Updated Daily kWh Usage

The group was able to contact several people who have been at the Bioko field station in order to obtain some necessary information about daily energy use, water usage, generator specifics, and so on. Using some of this information, some more accurate daily kWh usage was able to be determined.

The estimations of energy consumption are based on the follow specifications:


Lights
It was reported that there are 5-12 lights on at one time, including a large outdoor flood light. These lights are generic types of various wattage [1]. The following numbers were calculating assuming CFL bulbs. While it's unclear what types of bulbs the center is using, the following numbers could easily be obtained by switching to CFL bulbs. Furthermore, it would likely be beneficial if the center used CFL bulbs as these bulbs are more energy efficient. The flood light used in these calculations is an 60 watt LED flood light [2]. The calculations assume that the lights are on for four hours, except there is one light that is on all night, for approximately 12 hours [3].
The CFL bulbs use 16 watt hours of energy [4] and the LED flood light uses 15 watt hours [2]. Therefore, the center is using approximately 0.244 to 0.356 kWh a day. 

Laptops
The laptops are charged on a daily basis [1] and it has been assumed that there are around five people at the station at one time. This is double the prior estimate, which means that charging laptops would use 0.65 kWh a day. An additional 0.051 kWh a day is used to charge cameras, cellphones, and other small electronic devices. This amounts to 0.701 kWh a day. 


Internet
The internet modem used at the wildlife center is 110 volts [1]. The average 110 volt internet modem uses about 20 watt hours, which amounts to 0.08 kWh a day. 


These three categories are the sources that were originally intended to be powered by a bicycle. According to these new calculations, the center would need to produce 1.025 to 1.137 kWh a day. It was previously determined that 0.25 kWh could be produced per hour of cycling on the bicycle. It is still unknown exactly how much energy would be lost during the conversion process, but for these calculations the energy loss has been calculated in at 50%. Therefore, only 0.125 kWh would be produced an hour. As a result, it would take 8.2 to 9.1 hours of cycling each each to produce the necessary amount of energy.

In addition to the above categories, the center also has a TV, printer, and refrigerator [1]. The specs for these appliances are unknown, so averages were used for the kWh calculations. An LCD TV uses 111 watt hours [5]. If the TV is used for four hours a day, this uses 0.444 kWh a day. An average laser printer uses 460 watt hours [6]. If the printer is on for 5 minutes a day, this amounts to 0.38 kWh a day. A 12 cubic foot refrigerator uses 240 watt hours [7]. If the refrigerator is run for 4 hours a day, it uses 0.96 kWh a day. This amounts to 1.784 kWh a day. 


Therefore, the total daily energy usage is 2.809 to 2.921 kWh. 


[1] Fertig, A. (2012, May 14). Available e-mail: Andrew.Fertig@gmail.com Message: Field Station Specs
[2] "Best Home LED Lighting." Internet: http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/led_floodlight, [16 May 2012].
[3] "Time Zone Guide: Equatorial Guinea." Internet: http://timezoneguide.com/sunrise-sunset-EquatorialGuinea-Malabo.html, [16 May 2012].
[4] "Energy Use Calculator." Internet: http://www.thesolarguide.com/calc.aspx, [1 May 2012].
[5] "TV Power Efficiency." Internet: http://reviews.cnet.com/green-tech/tv-power-efficiency/, [16 May 2012].
[6] "Computer Energy Usage Facts." Internet: http://computing.fs.cornell.edu/Sustainable/fsit_facts.cfm, [16 May 2012].
[7] "Watt Uses Watt." Internet: http://www.diversepower.com/watt_uses_watt.php, [16 May 2012].