Regular Power Supply Research Articles

The portrait of Uganda’s informal sector: What main obstacles do the sector face?

In this paper, using primary data collected from business owners, we examine the nature and obstacles in the informal sector of Uganda. We find that education level matters in the selection of enterprises. The bulk of businesses, like eating kiosks, fish selling, shoe shining among others that require no specialized skill to operate were mainly run by primary school dropouts and those with no formal level of education. Furthermore, we find evidence of a strong entrepreneurial spirit among secondary school dropouts than at any other education level. Across all businesses surveyed, secondary school dropouts run a high number of informal enterprises. Evidence suggests that their motivation is driven by two key factors, namely, wanting to take advantage of an existing business opportunity and failure to find employment in the formal sector. The empirical results show that access to finance, crime, theft and disorder, electricity, water, taxes, burdensome inspections, and informal gifts are robust and significant obstacles to the operations of the informal sector in Uganda. Policies should focus on a regulatory framework that supports the sector to create secure livelihoods and generate employment opportunities for the unemployed rather than viewing the sector as a source of “illegality.” Improving access to finance, providing regular power and water supply, and improving the tax regime would mitigate the obstacles faced by informal businesses leading to possible formalization. Informal sector businesses should not be perceived as “illegal entities” but rather complementary effort by an increasingly enterprising population in the country.

Performance Evaluation & Operation of DSP Control UPS System

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a power conditioner that provides emergency power to a load when the supply power fails. In on-line UPS, the load is always connected to the inverter through the UPS static switch. Specialized expertise was required for collection, analysis, and dissemination of technical information relating to high quality uninterruptible power systems. Inherent in these responsibilities is the coordination of technical and contractual matters relating to the procurement and installation of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems which were required to support these facilities. The proposed circuit incorporates an AC/DC & DC & AC converter, which provided power factor correction and to assure feedback control. In our project when the AC main is available, the rectifier circuit will supply the power to the inverter as well as to the battery and battery will be charged. If the supply power fails suddenly, the battery will supply power to the inverter without any interruption and delay. In the constant current charging technique, a digital charger was designed and controlled through PIC12F675 microcontroller. In the realized system, The PIC16C73B was used as microcontroller. It was used to generate sinusoidal PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals that are connected to drive n-channel MOSFETs in inverter to assure feedback control and display units. The power circuit of the proposed UPS system was presented and analyzed. Circuit models were derived and a UPS digital control system using a digital signal processing (DSP) with microcontroller has been developed. The uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are widely used by power supply during interruption of regular power supply due to load shedding, power failure, power fluctuations including telecommunication systems, medical systems, industrial control systems etc.

Access to Energy Revealing through Socio-economic Status Survey of the Local People for Rural Electrification in Nawalparasi

Rural electrification program seems to be crucial to improve living conditions and promote development. The main objective of this study was to identify the socio-economic status of the local people and also measure their perception on willingness to pay for hydroelectricity in two rural municipalities of Nawalparasi East district. The study has followed both qualitative and quantitative methods for socio-economic survey. Household questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussion and Key Informant Interview techniques have been applied for primary data collection. In addition, secondary data has been compiled through published and unpublished documents from field as well as central level. Agriculture and livestock rising have been found the major sources of income in this area. Therefore, the non-farm source of income is very low. However, remittance from foreign job playing vital role as another source of income for the livelihood of the people. As being economically capable and socially aware with modern facilities and its implication on better and easier life support in future, the local peoples from the study area has been found encouraging. Whole area of the study site has not available electricity facility and their positive willingness to pay for hydroelectricity is the major finding and step forward for the future planning of regular and reliable power supply to uplift their socio-economic condition, reduce poverty and support on rural development activities.

