WHITE PaPER

Solar Power for PC

Deployments

Solar Power for PC Deployments:

Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

Technology for converting solar energy to electricity was first introduced over 130 years
ago, and it has been used to power PCs for more than 20 years. However, until recently
it has been prohibitively expensive to use solar energy to power PCs in areas where
the electric grid is not available: energy-hungry PCs simply put too much demand on the
limited generation capabilities of the solar panels. Yet even as computers have become
much more energy efficient in recent years, many people still perceive solar energy as
being too expensive for PC deployments.

In this paper we will explain the technological changes that have made solar power
cost feasible for PC deployments, and provide an overview of how to design for a solar
powered PC deployment. The objective of this paper is not to replace the need for an
experienced solar installer; rather, it is to provide basic knowledge to help the reader
prepare a budget for a solar deployment, and to be able to effectively communicate the
requirements to an installer.

Introduction
World production of photovoltaic panels has increased by several orders of magnitude in
the past decade, reducing their cost by nearly 50% over the last ten years.1 However,
the primary reason that solar power has become feasible for PC deployments is the
dramatic reduction in power consumption of modern, energy efficient PCs.

A few years ago, a typical desktop PC using a processor such as the Intel® Pentium®
4 Processor 2.8Ghz supporting Hyper-Threading technology consumed about 80W
to 100W. A 15” CRT monitor consumed an additional 70W to 100W, so a complete PC
desktop system used 150W to 200W.

By comparison, a modern netbook based on an Intel® Atom processor with a 10” screen
consumes just 12W to 15W total. A laptop using an Intel® Celeron® M ultra low voltage
(ULV) processor with a larger 13” wide screen display can consume as little as 20W to
25W. New power-efficient desktop designs offer similar improvements: the Inveneo*
Computing station, for example, is based on the Intel® Atom™ processor D410 and
consumes about 15W. Coupled with the Inveneo* energy efficient LCD display, the entire
system consumes only about 22W.

Thus, a modern PC can provide a rich experience while consuming 90% less power of a
typical desktop system of just a few years ago.

This is significant for solar deployments, whose cost increases linearly with the amount
of electrical power required. In other words, doubling the amount of energy required in a
day nearly doubles the cost of the necessary solar equipment.

Conversely, reducing the daily energy requirement by 60% will reduce the cost of the
solar equipment needed by nearly 60%. Every watt of energy that that PCs don’t use
leads to significant reductions in the cost of solar equipment. Combined with the rise
Bernd Nordhausen of energy efficient PCs, this means that organisations can now roll out more PCs with a
Intel Corporation smaller investment in solar power generation than ever before.
Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

Table of Contents Powering PCs Where There Is No Power

When energy efficient ICT equipment is paired with appropriate solar panels, PCs and
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
related devices can be introduced into areas where unreliable or non-existent power
Powering PCs Where There Is No supplies have previously limited access to technology. In many cases, this means remote
Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 villages in developing countries are now able to access community amenities and life-
How a Solar Panel System Works. . . 3 enhancing benefits such as rural health care clinics, communal telecenters, and school PC
laboratories.
Solar Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A common application of solar power is that of supplying electricity for rural school
Designing a power efficient
PC labs. This was the goal at Tenua High School, a semi government high school in
solar deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Netrokona, Bangladesh – about five to six hours’ drive from the capital, Dhaka. The co-
Solar Insolation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 educational school has around 360 students that come from the surrounding community
Panel Ratings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 – which, like the school, has no access to electricity.

Design Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Even though fewer than 5% of the students had ever touched a PC, all of them are fully
aware that ICT literacy is important for their futures. However, without appropriate
Load Calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
infrastructure and resources, it was impossible for the school to provide training to
System Sizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 develop those skills.
Solar Panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 To bring them the technology they needed, Intel teamed up with PowerCom, a local solar
Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 system installer, to design an extremely power efficient solar PC lab. Four solar panels
were installed, providing sufficient energy to power 10 Intel® powered classmate PCs for
System Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
an average of five hours per day. In addition, energy efficient lights provide an electric
Deployment Considerations. . . . . . . . 7 light source after dark.
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 D.Net, a local NGO that operates the school, provided in-depth ICT training to two
teachers so they could train the students effectively. The impact was nearly immediate,
with the principal reporting an increase in student attendance and enrolment: making ICT
available to students boosted their desire to learn.

