Solar Battery Charging Stations

In rural areas of developing countries many households do not have access to electricity and power their radios with dry cell batteries or use candles and kerosene lamps for domestic lighting. Some employ car batteries that are charged in battery charging stations for lighting and entertainment.

Battery charging stations are usually not the first choice for rural electrification, but they can be viable in remote areas were no other alternatives exist and the income of the population is too low to invest in other solutions as for example solar home systems. Battery charging sta-tions provide services for a low energy demand and therefore, are a temporary solution until other energy resources are available. Until then, however, many years may pass.

In electrified areas grid-based battery charging stations can be seen as indirect grid densifica-tion as those that have no direct connection in their home profit indirectly from the existing electricity infrastructure.

Lead-acid wet cell car batteries are often used for providing a minimum of electricity services for the local population in many developing countries. They are usually available on the mar-ket, in some countries also produced locally and the most common type in use to cover basic energy needs. They are the least cost option, but have a low allowable depth of discharge and a short life time compared to deep-cycle batteries designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period.

The use of electricity from car batteries can improve the living conditions of its users to a large extent. Battery powered lamps not only improve domestic working conditions at night in particular for women but also enhance studying conditions for children because they provide brighter light than kerosene lamps and candles. Furthermore, they do not emit noxious pollut-ants accounting for a healthier indoor air.

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