English

The internet technology over the past few decades has become an important tool in higher education for learning, teaching and research. The study investigated the internet activities engaged in, frequency of use of the internet and challenges limiting the use of the internet among the undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted. A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 undergraduate students. Findings were analysed using descriptive statistics and the result indicated that the respondents had good computer skills and used the internet for various activities which vary across faculty of study. The respondents were dissatisfied with the high cost of accessing the internet and inadequate internet facilities. The major recommendation of the study is the provision of basic internet training for the students; equipping the university with adequate internet facilities; regular power supply and free internet access to all university students.   Key words: Utilization of internet, undergraduate students, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES OF COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLE OPERATORS IN YABA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigates the survival strategies of commercial motorcycle operators in Yaba local government area of Lagos State. Especially, the intent of the study is to ascertain the relationship between unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, acquisition of formal education and engagement in okada business. The study utilized data generated from Cross-Sectional Survey and In-Depth interviews. The population for the survey consists of registered Commercial Motorcycle Operators in eleven pick up points. The sample size was determined using Taro Yamane and Chi square statistical tool was used to test the stated hypothesis. Finding revealed that there is significant and positive relationship that exists between unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, acquisition of formal education and youth engagement in okada business. The study concluded that it is obvious in the data analysis of the study that Commercial Motorcycle Operation in the study area was central to economic sustenance of the operators as a source of empowerment and as a means of poverty reduction among the operators. The study therefore recommended that the central motivation for engagement in okada business is unemployment and infrastructural constraints such as irregular electric power supply. To reduce the spate of Commercial Motorcycle Operation, there should be provision of job opportunities for youths and regular power supply for sustainable growth of business and industry. Government should assist Okada Riders with the acquisition of skills that would make them employable or become self-employed. Article visualizations:

The Demand for Primary Health Care Service in Nigeria: New Evidence from Facility Determinants

Despite high distribution of Primary Health Care Centres (PHC) and low cost of care provision, patronage is low in Nigeria. Findings for the determinants of health care demand are one sided with focus on patient related factors. Less attention is given to facility determinants. This study examined facility determinants of the demand for PHC service in Nigeria using basic infrastructures, equipment and staff type. The 2013-2014 SDI data covering 11,690 primary health care facilities was used. The Negative Binomial regression model was fitted to determine the effects of facility factors on number of visits. The results show more community workers and paraprofessionals and few medical Doctors and Nurses in PHC’s. Facilities are equipped with weighing scales, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope with few thermometer. High staff absence rate, lack of improved water source and non-regular power supply are also observed. Findings associate presence of Nurses with increased number of visits than other staff type. Child weighing scale, regular power supply and improved water are also key positive determinants. Better use of PHC’s in Nigeria is possible with medical personnel especially nurses in employment. Improved water, regular power and instruments like child weighing scale are also vital.

Progressive Trends in Bio-Fuel Policies in India: Targets and Implementation Strategy

Energy is the primary driver of current economic. Drastic increasing population and their improved living standards are augmenting the demand of energy. This increasing demand of energy is requiring energy management to maintain regular power supply. The main energy demand in India is electricity, heat for various applications commercial and domestic applications and transport sectors. India has a growing economy which is rapidly expanding their transportation and power sectors in which major contribution of electricity generation by coal (59%). Renewable energy based generation is consistently increasing by the effect of climate change obligations and commitments. India is target to generate 10 GW bioenergy till 2022. Therefore, it is desirable that the policies on such issues are be regularly modifying based on the results on ground level. India is very rich in biomass and municipal waste and having long term vision to achieve energy generation by biomass. A close balancing is also required to sustain the biofuel programs without any subsidies and without compromising other priority sector related to the development of nation and quality of life to the last persons in this country. This article is focused on various bioenergy schemes, programs of Government of India.

A Legal Framework for Sustainable Electrical Energy Industry in Nigeria

Nigeria has fairly adequate endowment of energy resources, yet the country is lagging behind in terms of access to reliable and affordable energy supply. The country faces serious challenges as a result of declining electricity generation from domestic power plants. This steady decline has led to a near failure of the electric power sector. Electricity supply required to place Nigeria on the path of economic growth and sustainable development is in very short supply. The country has just 45 electrification rate, with only 54.7% of her population electrified as at 2016. More than 80 million people are still without access to electricity with frequent power failure. This has contributed to the slow economic growth currently experienced in Nigeria. Regular power supply is the hallmark of a developed economy. Nigeria is blessed with energy resources which could be harnessed to provide various modern energy services and which could have played essential role in the effort to alleviate poverty in the country. There is failure to mobilize the required resources for the development of energy resources in Nigeria. Around 1,500MW of Nigeria’s hydropower potential is currently being used, contributing to about 30% of the total amount of electricity produced. The large amount of gas associated with oil exploration operations is being wasted through flaring instead of being valuably used for power generation and industrial processes. Current patterns of production and consumption of energy are not sustainable. This paper highlights the importance of sustainable electric energy development in attaining sustainable development in Nigeria.

