Design of a photovoltaic-wind charging station for small electric Tuk-tuk in DRCongo

Renewable energy charging stations can play a key role in the successful development and deployment of electric vehicles in the areas not connected to the electrical grid. This paper discusses the possibilities of using electric Tuk-tuk battery charging station in the rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); the basic specifications of the proposed vehicle propulsion system are taken into account. The proposed charging station is powered by renewable energy source such as wind or photovoltaic (PV) used as stand alone or in hybrid configuration with battery storage system to avoid the use of diesel generators or additional stresses on the very weak electrical grid, where it is available. Different feasible configurations of the charging station using renewable energies are simulated using HOMER software and the results compared to the corresponding diesel generator while responding to the battery charging energy requirements of the Tuk-tuk. Two different strategies for operating the charging station are simulated and the results are analyzed and discussed in order to select the best configuration. The decision criteria used for these comparisons include the equipment setup, energy production, financial viability for a project lifetime of 20 years. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.