Ulu Temborong National Park - Brunei Darsuralam
The Forestry Department
of the Government of Brunei Darussalam purchased this 2.4 kW photovoltaic-diesel hybrid system for the
Ulu Temburong National Park Center. The
system utilizes Solartech modules and a 60 kV Cummins diesel
generator. The PV system components
utilized include:
|
(Click on photo for larger view)
|
- 32 SolarTech Systems
75 Watt modules
- Xantrex SW 5548
3-phase inverter
- Xantrex C40 Charge
Controller
- 72 Trojan T105
batteries
|
(Solartech
Systems is the Brunei government’s photovoltaic
assembly plant that
utilizes AstroPower cells.)
The park center is within
the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve in the Temburong District of Brunei.
The Center, at the edge of the Temburong River is comprised of a series of
buildings that include a laboratory, meeting facilities, a kitchen and
dining hall and chalets to accommodate overnight visitors.
The buildings are connected to the power system and are linked by a series of
raised wooden stairs and walkways.
The oil rich country of
Brunei Darussalam is situated on the north-west of the island of Borneo.
It has a total area of approximately 3580 square miles with about 260
miles of coastline along the South China Sea. Brunei
borders the Malaysian State of Sarawak and the South China Sea to the
North. Unlike the Malaysian
states of Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei’s oil wealth has eased the pressure
to log the original forest, leaving a rich and diverse forest surrounding
the center.
|
|
The journey to Ulu
Temburong National Park begins in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s capital
city where all the system components are loaded onto covered water taxis
(speedboats known as “flying coffins”).
From here the taxi travels through narrow creeks surrounded
by mangrove forests, out to sea and then back into the Temburong River.
After about an hour, the taxi ride ends at Bangar, the capital
of the Temburong District. In
Bangar, we transfer our equipment to a 4-wheel drive for the 8-mile drive
to Batang Duri, a small riverbank settlement.
Here we transfer our equipment, modules, batteries, and inverters
to a series of “temuai” (Iban longboats) for the journey up river.
The trip to the installation
site from Batang Duri takes nearly two hours by longboat.
The longboat pilots negotiate up the jungle river over a
series of rapids with a long staff and an out board motor.
As the bow pilot charges the rapids, the stern captain uses a
long staff to ease the boat away from the rocks, just before the prop hits
the rocks the propeller is raised and the motor dies.
The bow pilot jumps out pushes the temuai (longboat) as the
stern pilot navigates through the rocks with the staff.
Depending on the amount of rain or lack thereof, this could
happen more than a dozen times, occasionally requiring all passengers to
get out and walk through the strong river current. (Because
the center's facilities were not yet operational, the crew returned to
Bangar at the end of each day.) This project would not have happened without the skill and
knowledge of our river guides.
|
Once at the Park Center,
all the equipment and tools are transferred to a covered deck at the
rivers edge. Here the
Solartech crew began assembling the pre-engineered mounting system, which
had been designed, assembled and dismantled at the Solartech factory
before leaving Bandar.
(Click on any photo for larger view)
Brunei’s equatorial
climate is characterized by a consistent high temperature (74-90 Degree
Fahrenheit) and humidity, and either blinding sunshine or heavy rain and
lighting.
These routine intense afternoon storms usually ended our work
by 3:00 p.m. The Temburong
District receives an average of 293 inches of rainfall per year.
System Owner:Forestry Department of the
Government of Brunei
System Designer: Craig Burton, SolarTech Systems
Project Manager:Albert Chow Hong Jet, SolarTech Systems
Logistics: Christina Tan and Hjh Nazrah bt Hj Bol Hassan,
Solartech Systems
Installation Team:
Hj Mhd Amri bin Hj Daud, and Yakub bin
Amat, Solartech Systems
System Commissioning: May 2000
For
more information on Ulu Temborong National Park:
http://www.forestry.gov.bn/review/ulu.htm
|