Energy Efficient Data Transmission Approaches for Wireless Industrial Automation

Background: The industrial wireless automation system enables the monitoring and control of processes. It may be difficult to recharge the battery of sensors installed in harmful environments. Hence optimization of the power is the major issue to be addressed while implementing the network. The proposed hybrid data transmission approaches optimize data accuracy and energy efficiency of a wireless sensor node deployed in any industry. Methods: In the time-driven method, the sensor nodes periodically sense the environment and transmit the data continuously over time. In the event-driven method, the sensor nodes transmit data only when there is a drastic change in the occurrence of a certain event. Results: Based on the nature of the process, applications are classified as, less critical, critical and most critical. The time-driven based hybrid transmission approach is suggested for the most critical applications because they need to be monitored continuously so as to attain data accuracy. In the case of critical applications, the data is not required to be sent continuously, but instead it can be sampled and transmitted once in two seconds. Though the above suggested methods intended to provide better outcomes in terms of power utilization, in the case of process control applications, most critical and critical applications need to be monitored continuously. Hence such applications could be done as a heterogeneous industrial automation network, which is the combination of wired and wireless connectivity. This can be implemented by replacing all the signal cables with wireless communication system, regular power supply must be provided for the radio module attached with final control elements and also to the transmitters involved in most critical applications. For the least critical applications, the data can be sampled and transmitted once in four seconds. Conclusion: Simulation has been performed for time-driven based and duty-cycling based hybrid transmission approaches. The results can guide process engineers in selecting the transmission approach for optimizing the power of IWAS based on the critical level of the process. In the case of a critical process, the time-driven based hybrid transmission approach may be used, and in the case of a less critical process, the duty-cycling based hybrid transmission approach could be selected. By selecting appropriate transmission approach the life time of IWAS could be improved. Keywords: Controllers, process control, transceivers, transmitters, temperature sensors, wireless sensor networks.

Reliable Residential Backup Power Control System Through Home to Plug-In Electric Vehicle (H2V)

Electric vehicles (EV) are being commercialized to overcome engine emissions and boost performance of vehicle. Peak power management of grid is also accomplished through EVs with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) capabilities. In a smart grid environment, these strategies assist in managing peak load management of the grid and home respectively. This paper proposes the use of EV as a regular standby power supply for home in addition to its use as an EV. EVs availability and usage developed by different drive patterns and operating modes of the vehicle. Unscheduled charging of the EV through grid case too much stress on the grid, so the ability of the vehicle to take power from the roof mounted solar panel and feed to the domestic load in different seasons of the year is discussed. The hardware in the loop model of the proposed home-to-vehicle (H2V) system is developed and results are obtained for different operating modes. The obtained result has shown significant promise to the suggested H2V strategy.

Performance Evaluation and Operation of DSP Control UPS System

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a power controller that gives emergency electricity to a load when the mains energy fails. In on-line UPS, the load is always connected to the inverter though the UPS static switch. Specialized expertise is required for collection, analysis, and dissemination of technical information relating to high quality uninterruptible power systems. Inherent in these responsibilities is the coordination of technical and contractual matters relating to the procurement and installation of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems which are required to support these facilities. The proposed circuit incorporates an AC/DC & DC/AC converter, which provides power factor correction and to assure feedback control. In our project when the AC main is available, the rectifier circuit will supply the power to the inverter as well as to the battery and battery will be charged. If the supply power fails suddenly, the battery will supply power to the inverter without any interruption and delay. In the constant current charging technique, a digital charger is designed and is controlled through PIC12F675 microcontroller. In the realized system, The PIC16C73B was used as microcontroller. It was used to generate sinusoidal PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals that are used to drive n-channel MOSFETs in inverter to assure feedback control and display units. The power circuit of the proposed UPS system is presented and analyzed. Circuit models are derived and a UPS digital control system using a digital signal processing (DSP) with microcontroller is developed. The uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are widely used as standby power supply during interruption of regular power supply due to load shedding, power failure, power fluctuations including telecommunication systems, medical systems, industrial control systems etc. Keywords: Uninterruptible power supply, PIC12F675 microcontroller, Pulse Width Modulation, MOSFET, power fluctuations

An Empirical Study of the Effects of Work Environment (Electric Power Supply) on Job Performance of Academic Staff in Nigerian Public and Private Universities

