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Afghan Wind-Farms
10/28/08 - 09:49 AM
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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan-Less than 25 percent of the population in Panjshir Valley has access to electricity, but an exciting new project has the capacity of tapping into a future electrical grid in the area.

The first Afghan wind farm, the Panjshir hybrid power generation and distribution system, not only supplies power for administrative offices for the provincial government, but also holds promise for bringing more progress to the people of Afghanistan.

Working with the local Panjshiri workforce and a contractor based out of New Zealand, engineers from the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Panjshir developed the $977,000 hybrid power generation and distribution system in order to operate running well water, hot water, and a septic system for the new government facility due to open Nov. 10, 2008.

“This project utilizes wind turbines, a battery bank, a diesel generator, and a state of the art electronic controller system to provide a sustainable flow of energy to the compound,” said Capt. Jason Aftanas, chief engineer.

According to Aftanas, wind power drastically reduces fossil fuel requirements and emissions that would have been required to power the government compound had it been powered by a stand-alone diesel
generator.

“The wind farm is significant because it offers an opportunity to study the feasibility of constructing larger megawatt wind turbines, and serve as a ‘working laboratory’ for long term study on wind power potential,” Aftanas said.

He said the wind farm is one more demonstration of incorporating renewable energy into the fledgling electrical infrastructure of Afghanistan.  In addition to the wind farm, several other initiatives include solar power for clinics and schools, micro-hydro electric power plants and solar powered water purification units.

“There are rusted parts of Soviet tanks in the valley being used by the community as makeshift micro-hydro projects,” said PRT Panjshir Director Thomas Kelsey.

“It’s amazing to see how resourceful the people of Afghanistan can be using whatever materials are available to them,” he said, explaining how the local population is learning how to access renewable energy on their own.

The wind farm will also have a significant impact on coordinating efforts of provincial government.

“Now that power is being provided on a consistent basis to the new government facility, the governor’s staff and key ministry personnel have moved into the building and are operating just a few doors down from one another,” Aftanas said.

Prior to transferring to the new compound, local officials were scattered throughout the province on a space available basis.  They often operated out of facilities that were inadequate.  The new state of the art facility powered by the wind farm offers an improved working situation for the provincial government.