Crashing waves, chirping crickets, leaves rustling in the breeze and natural quietude are all parts of the allure of “glamping”, drawing guests away from the commotion of daily life. Wanting to be close to nature is increasingly coupled with the desire to conserve our world’s wonders, great and small, for future generations. For years now, surveys have shown a growing interest in sustainable travel. Most recently, around 70 percent of travelers surveyed by booking.com said that they prefer eco-friendly accommodations – even if they don’t necessarily look for these exclusively. But glamping comes at a price: combining comfort with nature often means that the sound of chirping crickets is drowned out by the humming of a diesel generator.
Lower costs, better supply and greater comfort
But there is a simple solution to what was a big dilemma just a few years ago. Microgrids – self-sufficient power grids built from solar installations and storage systems – have not only become cheaper to operate than diesel generators, they are also quieter and deliver higher performance with greater reliability. In fact, they are powerful enough to supply electricity to resorts, entire villages and even remote islands, so that diesel generators can be relegated to serving as a back-up. Solar-powered microgrids are particularly effective in cutting energy costs in remote areas because they are more efficient than conventional diesel systems and they reduce fuel consumption immensely. DHYBRID’s microgrids also enable encrypted remote monitoring and maintenance in real time.
While earlier versions of these combinations of diesel and solar power were relatively simple, DHYBRID’s microgrids are much more high-tech. Years of experience and knowledge gained have resulted in conventional diesel systems being overtaken, even in terms of grid quality. A special electronics setup, the Universal Power Platform (UPP), monitors and controls the entire system. The UPP can balance out voltage and frequency in the grid within a fraction of a second, even when large consumers such as cooling systems or compressors are switched on, making flickering lights and screens from the switch over to a diesel generator a thing of the past. This also means that solar microgrids are a useful option where power grids exist but are unstable. Since these systems flexibly combine various energy sources based on demand, they are able to cover short-term peaks in consumption even better than a pure diesel system.
Worldwide use
DHYBRID has already set up more than 70 of these self-sufficient microgrids around the world, including on 26 of the Maldivian islands. Another DHYBRID microgrid powers the ecological luxury resort Cheetah Plains in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Three solar installations with a total of 895 photovoltaic modules generate most of the estate’s power. Lithium-ion batteries store electricity for the nighttime. The diesel generator is only needed during periods of bad weather or when consumption is particularly high. The batteries and other electronic components are housed in a 20-foot container and the solar modules are mounted atop the roofs of the service buildings and carports. All in all, Cheetah Plains has managed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 320 tons a year and uses 124,000 liters less diesel than before. The resort has also turned to eco-friendly solar power for its safaris, using purpose-built electric vehicles to guide its guests on their journey through the wilderness without the disruptive noise of an engine or pollutive exhaust gas.
To find out more about DHYBRID, find their website here.
