Kiangebeni Lusimbakio Kevin, a Congolese finalist student at the Polytechnic Faculty of the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), specializing in Electricity, is experimenting with a new technique for electrifying villages near high-voltage alternating current transmission lines by tapping using the SSVT transformer.

Given the extremely high cost of network connections, particularly using conventional distribution standards, this young future civil engineer maintains that this solution allows "electrification adapted to restrictive economic conditions."

During the defense of his end-of-cycle dissertation, on Saturday June 3, 2023, the student Kiangebeni Lusimbakio Kevin presented the results of his research carried out in the village of Mashiau located in the commune of Maluku in the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to the researcher, the proposed electrification technique has ten advantages: flexible design; limited maintenance; easy installation and transportation; minimal space for installation; low environmental impact; direct tapping; Medium Voltage (MV) output for supplying energy over long distances; low initial operating cost; three-phase installation to support larger three-phase loads.

"The investment cost revealed by our study for this electrification project is estimated at nearly USD 1 million with a projected selling price of the extracted energy at USD 0.20232/kWh. This is far higher than the selling price of energy in rural Congolese areas, which is USD 0.0299/kWh. " he mentions.

Kiangebeni Lusimbakio Kevin explains that the implementation of this project would therefore imply that the operator mobilizes 15% of the investment cost and the 85% should be covered by subsidies from the State or donors.

According to profitability forecasts, this type of electrification project, once operational, would allow the accumulation of up to USD 815,765 in benefits at USD 32,630.6 per year over a period of 25 years.

Although efficient with a projected power of 220.5 kW in 25 years, the operation of the SSVT transformer has some weaknesses, including limited distance, continuous dependence on the High Voltage line, high initial cost, degradation of power quality and safety issues.

At the heart of this study, the village of Mashiau has a population of 5,894. In terms of infrastructure, this locality has 6 schools, 5 health centers, 8 places of worship, 1 administrative office, 25 public lighting points, 4 drinking water drilling points, 3 terraces, 3 fresh food sales points, 12 stores, 5 pharmacies and 5 mills.

Thanks to the use of this electrification technique already developed in Makola in Congo Brazzaville (50 KVA), in Tubares in Mexico (100 KVA) or in Nshinga in Katanga in the DRC (100 KVA), the presence of high voltage pylons near villages ceases to be a simple object of admiration but becomes on the contrary an opportunity for the electrification of rural areas.

Patrick BOMBOKA / Zoomeco