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CTS was approached by a senior resident of Klein Windhoek to install a grid-tied photovoltaic system with the aim to cut back on the monthly electricity bill. The system included:

• 42x 130W photovoltaic modules and mounting structure
• 1x 6kW grid tied inverter

The system is designed such as to generate an estimated 900kWh per month.

CTS was approached by the Botswana Meteorological Department and the University of Hamburg with the request to install automatic weather stations across Botswana. A total of 10 stations were engineered and build at our workshop in Windhoek prior to installation commencement. With our own tower design, the installation time is reduced to nearly 8 hours per tower.

The stations are equipped with sensors from Vaisala, Kipp and Zonen. At the heart of each station is the CR1000 logger from Campbell Scientific. Each station is capable to measure the following:

• Wind speed
• Wind direction
• Humidity
• Air Temperature
• Irradiance
• Barometric pressure
• Ground Temperature
• Rain
• Leaf wetness

In addition to the above parameters the following parameters are calculated by the logger by means of mathematical models.

• Dew point temperature
• Wet bulb temperature
• Sunshine duration

The data from the station is transmitted to ftp servers situated in Gaborone/Botswana as well as Hamburg/Germany on an hourly bases over locally available GSM network providers. Once the data is uploaded to the server in Hamburg, it is processed and posted on a publicly available website. This website collects data of numerous stations across Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Angola and South Africa for research purposes. A total of 8000km was covered in just under 4 weeks.

CTS was instructed to supply, deliver, install, test and commission laundry equipment for Lady Pohamba Private Hospital in 2015. Situated in Windhoek’s Kleine Kuppe area, this new and stunning 134-bed hospital caters for a wide variety of patients.

When it comes to Hospital textiles, cleanliness and perfect hygiene is of the essence. The challenge is to safely wash large quantities of used and soiled fabrics, while ensuring consistent, hygienic cleaning, maximum longevity and shortened wash times. As Namibia is facing a water crisis, special attention needs to be given to using as little water as possible. Our solution was Miele.

Miele offers a wide range of machines with cutting edge technology and specialized wash programs. With their patented stainless steel Honeycomb Drum, the specially designed drum ribs allow the water to saturate the laundry very quickly, reducing washing times. The high spin speeds with a G-factor of up to 500 make for optimum water extraction. There are also connections for detergent dispensers, ensuring that the same amount of detergent is used for each wash. A water recovery unit saves up to 30% of the water consumption. The tumble dryers are equipped with a heat-pump system, with results in a reduction of 60% of energy consumption.

Thanks to the residual moisture level of approximately 50% achieved by Miele’s washer-extractors, bed linen does not need to be dried any further before it is fed into a rotary ironer with a high heat output. Miele’s technology guarantees economy and quality, and actively contribute towards protecting our health and environment.

An off gird PV system with generator back up was installed at the Gcwatjinga clinic south east of Rundu. The system comprises of the following components:

• 6.24 kW PV array
• 2x Victron BueSolar 150V/70A MPPT regulator
• 600Ah Battery capacity
• Inverter/Charger, Victron Multi, 48V/8000VA
• System Monitoring (BMV700, Color Control GX)

The clinic was connected to the grid, which at time of system design and installation the grid connection plans were unknown to the engineer. As the clinic has PV installed, the existing system has been configured such as to allow for grid connection once the batteries reach a predefined SOC. This guarantees a continuous supply of power to the clinic and nurse houses.

In addition to the grid, a backup generator is incorporated in case PV as well as grid failure occur.

After close to 20 years of operation, the existing electrically heated hot water boilers were replaced. A modern, energy efficient system supplied by Stiebel Eltron was installed. The system comprises of the following:

2x heat pumps
5x 1000L hot water tanks (with electrical backup)
1x Control panel with remote monitoring and SMS alarm functionality.
2x booster pumps to feed the hotel with water during times when municipal supply is shut off

The installation has been achieved in a 3 week period. All works have been carried out with minimal interruptions to the hot water supply to the hotel. Remote monitoring of the plant in included to assist the client with possible troubleshooting, thus avoiding unnecessary trips to Lüderitz. SMS communication allows the quick reaction times of hotel maintenance personnel to act in cases of municipal water loss.

Various small off-grid PV systems, also referred to SHS (Solar Home Systems) have been supplied country wide. These systems are typically based on small high efficiency lithium ion batteries as storage solution and Victron components such as solar charge regulator, inverter and monitoring devices.