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 Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

How a Solar Panel System Works pre-determined level, it disconnects the (AC) wall socket, they incorporate a power
“load” to preserve the life of the battery. supply to convert AC to DC for use inside
It may surprise many people that a few
Commonly, the controller also protects the device. Such devices – as well as
solar panels can provide enough power
against faults such as reverse connections devices designed for direct DC connection,
to support ICT-enhanced educational
of panels, battery or load equipment. such as the Inveneo* Computing Station
opportunities for an entire school.
– can run directly on 12 Volt DC power.
Although solar energy solutions may seem Energy is stored in deep cycle batteries,
Where other equipment requires AC
high-tech and complicated, the solution which look like ordinary batteries found
power, an inverter converts DC into AC.
is relatively simple and does not involve in automobiles. However, there are
many components. Figure 1 shows the important differences: whereas an Solar Components
schematic diagram of a typical solar automotive or ‘starter’ battery provides
Figure 2 shows the components of a
deployment. an occasional short powerful burst of
typical solar deployment powering a
energy to start a car, deep cycle batteries
Solar panels (also called photovoltaic single netbook. In this photo, the netbook
are designed to provide constant power
panels) utilize the chemical properties of is powered through the inverter, which
over a long period of time, discharging and
specially-prepared silicon to capture the draws its energy from the deep cycle
recharging every day.
energy from sunlight and convert it into battery. The inverter is connected
electricity. The panels are connected to a Electrical equipment, often referred to via a small charge controller that sits
deep-cycle battery via a charge controller, as “load”, is connected via the charge between the battery and solar panel
whose main function is to regulate the controller to the deep cycle battery. for load protection. Large off-grid
power flowing from the solar panels into Photovoltaic panels produce direct deployments work similarly to this very
the battery. current (DC) and batteries store DC, so the small deployment, but use larger and
generated power can be fed directly into multiple solar panels, batteries and charge
The charge controller prevents
the batteries without conversion. controllers.
overcharging of the battery: once the
battery is fully charged, the controller Use of DC also makes solar power
prevents further charging as this would particularly appropriate for high-tech
damage the battery. It also generally equipment, since this is what PCs use for
contains a low-charge disconnect. If the their internal operations. Even where PCs
charge of the battery drops below a are plugged into an alternating current

DC Load

Charge
Solar Panel DC Controller DC

DC Inverter

AC
Deep Cycle
Battery
AC Load

Figure 1. A general solar panel setup uses the charge controller to ensure optimal
charging of a deep-cycle battery.

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Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

Designing a power efficient solar There are many resources available on

deployment the Web which list the solar insolation
In order to design a solar system it is values for different areas; experienced
important to have a basic understanding solar installers will be well aware of solar
of the physics behind photovoltaic and insolation factors in your area.2
batteries.
Panel Ratings
Solar Insolation Solar panels are rated in terms of watt-
The amount of solar radiation energy peak (Wpeak), which represents the amount
reaching the earth is known as solar of electrical power the panel produces
insolation and is commonly expressed under standardized conditions. The actual
in kilowatt hours per square meter per amount of power produced by a solar
day (kWh/m2/day). It varies by location panel per day depends on factors like
and the time of year: for example, solar the duration of sunlight during the day,
insolation is much higher in desert regions position and angle of the panels towards
around the equator than in Northern the sun, cloud cover, and others affecting
Europe. Figure 3 shows a high-level map of the intensity and quality of available light.
solar insolation values around the world.

Charge Deep Cycle

Solar Panel Controller Battery Inverter

Figure 2. Components of
a solar panel system.

Figure 3. High-level map

of solar insolation values
around the world.
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 Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

To approximate the total output per day in terms of Wh (Watt hours), we multiply
the solar panel’s rating by the solar insolation value. For example, Bangladesh has an
insolation value of about 4.5 kWh/m2/day3, so a 75 Wpeak panel produces about 75 Wpeak x
4.5 hours = 337Wh per day.
However, the rating is derived from standardized peak tests and in practice is lower
due to a range of “loss factors” including temperature (higher temperatures degrade
performance); the angle of the panel to the sun; dust (on the panels and in the air); aging
of the panels (as solar panels age, their output degrades slightly), and more.
It is beyond the scope of this paper to go into the details of these loss factors which
individually range from 3% to 10% or more. Added up, the total loss factor for solar
panels can reach 40% and more. Thus, the actual efficiency of the solar panels in real
conditions can vary from 55% to 75%. That means, assuming an efficiency of 60%, a
75 Wpeak panel that under standardized conditions produces 337Wh per day (using solar
insolation value of 4.5), actually produces only 337Wh * 60% or about 200Wh per day.

