Solar Energy Project in East Timor-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Solar Energy Project in East Timor. Answer: Introduction ATA stands for Alternate Technology Associations. It is a nonprofit organization. It aims to make the most utilization of the alternative form of energy. This report focuses on a solar project by ATA in an underdeveloped country called East Timor. This report explains about the project execution plan of this solar energy project. Problem Statement The Alternate Technology Associations is a nonprofit organization. Its project in East Timor is a solar energy project. Solar energy is an alternative form of energy that is required in every place. It is a renewable energy. East Timor is the neighbor of Australia and it is an underdeveloped country. About thirty five per cent of the houses in East Timor do not have the supply of electricity ("MGT5IPM Introduction of the ATA and Its East Timor Project", 2017). This country does not have access to the national electricity grid. Project Execution Plan Project Objective The small scale solar project in East Timor aims at providing the houses at East Timor with solar electricity that is renewable in nature. The main project that they have worked for ten years is Village Lighting scheme that aims to supply clean solar powered basic electricity and lighting for the households that are located in the rural and remote areas and have no access to the national grid of electricity("MGT5IPM Business Case Planning", 2017). And now they are planning to expand it. Scope The scope of the Solar Energy project in East Timor is to provide solar electricity to at least 800, houses in the country. Training of around 30 to 40 technicians in the locality and set up village committees also fall under the scope of the project. Project Completion Time: 2 years Financial plan The financial worth of the project was 300,000 dollars from the year 2014 to 2016. Google Impact Challenge was the main fund providing source for this project. Previously ATA had relied on donations from the members and small donations from any other nonprofit organizations and groups ("The Alternative Technology Association ATA solar projects in East Timor", 2017). But Google had contributed the most in this project that helped ATA to successfully develop the solar energy project in East Timor. The East Timor Friendship groups had also played an important role in funding the solar energy project. Project Design Plan ATA had planned to design a solar system that was specific for the purpose of this project. It needed a lot of technical designing and developmental work. This was carried out by long term volunteers of ATA (Kerzner, 2013). These volunteers had electronics skills. A microbe controller in the system was developed that was extremely powerful in nature. This was very hard to get tampered. Project Management Methodology A systematic approach has been followed by ATA to carry out this solar energy project in East Timor. Their previous Lighting project had helped them to develop a good idea about the country (Burke, 2013). ATA had a partnership with a local organization that had helped them in the planning and execution of this solar energy project. The initial plan was to enhance the solar lighting scheme. The ATA team planned to work with the local communities in the village where they were planning to install the system. They had planned to set up a village committee that was responsible for the management of this project in that area (O'Connell, 2012). This village committee would be responsible for maintaining the solar system installed at every house and also for purchasing spare parts and repairing any broken part. In order to make this plan sustainable and successful, ATA trained local solar technicians in every village. These technicians were trained to install the system and regularly maintain the systems. They were also trained to repair the systems and take any backup or support form ATAs partner organization. This team was able to provide support for any type of complex process. ATA had planned to design database and solar map for tracking of the ATAs present and future projects (Larson Gray, 2013). This was a new plan that has not been done before in East Timor. Installation Plan There were two types of season in East Timor: wet and dry seasons. The plan of ATA was to install the systems in every house in two dry seasons. They followed a backward plan. They had planned to remunerate their partner organizations in order to carry out this plan. Careful planning and sequencing was done to install the systems in 12 different villages of East Timor over three different districts. Logistics Plan They had planned that the vehicles that took the systems for installation could take only certain number of systems at a time. There was only one truck that carried out this function. So there was proper planning so that the truck is able to take the systems with no delay and made sure that the condition of the local roads was all right. Project Risks The main risk seen in this project for ATA is their inability to speak the Timorese language. They had the local organization that had been involved in a water management project and had idea about the local community. They even know how to manage and handle huge amounts of money. But the risk lies in the indirect communication that takes place in East Timor. Even if the language was translated to ATA, they could not get idea about the indirect communication of the people (Bahadori Nwaoha, 2013). Another main risk or challenge faced by the project is the purchasing or procurement issue. ATA aimed to get high quality solar energy equipments that were not possible to be delivered by the local organization or the Timorese organization. There is also some kind of exchange rate risk involved in case of importing the components. Risk Management or Control Plan Some of the members of ATA have their own electronic businesses. The other members are involved in designing and technical activities so ATA can make their own devices. Some of the components were taken from China following the process of ethical supply chain management. The main regulator of the system was designed in Melbourne. While making the budget plan an allowance was made for the exchange rate risk due to the fluctuations in the foreign exchange. Recommendation This project can be improved in the future by using bio solar cells. Researchers have also developed photo bioelectrochemical cells that use the reaction of photosynthesis. Another method that can be used is reshaping of the solar spectrum for turning it into electricity. These methods are modern and advanced methods that can be used for the purpose of generating electricity. Conclusion This report concludes that the solar energy system in East Timor will help the natives of the place in several ways. This project report explains the steps to be taken in order to execute the plan of this project. References Bahadori, A., Nwaoha, C. 2013. A review on solar energy utilisation in Australia.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,18, pp.1-5. Burke, R. 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Kerzner, H. 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Larson, E.W., Gray, C. 2013.Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project. McGraw-Hill. MGT5IPM Business Case Planning. 2017.YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLE5HAQYUwLAd1tTH_UdzWEleUKVLyHoKwv=wxrKRPz7MJc, August 18, 2017. MGT5IPM Introduction Of The ATA And Its East Timor Project. 2017.YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB7qM8s8bpY, August 18, 2017. O'Connell, M. 2012. (Solar) power to the people of Timor Leste.ECOS,2012(168). The Alternative Technology Association ATA solar projects in East Timor. 2017.Ata.org.au. https://www.ata.org.au/ata-solar-projects-in-east-timor, August 18, 2017.