Feasibility Analysis of a Pico-Scale Turgo Turbine Bucket using Coconut Shell Spoons for Electricity Generation in Remote Areas in Indonesia

Abstract

Until 2018, 1396 villages in Indonesia, deemed as remote areas, still did not have access to the national grid electricity. To resolve this issue, the use of independent power plants is an appropriate solution. The use of a pico-scale Turgo turbine, which is an independent power plant, is recommended in Indonesia due to its mini-, micro-, and pico-scale water energy potential of 19 GW. As the Turgo turbine is intended for use in remote areas, the use of local materials, e.g., coconut shells, is proposed as the bucket material. From static compressive strength tests revealed that the maximum pressure points a coconut shell proportional to the water pressure with a potential power of 3300 W. The size of a coconut shell spoon, which is not uniform, can be overcome by its curvature angle. The curvature angle represents the relative angle of the incoming and outgoing jets, while this is a represents of the depth and length of the spoon. Thus, to ensure the performance of the Turgo turbine under maximum conditions, the curvature angle of the coconut shell spoon is ~90°. Moreover, the total efficiency of the turbine is 34.94%, with a possibility of reaching higher values.