Loss factors must be compensated for when determining the appropriate capacity of a
solar power system. Experienced solar installers can advise on applicable loss factors for
a particular area.

Design Steps
There are three-main steps in designing a solar deployment: load calculation, system
sizing and system design.

In designing a system, we have the most influence on the load; therefore, the following
presents the process of providing a load estimate that can be used to approximate
a total budget. It is by no means sufficient to accurately design a system. The actual
system sizing and design are best left to a solar installer that has knowledge of the local
conditions and availability of equipment. In this paper, we have made simplifications, and
only highlight some of the important factors that influence the design; system installers
may take different approaches in their calculations.

Load Calculation
The first step in the design of the solar deployment is to calculate how much energy
your deployment requires. This is the sum of all the items that require energy, how
much energy each item consumes, and how long they operate per day. For example, the
school in Netrokona wanted to operate ten PCs for six hours per day. As they wanted to
operate the lab after darkness, they also wanted to be able to operate a few lights for
two hours per day.

The load calculation for the lab is shown in Table 1.

To minimize power consumption, we chose energy efficient netbooks which on average

consume about 15W, and for lights, chose 7W compact fluorescent lights. Thus, the total
required load was calculated as 942 Wh per day as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Load calculation for the Netrokana PC lab

watts Number of hours Watt hours

Load per uinit units per day per day

Netbook 15 10 6 900

Lights 7 3 2 42

Total Load 942

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Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

System Sizing days must be balanced against the cost

There are two main factors in system of the system. For this lab, we deemed
size: the required capacity of the solar 1½ days to be sufficient to reduce the
panels and the batteries. Once the overall cost of the system.
energy requirement per day is known, The capacity of batteries is rated in
we can then proceed to calculate the ampere-hours (Ah). For example, a
size of the system. 12-volt, 120Ah battery has a total
capacity of 1,440 Wh.4 However, to
Solar Panels
preserve the life of a battery5 it is
Once we know the daily energy advisable to discharge the battery
requirement, the solar insolation factor to no more than 30% to 50% of its
for the area that we want to deploy, total capacity. This is known as “depth
and the efficiency factor, it is a straight of discharge.” If we want to limit the
forward calculation to determine the battery to a depth of discharge of 50%,
required capacity of the solar panels we have to treat the actual capacity of
in Wpeak. a battery as half of its rated capacity.
In this deployment we used a solar Thus, to have 1½ days of backup, the
insolation factor of 4.5 for Bangladesh. calculation becomes
Based on the recommendation of an 942 (Wh) / 50% (Depth of Discharge) *
experienced solar system installer, we 1.5 (Backup Days) = 2,826Wh
used an efficiency factor of 60% to
accommodate for temperature, dust, Thus, we require 2,826Wh of
aging, etc. Thus, we need to divide backup storage or a battery capacity
the power requirement (942 Wh) by (assuming 12V batteries) of at least
the efficiency factor (60%) and divide 2,826Wh/12V = 235Ah.
the result by the solar insolation value
(4.5) to derive the required peak panel System Design
capacity Once you know the system
requirements in terms of solar panel
942Wh / 60% / 4.5 = 348 Wpeak and battery capacity, you can then
Therefore, we require a minimum of design the actual system. This consists
348 Wpeak panel capacity. of deciding the size and quantity of
solar panels and the batteries. Several
Battery factors influence this decision, such as
The second step is to determine local availability and price.
the battery capacity. As mentioned Solar panels come in varying sizes and
previously, the power to operate all ratings. In our example, we require
equipment is actually drawn from 348 Wpeak of panel capacity. This can
the batteries, not directly from the be satisfied by four 100 Wpeak panels,
solar panels. In addition, batteries or by six 60 Wpeak panels. Similar, the
store energy and provide continuous battery capacity of 235 Ah can be met
operating hours when the sun is not by connecting two 120Ah batteries.
shining.
As these systems involve electrical
The main factor to take into equipment that can be potentially
consideration when sizing batteries dangerous, the involvement of an
is the number of “backup days” – that experienced solar installer and
is, the number of days the system can electrician is a must. An experienced
operate without having any electricity system installer will also advise on the
generated by the solar panels. In many number and size of charge controllers,
installations, three days’ backup is wiring sizes, circuit breakers, and other
used. However, the number of backup components.

