In 2021, EUROSOLAR Russia, in partnership with NSIA and the Russian Energy Agency of the Ministry of Energy of Russia, designed and implemented a project of a mobile solar plant for the Northwest Archaeological Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum. This cooperation was the first joint project after the signing of the Cooperation Agreement at the RENWEX-2021 exhibition in June 2021. Read more about the idea of this collaboration, the tasks the developers had to solve and changes in the expedition camp after the plant installation.
The Northwest Archaeological Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum, which is currently excavating the monument called Serteya II, has been studying Neolithic settlements located in the Pskov and Smolensk regions for more than forty years. Over this time, the archaeologists located more than a hundred monuments dating back to the 4th—2nd millennium BC. Many of the discovered artifacts can be now seen in the halls of the permanent exhibition of the State Hermitage Museum.
Photo: State Hermitage Museum, 2019
Excavations take place in Velizh district, in peat fields along the banks of the Serteika River. The expedition camp is located in the forest, at a distance from the settlements. Every year, in summer, a group of archaeologists and volunteers lives in conditions close to camping during 5—6 weeks. Until this year, a diesel electric generator was used for daily charging of equipment that is used in work — a tachymeter, walkie-talkies, a camera, a quadcopter. It also charged all personal cell phones (and the number of expedition participants during the peak season can reach 50 people), several laptops and a projector, which is needed for the evening lectures for students and volunteers. The disadvantages of such a solution are obvious: noise and exhaust in the camp, where restorers work during the day, and people who have come from the excavation site have to rest in the evening; and the need to purchase and bring fuel.
«I met Georgy Kekelidze at the Faculty of Economics of the Moscow State University, just as I was preparing for the 2021 excavation season as an expedition volunteer. From him, I learned about the experience of developing solar panel solutions for remote settlements, where diesel generators are the main source of electricity. It reminded me of the situation on archaeological expeditions, in particular on Serteya. This is how the idea of the collaboration came about.» Svetlana Biryukova, volunteer of the Northwest Archaeological Expedition
The technical solution was developed by NSIA Energy. To calculate the characteristics of the station, the company representatives requested the technical characteristics of the equipment used in the expedition and, on the basis of this information, estimated the required power of the station (2.4 kW) and the capacity of the batteries.
«To estimate technical characteristics of the plant, we use software that takes into account the maximum number of influencing factors: the level of solar insolation at a given point, the angle of inclination and orientation of photovoltaic modules, the required load power and battery capacity.» Sergei Novikov, Commercial Director at NSIA
When implementing the project, it was important to take into account several specific requirements.
Firstly, it is the need to ensure the compactness and mobility of the plant. All expeditionary equipment is stored in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage's restoration and storage center, and must be transported annually to the excavation site and back. This means that the construction must be strong and at the same time as light as possible, so that it can be transported without organizing any special transport.
«For the production of the station, we used a lightweight aluminum support structure, which was modified taking into account the design features of the power plant. The project also used solar modules made of high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cells based on PERC full square technology, which guarantees reliability and increased performance in the most adverse weather conditions. The solar module manufacturer's warranty lasts 25 years.» Sergei Novikov, Commercial Director at NSIA
Secondly, the plant should be easy to install and operate. The support structure developed for field conditions and specially recorded video instructions allowed the expedition members to independently install and put the station into use in less than 4 hours.
«We understood what operating conditions the power plant must withstand. The solution of these problems is interesting from the point of view of their originality and the need to create a unique and most practical design. We have experience in working with autonomous systems, so the main task that had to be solved was the development of a convenient supporting structure. Due to the small number of constituent elements, the structure can be quickly assembled and installed at almost any location. Batteries, which have the largest weight among the components of the system, also act as weights and allow to stably position the power plant without any additional elements.» Sergei Novikov, Commercial Director at NSIA
The plant was delivered to the expedition camp and donated to the head of the Northwest Archaeological Expedition at the beginning of the excavation season, in July. The installation process of the plant was filmed.
«Honestly, waiting for delivery and solving logistic issues with representatives of the carrier company took much more of our time and effort than installing the plant. Very concise and useful design.» Svetlana Biryukova, volunteer of the Northwest Archaeological Expedition
The installation of the plant made it possible to completely abandon the use of a diesel generator in the 2021 season. On cloudy days, the panels, albeit at a slower rate, charged the batteries, and the accumulated energy reserve made it possible to use all the necessary equipment in the regular mode. As the members of the expedition note, this has significantly changed the living conditions in the field camp.
«After a hard day's work — physical and accompanied by the noise of equipment, pump motors — everyone wants to relax a little in the camp, listen to the sounds of a pine forest or silence. But you need to charge the tachymeter, computer, and telephone to communicate with the mainland. The solar plant has returned us urban comfort and the opportunity to have a good rest after a working day.» Andrei Mazurkevich, Head of the Northwest Archaeological Expedition
Since the weather was very sunny on the territory of the Smolensk region in July 2021, even with the intensive use of the plant, the energy reserve was enough for all the needs of the expedition, and even allowed to introduce some novelties.
«This year we were able to connect a pump and a washbasin from the plant, to illuminate the cooking and dining area in the evening, and it eased the work in the kitchen. At the peak of the season this year, there were more than 30 people in the camp, and the ability to collect water for kitchen needs without going to the river with tanks several times a day is really great» Svetlana Zazhigina, cook at the Northwest Archaeological Expedition
This partnership is an interesting experience in the development of a customized solution, which made it possible to solve a specific applied problem in an environmentally friendly and technological way, taking into account a large number of specific parameters. We are glad to have such an experience.
«The project is interesting from the point of view of its possible scaling. It is very important for us to get feedback from the expedition members on operational issues. Based on this experience, we will be able to make the necessary changes in the design and installation scheme and make the use of such systems a worthy alternative to the usual "mobile" diesel power plants» Sergei Novikov, Commercial Director at NSIA