Raspberry Pi Basic Setup - Hardware

Since I got my hands on the Raspberry Pi (Model B) its been tinkering and tinkering. As you can see in the image above, I built my own case with the help of JKUAT Arch. colleague of mine who assisted with the dimensions and the white cardboard.
Away from that, today I want to show you the basic hardware that when out together with the Pi will make a successful run.

Electric Outdoor Substation Model Project

Earlier in the year I mentioned that I would embark on a year long project to understand the inner workings on an outdoor electric substation. So here I start after taking some time off to study my Chinese - which in fact has improved.

Now this project will basicaly entail creating a model of each unit that is in a subsytation, link them using wires and perhaps use 240V to simulate the working. To add some salt, I will embeed my ArduinoUNO + Raspberry Pi and a few LEDs to make a SCADA system hopefully controlled from my PC or my phone to shutdown/on the sub-station.
Yeah, I know this sounds crazy but it will require funds plus careful planning and drawings to ascertain the project. I will document everything like it would be in a real life project including the Tendering and delivery of the equipment - all this for learning.

Also I noted that there are specific softwares that are used to design substations, so I hope they have 90 Days trials, this will come in handy.

My Chinese exams are in May (HSK) so incase my english starts to depeceiate significantly, kindly notify me :-) :-)

Here in my country Kenya we are going to the polls on 4th of March so hope there will be peace and no violence, am praying very hard for peace.

Anyway let me start...Have an electrifying week + Peace to all Kenyans

Image Credits: Buildpedia.com

Wind Power Kenya is 3 Years Old

Happy New Year to all my readers, hope your year started on a high voltage. Today Wind Power Kenya turns 3 years old, a milestone and remarkable achievement it is. Looking back its been a long and informative electric journey and I am very thankful to you all for taking time to read, comment  & correct me where I make a mistake.

Now this year will be one very busy for me as I try to master my Chinese - which I started learning last year May. Yeah, Chinese is not easy but al make it. Also since now I have my Raspberry Pi and Arduino UNO there is pressure to put them to work so I will be juggling very many things. Anyway Chinese will come first so the rest can chill a little bit. Also I want to start a year long project to model an outdoor  substation so a s to lean what happens inside to detail.

Anyway, that's my year planned, lemme celebrate this achievement :-) [circuit open]

Community Stadium Illumination Research Using Renewable Energy

Stadium Lighting and Illumination is a major favorite for many engineers in the power or lighting fields. What if we spice that by saying that the lighting shall be provided by renewable energy sources and not heavy fuel generators?

This sounds crazy and at the same time interesting give the fact that stadiums are well known power hungry loads, so much that each nowadays has its own in-house sub-station.

This is very true and I would be hitting headlines in no time if I proposed to light a whole stadium with renewable energy. But this is not the case as of now, my main target is community based sports arenas that sadly can only be used during the day due to power problems.

Yesterday I happened to go and watch a football team during their usual practice at YMCA-Thika in Kenya. I have never seen the game played so well by eager youths who one day wanted to be in the big leagues. It was a good evening and the session went well. Sadly to my disappointment as the sun hid behind the clouds, the session was called to and end and all strolled for their stuff and headed home.How!!! Why should the sun dictate when we should work yet it has give us immense power and energy? (Solar & Wind Energy). Suppose the talented youth could train all night? They would be 20* better. YMCA-Thika could host floodlit events and also benefit by renting out the pitch.

It is for such reasons that I have embarked on a study/research to see how Community Stadium Illumination could help increase opportunity for youths in developing countries. The study will last 2months till end of August. I will post updates and pics as the study goes on. Let me go and talk to the management of YMCA-Thika before commencing further.

The Xiangjiaba - Shanghai ±800kV UHVDC Transmission Line Project

Recent developments in High Voltage transmission and distribution systems have shown a gradual increase in DC transmission systems at very high voltage levels. High Voltage Direct Current (H.V D.C) has become common in developed countries due to reduced costs at high voltages as compared to Alternating Current (A.C) transmission. It is because of such reasons that the recently completed Xiangjiaba-Shanghai 800kV UHVDC transmission line was built.

Stadium Power Supplies - FIFA World Cup 2010

Given the national and international exposure that each stadium in the FIFA World Cup 2010 receives, it is imperative that all efforts are made to ensure that electrical power supply in the venues is as reliable as possible. In this post according to “22nd AMEU Technical Convention110 AMEU Proceedings 2009 Stadium electricity supplies – an assessment of the specification and readiness” document I have outlined the various power aspects involved in Stadium Power Supplies.





The stadia and surrounding areas are fundamentally broken down into three
Main focus areas include:
1. Domestic/stadium power (stadium itself)
2. Technical Power (Media & Broadcasting)
3. Overlay or precinct (area immediately surround the stadium including ticketing offices, hospitality, Accreditation etc)

G.I.S - Gas Insulated Substations #1

A gas-insulated substation (GIS) uses a superior dielectric gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), at a moderate pressure for phase to phase and phase to ground insulation. The high-voltage conductors, circuit breaker, interrupters, switches, current transformers, and voltage transformers are encapsulated in SF6 gas inside grounded metal enclosures. The atmospheric air insulation used in a conventional, air-insulated substation (AIS) requires meters of air insulation to do what SF6 can do in centimeters. GIS can therefore be smaller than AIS by up to a factor of ten. A GIS is mostly used where space is expensive or not available. In a GIS, the active parts are protected from deterioration from exposure to atmospheric air, moisture, contamination, etc. As a result, GIS is more reliable, requires less maintenance, and will have a longer service life (more than 50 years) than AIS. GIS was first developed in various countries between 1968 and 1972. After about 5 years of experience, the user rate increased to about 20% of new substations in countries where space was limited. In other countries with space easily available, the higher cost of GIS relative to AIS has limited its use to special cases. The IEEE [4, 5] and the IEC [6] have standards covering all aspects of the design, testing, and use of GIS. For the new user, there is a CIGRE application guide. IEEE has a guide for specifications for GIS.

Pole Mounted Sub-Stations

I was going around town, with a colleague, we came across a structure which by the roadside that my friend was quick to refer to as transformer. I quickly corrected him that its actual name is not a transformer as many might call it, rather it’s called a Pole Mounted Sub-Station.

A Pole Mounted Sub-station is a large, free standing, outdoor electrical equipment that is mostly located in residential places. Its main purpose is to step-down the lethal 11kV to 415/240V for light, commercial and residential loads (consumers)...

Electric Power Supply Systems

Supply Systems

The convergence of electric power from a Power Station to consumer’s premises is known as Electric Supply Systems.

This post illustrates the basic movement of power from the alternators at the generating station to your home/premises. I have omitted the complicated processes because its meant to give Non-Engineers a glimpse of how power is transmitted.

Generating Station

3-Phase alternators in parallel - The common generation is normally 11kV or 33kV (For advanced countries).

For economical reasons power is stepped up to 132kV or even more depending upon length of transmission lines and amount of power to be transmitted. It is stepped up to 132kV with the help of 3-phase transformers.

The transmission of power at high voltages has several advantages including saving conductor material and high transmission efficiency...