 10,000.00 6.06 Lunch 6,000.00 3.64 t-shirt (lee) 0.00 0.00 Multimeter 10,000.00 6.06 Notebooks 1,000.00 0.61
8/13/07 breakfast 4,500.00 2.73 taxi 20,000.00 12.12 coffee, 1000 cups 5,000.00 3.03 taxi to AETRI 25,000.00 15.15 cap for washout 7,600.00 4.61 taxi back from AETRI 40,000.00 24.24 dinner 10,000.00 6.06 chips at BP 2,000.00 1.21 internet 1,000.00 0.61
shirt at craft market 20,000.00 12.12 taxi to 1000 cups 10,000.00 6.06 taxi to meet NW kids 10,000.00 6.06 taxi back to BP 12,000.00 7.27 breakfast at BP 3,500.00 2.12 minutes 20,000.00 12.12
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taxi to Nando's 10,000.00 6.06 dinner 10,000.00 6.06 taxi back to BP 10,000.00 6.06
8/15/07 taxi to Jinja hotel 5,000.00 3.03 dinner 15,000.00 9.09 taxi 5,000.00 3.03 taxi dinner and back 3,000.00 1.82
8/16/07 room in Jinja 30,000.00 18.18 bus rental all day 125,000.00 75.76 univeral nut sheller 150,000.00 90.91 breakfast 5,000.00 3.03
Item Qty Price ATL 4 DVD SET __1__ X $276.50 = $ _276.50__
Subtotal $ _276.50_ Weight = .4 lbs. per CD/DVD 2.5 lbs. for complete library on CD
Total Weight ________lbs
Calculate Freight * Priority: $5 for first pound; $2 for each additional pound. * International: $10 for first lb; $5 for each additional pound. * Go to www.usps.com for more accurate rates.
Subtotal $ _________
Freight $ _________
TOTAL $ _________
Payment Information
Visa Mastercard Check Wire transfer Name on Card:
CC#:
Expiration Date:
For Office Use Only
__DC___ Initials of person processing order AP#___________ REF#____ ______________
Date Processed ____/____/_________ (IF PAYING BY CHECK, DO NOT SHIP ORDERS UNTILL CHECK IS CLEARED BY BANK) ________ Initials of person creating & printing invoice
Date Shipped ____/____/_________ Shipping Method ___________________
_______ Shipment entered into log
_______ Initials of person shipping
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Appendix 5: Contacts Duke Smart Home: Scott Steinberg [email protected] (908) 477-4444 Team leader Tom Rose [email protected] (919) 660-0020 Team member 305 Teer Box 90271 Pratt School of Engineering: Michael Gunter [email protected] (919) 660-5317 Advisor and Travel Expert 1454B Fitzpatrick Center (FCIEMAS) Marianne Hassan [email protected] (919) 660-5142 Emergency and Safety Contact 3383 Fitzpatrick Center (FCIEMAS) Rebecca Dupre [email protected] (919) 660-5401 Insurance and Flight Contact 121 Hudson Hall William (Corky) Safley [email protected] (919) 660-8452 Linux Advisor 1428A Fitzpatrick Center (FCIEMAS) Ron Stubbs [email protected] (919) 660-5339 Linux Advisor 1454A Fitzpatrick Center (FCIEMAS) Engineers Without Borders(EWB): Will Patrick [email protected] (919) 662-5123 EWB RASD Team leader Lee Pearson [email protected] (509) 868-6494 EWB RASD Team member Dr. David Schaad [email protected] (919) 660-5174 Advising Professor 126 Hudson Hall Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD): Ignatius Bwoogi [email protected] (256)0772-923712 RASD Director Nkokonjeru, Uganda John Ssemogere [email protected] (256) 0772-885049 Project Manager Nkokonjeru, Uganda Inveneo: Denee Clark [email protected] (703) 421-1758 Inveneo Representative Linux Solutions: Wire James [email protected] (256)712-726609 Director – Sales Representative Kampala, Uganda
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DukeEngage: Eric Mlyn [email protected] (919) 668-1724 Director of Duke Engage Travelust African Safaris: James Kateeba [email protected] (256)0772-419238 Sales Representative Kampala, Uganda Tulane University: Crystal Watley [email protected] (504) 338-3553 Visiting Interested New Orleans, USA
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Appendix 6: Solar System Calculations PVWATTS: A Performance Calculator for Grid-Connected PV Systems is an excellent online tool for calculating the value of a solar system across the globe. They are a member of the Renewable Resource Data Center and use real weather and solar data to factor efficiencies and estimations for systems throughout the year. The team used version 1 because it is the international version. It can be found at: http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/codes_algs/PVWATTS/version1/. See the values entered below into the program on the left hand column. Note that the location is in Kenya simply because Uganda doesn’t exist. However, Kakamega is at similar latitudes and has similar weather patterns to Nkokonjeru, Uganda. Also, notice how the DC Rating is 10 times what it should be for our system. PVWATTS is meant to handle larger grids and .162 kW was too small of a value for the program so the calculations that are located on the right hand column under Results will be scaled by a factor of 10.
The results from PVWATTS indicate that the highest month of solar radiation will be the month of January. This makes sense because those are the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, because Uganda is so close to the equator, it receives a strong dose of solar radiation throughout the year. In fact, the team will only need to tilt the solar panels at an angle of 0.3 degrees to maximize the systems photovoltaic efficiency.