Boosting the job performance of academic staff in Nigerian tertiary institutions has remained a challenging managerial problem in the country. This study is an attempt to empirically examine the effects of work environment (with specific emphasis on electric power supply) on job performance of academic staff in public and private universities in Nigeria. Nigerian university system allows for government (public) and private ownership of universities under the regulatory guide of the National University Commission (NUC). One of the challenges facing Nigerian universities is infrastructure inadequacies (particularly electric power supply) fundamental to drive forward the system. This therefore, calls for a study of this nature to establish the effect(s) of this on the job performance of lecturers in the university system. In conducting the study, five research questions were designed to assess the regularity of electric power supply to offices of academic staff; establish whether the supply of electric power to the offices of academic staff is adequate and regular to create a conducive work environment; unravel the duties of academic staff which are dependent on the supply of electric power and establish the effects of electric power supply on the discharge of the duties of academic staff. Two hypotheses were also formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a survey design supplemented by other methods. A sample size of 300 respondents purposively selected from public and private universities was used as s basis for making inferences and generalisations. Data were generated through primary (questionnaire and observation) and secondary sources like textbooks, internet materials, journals articles, government publications, conference papers, newspapers and magazines. A questionnaire consisting of important questions was designed and administered. The responses from the questionnaires were coded and analyzed using descriptive method and the two hypotheses of the study were tested via Independent T-test statistical technique computed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Results revealed the existence of a significant positive relationship between regular and adequate electric power supply to offices and the job performance of lecturers in terms of teaching, research and administration. The study also revealed that work related factors like internet facilities, good library, conducive work environment, regular and good remuneration, training opportunities, regular promotion, access to affordable medical care, recognition/awards are significant determinants of the job performance of academic staff in Nigerian Public and Private Universities. It is therefore recommended among others that concerted efforts should be made by government and managers of Nigerian universities to ensure regular and adequate electric power supply in the system; and provide functional internet facilities, good library, regular and good remuneration, conducive work environment, training opportunities, access to well equipped and affordable medical care, regular promotion, recognition/awards since they are known to have positive effects on the effective performance of the duties of academic staff.

Moving from Economic Growth to Transformation Through Energy and Power

Electricity is a major source of energy in all sectors of an economy, that is, the military, home, industrial, education, commerce and agricultural sectors in a given country. The role of power/energy in economic transformation cannot be over-emphasized. Centuries before the discovery of electric light, kingdoms and empires depend on a source of energy/power to power great establishment and businesses. As important as electricity in powering industrial and economic development, many developing countries are facing power shortage problems (Morimoto and Hope, 2001). An adequate and regular power supply may be one of the most crucial factors which supports economic growth in developing countries. In a related study on the relationship between electricity usage and economic development, Ferguson, Wilkinson, and Hill (2000) posit that, there is a strong correlation between electricity use and economic development. The level of development in sub-Sahara Africa could be attributed to availability of stable and clean electricity supply. It is widely acknowledged that Sub-Saharan Africa is in the midst of a power crisis (Eberhard et al., 2008; UN 2007). Outages are not just frequent and long but also erratic in most countries in Africa. In the midst of potential to generate energy in sub-Sahara Africa, many problems have bedeviled the region in attaining economy transformation.

A STUDY ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ENERGY SAVING AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCES IN DOMESTIC SECTOR OF INDIA

This paper studies the correlation between electricity consumption and consumer income and effectiveness of alternate energy sources in the domestic sector. India is a developing country and the demand for the energy is increasing regularly. Fossil fuels are the main sources of energy in this country. As fossils fuels become more costly and harder to find with several other disadvantages, it is required a shift from fossil fuels to non conventional energy. Solar energy is available in plenty and by using it electricity can be generated. This paper also attempts to use renewable energy at the domestic sector to aid the regular power supply.

Understanding Electronic Governance in Nigeria : Amix-Scanning Approach

The objectives of this paper is to address the aims, benefits, challenges and solutions of electronic government\administration policy using Mix-scanning framework of analysis.EGovernment,simplyput,referstotheuseofinformationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)toenh anceaccessto,anddeliveryofgovernmentservicestothebenefitofall.It is, to a large extent, a success story, imbued with challenges. In Nigeria, like in some other African States, the laws are in place, the government that taken further step of formulate a policy on ICT and the relevant institutions are in place and operational. It is, therefore, the hope of all and sundry that, with the honest implementation of the new National ICT Policy, the provision of regular power supply, building of the relevant capacity to man ICT, e-Government/e-Administration will firmly find its feet in Nigeria by the year 2020.

