Electricity energy management

Most humanitarian interventions – especially those undertaken during emergencies – occur in remote or vulnerable communities with poor availability and/or limited reliability of the public electricity grid. To run business, humanitarian organizations’ buildings are often equipped with at least one independent power source, either as a backup in the event of a grid failure or as the main method of producing electricity. Standalone power supplies include batteries, generators and solar-powered electrical equipment.

Purchasing, installing and operating this equipment requires significant investments that can be minimized through proper sizing and energy demand management. Electricity is not cheap, and running a generator can be very expensive. Energy production also has an environmental impact and has the potential to harm the perception of organizations.

It is often possible to reduce electricity consumption without compromising service quality by improving energy management, focusing on reducing demand and choosing the right source.

• Energy Demand Management : Reduce energy consumption to a minimum without reducing service quality and avoid unnecessary energy consumption.
• Power supply management : Select the best primary and backup power sources depending on the situation, appropriately sizing to optimize investment and operating costs.

To manage both supply and demand, proper diagnostics is required to understand the capacity and energy needs of the installation. Continuous diagnostics will be necessary at every step of the energy management process, mainly for the following reasons:

• To calculate the total power and capacity needs of the planned operating environment and help determine the size of power sources (generator, solar or other).
• To identify devices and services that represent a significant portion of total energy and capacity needs.
• To understand the variation in capacity and energy needs within a single day and identify peak periods.

A complete diagnosis may also be useful for reporting, auditing and/or monograph purposes.

Adapted from ACF

Energy demand management

It’s common to use electricity for granted, but energy always has its own cost. To optimize the way energy is used, avoid unnecessary consumption and reduce essential needs without affecting the quality of service. It is important to think about the service rather than the devices, and try to find the most effective solutions to accomplish the required service.

Using the power diagnostic, please do the following:

• Identify high-impact services  to understand which services have a significant impact on energy, energy consumption, and when peak periods occur.
• Examine potential alternatives  – work tools, refrigerators and lighting are obvious consumers of electricity and difficult to avoid. Other energy consumption appliances offer other capabilities, such as water heaters and stoves. Consider possible solutions according to feasibility, initial cost, energy consumption, operating cost and service quality.
• Reduce losses and increase efficiency  by choosing efficient and appropriately sized devices depending on the purpose and number of users, and using them in a way that maximizes their efficiency, such as cleaning and maintaining equipment and devices to increase their efficiency.
• Reduce unnecessary use  by turning off and unplugging devices when not in use. It may be necessary to display posters or flyers to remind users.
• Optimize consumption over time,  identify peak periods and, if possible, avoid or postpone use of more powerful devices during peak periods or when running on battery/solar backup systems. Identify powerful devices whose use can be postponed, such as those used for convenient or non-urgent tasks, and highlight those used for work, security and communications.

Power supply management

The correct choice of main and backup power supply will have a significant impact not only on cost savings, but also in the way energy consumption is optimized. The selected group must be able to:

• Provide sufficient power for installation.
• Ensure 24/7 electricity is available in the building if possible.
• Ensure minimum quality (limited voltage drop or frequency fluctuations).
• Reduce costs.
• Operate and work safely.
• Try to keep the impact on the local environment as low as possible, including reducing smoking, vibration and noise at night, ensuring good working and living conditions and preventing neighborhood conflict.
• Try to reduce your global environmental impact.

The decision on the type of mains power supply will depend mainly on whether the building is connected to the public electricity grid. Connecting to a public network is ideal where available and should be the first option if possible. If there is no network, or the network is unreliable, the use of a generator will be considered.

A backup system or generator may be required and will be necessary if the grid is at risk of a power outage, or when redundancy of the electrical system is required as an essential safety measure.

There are multiple backup system options, including batteries, solar generators, or smaller generators. There are other things to consider when choosing a backup system, including what the primary source is and how reliable it is.

Purchasing a generator may be inexpensive, but generators require fuel and maintenance and operating costs can be very high. Conversely, battery and solar systems require large investments but have very low operating costs. Initial and operating costs must be considered when choosing a power source.

Estimated operating costs:

Main, reserve and potential groups

Public network + generator

In many contexts, the main energy source is electricity provided by the local energy company. A backup system is a generator that must be able to cover all of the installation’s electrical needs, except for appliances marked as non-essential.

Advantages	Defects
Simple and cheap Available locally Limited harassment	Power outages occur for short periods and the generator must be started when the grid fails Uninterruptible power supplies and/or regulator required Fuel supply and stock are required Maintenance is required for the generator even if it is rarely used
It is recommended in the following cases
A building connected to a public network with unexpected long outages A building connected to a public electricity network in a deteriorating security context A building connected to a public electricity network and used for a limited period Emergency backup system when needed

Generator + generator

In a generator-only configuration, electricity is provided by two or more generators. To use two generators:

• Both generators can be identical or capable of producing the same amount of power, and they can be used interchangeably and following a detailed usage plan.
• One generator can be smaller than the other, and used only as a backup system. If there are two generators with different power outputs, the smaller unit will not be able to fully cover the electricity needs in the course of operation, and may need to be specially wired to power only essential items.

Advantages	Defects
Well known technology Available locally Limited initial costs	Constant noise and maintenance hassle High operating cost Short power outage due to generator replacement Uninterruptible power supplies and/or regulator required Fuel supply and stock are required Limited reliability and frequent maintenance It is time consuming to administer
It is recommended in the following cases
An insulated building requires high energy An isolated building used for a limited period Emergency backup system when needed

Network + batteries

In this configuration, the main power source is electricity provided by the local power company, while the backup system is a battery system that provides limited autonomy to the installation in the event of a power outage.

Advantages	Defects
Electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without interruption or partial interruption High reliability Good electricity quality Easy to add solar power supply Limited harassment	It depends on the network Local purchases and maintenance are not always possible Battery room required Higher initial cost than a generator A backup generator may still be necessary The limited lifespan of batteries (2 to 5 years) and the potential environmental impact of disposal
It is recommended in the following cases
A building connected to a public grid with short, frequent power outages A building connected to a public grid with nightly power outages The first step towards installing a solar system

Electricity generator + batteries

In this configuration, the main power source is a generator that provides electricity during peak hours. A backup system is a battery system that collects electricity when the generator is running and supplies the installation during low consumption hours.

Advantages	Defects
Electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without interruption or partial interruption There is no harm during low consumption hours Good electricity quality Better reliability and lifespan of the generator More flexibility in energy consumption Easy to add solar power supply	Fuel supply and stock are required The minimum daily operating time of the generator to recharge the batteries Local purchase and maintenance may not be available Battery room required Higher initial cost than the generator alone A backup generator may still be necessary The limited lifespan of batteries (2 to 5 years) and the potential environmental impact of disposal
It is recommended in the following cases
Isolated office or complex The first step towards installing a solar system

Public grid or generator + solar energy

In this configuration, electricity is provided by the main source – the grid or generator – during peak hours and by the solar system during the day. The battery system collects electricity from all sources and provides supply to the installation when it is turned off.

Advantages	Defects
Such as “grid/generator + battery” Less harassment Fuel saving, best long-term cost/efficiency ratio for insulated buildings Highly reliable backup power supply	It may require some time to be installed. Local purchase and maintenance may not be available A battery room and a large open deck are required High initial cost The limited lifespan of batteries (2 to 5 years) and the potential environmental impact of disposal
It is recommended in the following cases
Isolated guest house Insulated building with limited energy needs An isolated building in an area where fuel supply is difficult to obtain and/or expensive Buildings where the security context dictates a fully reliable and autonomous backup power supply, such as places with potential requirements for hibernation.