A spreadsheet tool and guide designed to be an overall off-grid energy information package to help energy experts and procurement officers collect and analyze information, plan PV and generator systems in off-grid health centers, and develop specifications and bidding documents.

The primary objective of any energy audit is to calculate the amount of energy that a facility will need to produce on a daily basis for the loads on the premise. This amount carefully managed because each watt-hour costs money to produce. However, this amount also needs to be reasonable and flexible to allow the facility to function with fluctuating energy demands (and solar energy resources). The audit should help funders of health centers decide which types of energy – solar PV, generators, LPG, grid power extensions or even biomass &ndash make the most sense at the site.

Thus, the major tasks of health facility energy audits are to:

Provide a description of site energy use patterns and management practices
Identify areas of potential energy cost savings and more efficient use
Identify how methods of energy management can be developed to achieve, maintain and recognize further potential savings and efficient use
Provide recommendations that will enable the design and or expansion of appropriate energy system solutions at the site. For example, the energy system manager can be guided to decide on a larger generator, a PV/generator set hybrid or better thermal systems.

Resources

A Guide to the Energy Audit for Specifying Energy Systems in Off-Grid Health Facilities, (PDF 333K)

This guide is designed to be used with USAID’s Audit Reporting Worksheets as an overall off-grid energy information package for energy experts and procurement officers managing the design, procurement, and after-sales service of PV systems in health centers. It is based on a series of training courses held in Rwanda for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2007 and 2008, but has been expanded so that it can be utilized for health centers in other countries.

Energy Audit Spreadsheet, (XLS 1.7MB)

The Energy Audit spreadsheet contains the following worksheets:

Checklist
Site Description and Information – basic information about the facility and a data sheet on fuels and energy costs.
Energy Use Overview – a basic summary of the energy technologies used and the applications of the energy sources.
Assumptions
Electric Systems – generators or solar PV used at the facility.
Generator Applications – appliances run by the generator set or a dedicated AC power source.
Solar PV Applications – appliances run by the PV arrays.
Future Electric Applications – appliances and equipment that will be added to the health facility in the near future.
Non-Electricity Based Applications – non-electric appliances such as kerosene refrigerators and sterilizers, wood stoves, etc.
Load Profile – Gen Set
Load Profile – Solar PV

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Last updated: November 17, 2010

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