English

Electricity is lifeline of any country and its continuous availability at minimum cost ensure the country’s growth. Reducing the burden over the energy resources leads to the use of alternative sources of energy like Solar, Wind etc. also they are available free of cost. So modern industries and homes, to ensure regular power supply incorporates mainly three sources of energy i.e. Solar, Mains(Utility grid), Diesel generator sets. So an automatic phase selector circuit is required for the switching between these supplies with the Solar having the highest priority followed by Mains for having access of cheapest electricity. The circuit make use of Transformer, Rectifier, Regulator, Comparator and Relays. The switching time is reduced considerably due to the use of high speed electronics devices.

Rejuvenating Public Library Services in Delta State for National Development

This paper discussed the need to rejuvenate the public library services in Delta State for national development. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study covers sixteen (16) communities where public libraries are established using purposive sampling method to select 480 respondents and the entire 42 library staff. A total of 522 library users and staff were used as samples for this study. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and observation through personal visitations by the researchers. The paper highlighted the present situation of public libraries in Delta State of Nigeria which is associated with lack of government financial support for public library development, irregular power supply and inadequate manpower. The paper recommended that adequate personnel, funding, infrastructural development in the aspect of good structural building, facilities and regular power supply that befit public libraries in order to enhance national development should be provided.

Financing and Creating Energy Infrastructure for Small Cities

India today needs to have around 2,OO,OOO MW of power to meet its current energy needs, but it is able to provide only about two third of it. Additional finances are difficult to come by and the infrastructure is often not available to make it reach the remote areas. Heavy roistering in city areas has been a perpetual feature in some states. Many of the dwellers of small cities have come to depend on what is called an 'inverter' and its associated battery based storage system to cope up with the frequent power outages. Seen from another perspective these systems only lack the solar panels to become completely self contained power systems. Thus addition of solar panels to these will be only an incremental cost. By encouraging this approach several problems can be solved all the same time. First of all this additional investment will be from the users themselves. Next the power generated will be environmentally friendly and the regular power supply and the grid may need to be used sparingly. These storage based systems may become parts of Smart Grids for the future as they may be further evolved to feed power into the grid.Evaluation of the performance of these systems has been studied through simulation and the economics of the system has been investigated under various conditions for typical users. The proposed system has been compared with the early telecom systems in India that were based on land lines and could not be expanded fast enough. Later the privatized and decentralized wireless based approach provided the desirable solutions.

Grid Connected Load Mismatching Situation between Power Supply and Power Demand: Review of the Problematic Effects and Analysis for Unique Needs in Particular Reference to Tamilnadu

Due to the electrical load mismatch some amount of non-conventional energy may be exported to the grid because the electrical demand is temporarily lower than production, whereas a consumption, which is higher than production and/or that does not match the available conventional generation, will require to be supplemented by the public grid electricity. At present, the gap between demand and supply is very high. A continuous supply in constrained power system through contingency planning for unique needs becomes a must. Government and private sectors’ combined participation in bridging the gap between demand and supply by setting up their captive power plants has to ensure regular and economic power supply. The main objective of this study is to analyse the technical and non technical problems being faced in power shortage. Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

Using Computer Based Test Method for the Conduct of Examination in Nigeria: Prospects, Challenges and Strategies

In Nigeria there had been a growing concern about the conduct, authenticity and reliability of examinations especially during the process of selecting qualified prospective candidates into Nigerian universities. It is in this regard that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) introduced the computer-based testing (CBT) with the objective of eliminating all forms of examination malpractices and promote the use of electronic testing in Nigeria. This study therefore seeks to identify the prospects and challenges that will pose threats to the success of adopting CBT in all examinations and how to neutralise them. Secondary data notably textbooks, academic journals, conference papers, internet materials among others were primarily utilized. The study finds that the adoption of CBT in Nigeria faces ten critical challenges amongst this are economic factor, security, Software; Poor ICT culture, policy and implementation; and power failure. Therefore, the study identify educational presentation on CBT, public relation campaign, web campaign, post test feed-back, regular power supply, implementation of ICT policy etc as approaches to defuse the challenges. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n2p47