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 Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

Deployment Considerations
It is also important to design a system that is balanced. For example, the size of the Solar Information Boat
batteries has to be in line with the capacity of the solar panels. Chronic under- or over- Roads are few and watercrafts are
charging will damage the batteries and shorten their life time considerably. the main means of transportation
in northern Bangladesh, where
There are additional factors to consider for the actual deployments most associated
Care* Bangladesh has operated
with on the ground local conditions. These include whether to operate an all DC or AC
four “information boats” for more
system, the system voltage, the size and number of the charge controller, and so on. In
than a year. The information boats
some locations, solar panels also make inviting targets for theft, so security must also
are floating telecenters and offer
be considered. As mentioned, it is best to leave the actual design and installation to an
critical ICT services that were
experienced solar installer.
previously not easily available.
The “Solar Power for PC Deployments: A Deployment Guide” paper by Inveneo This includes digital photo services
discusses these considerations and other factors that can assist solar installers to with instant printing, video phone
optimize their systems and support large numbers of PCs in remote areas. service via Skype*, ICT training,
and TV viewing. All of the services
Summary are offered at affordable rates and
Dramatic energy efficiency improvements in PC systems have enabled the use of provide an income to the operator.
solar power to support deployments of large numbers of PCs in areas that are not
Initially, electrical power for the
connected to the electrical grid. With modern PCs consuming as little as one-tenth the
services was provided by a small
electrical power as systems of a few years ago, it is now more practical than ever for
petrol driven generator. However,
remote schools, community organizations, health centres and other institutions to
this proved to be restrictive due to
bring computing capabilities and connectivity to the people who will benefit the most.
the high cost and limited availability
By considering real requirements and matching them with the right solar power system
of fuel. This caused the information
configuration, it is now possible to deliver clean, solar power at quite a reasonable cost.
boats to operate for only one or
two hours per day, which severely
limited the amount of revenue they
could generate for their operators.

Together with Care, Intel designed

and implemented a solar power
generation system for two of the
information boats. This consisted of
mounting four 100Wpeak solar panels
on the roof of the boat, which
charged four 160 Ah batteries.
Furthermore, the facilities in the
boat were expanded by adding
three power efficient netbooks.

Investing in the new system has

created numerous benefits for
the entrepreneur running the
boats. After several months of
operation using solar energy,
revenues increased by 30% due
to longer operating hours. In
addition, operating expenses have
been reduced by over US$75 per
month as fuel does not have to
be purchased. With the increase
in revenue, and the decrease in
operating expenses, it is estimated
that the solar installation will pay
for itself in about 30 months.

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 Solar Power for PC Deployments:
Enabling ICT Beyond the Grid

Rural Solar PC Lab (Mindanao)

The Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE*) Program has
provided clean and renewable energy to hundreds of communities and households
in Mindanao, Philippines for years. This includes providing electrical power for
schools to power a TV for long distance learning using a DVD player or satellite
TV. However, the program did not include PCs, which would make for more
interactive and richer learning environment.

Intel teamed up with Amore to design a power efficient solar PC lab for
Mindanao’s Marilog Central Elementary School. Using five Intel® Atom™ processor
based netbooks, one ultra low voltage laptop and a 3G Wi-Fi router for local
Internet access along with energy efficient lights, they designed a PC lab that
consumes only 900 to 1,100 Wh per day. Two 210Wpeak solar panels, combined
with three 100Ah batteries, provide enough energy to power the lab for four to
six hours per day.

The authors would like to thank Bob Marsh from Inveneo, and Samuel Baybay and Dave
Balleza from Amore (Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy Program) for their
valuable input into the creation of this document.

1 www.solarbuzz.com/ModulePrices.htm
2 The Surface meteorology and Solar Energy website at http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/sse/sse.cgi?+s01#s01 provides a wealth of data.
3 As insolation values vary over the year, it is common practice to employ insolation conservatively by using the lowest monthly value.
4 Ohm’s law states Power (Watts) = Voltage (Volts) x Amperage (Amperes)
5 The life span of a deep cycle battery varies from 1 -5 years. One of the biggest factors in prolonging battery life span is to limit the depth of the discharge i.e. the amount of power drawn
from the batteries each day.
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