Concerned about others

Former ESB power Generation engineer Daire Ó Broin is now one of the most important 'backroom boys' working for the overseas aid agency Concern.

The Clane-born 59-year-old plays a pivotal role in making sure that all of Concern's offices and stations in 30 countries across the world have a safe, reliable electricity supply to allow the charity to continue its humanitarian relief operations as effectively as possible carry out their humanitarian relief and development assistance.

After spending most of his career with ESB, Daire's new job takes him all over the world. Recently, he returned from Afghanistan where he was deeply moved by the genius of the local people in providing electricity to rural and isolated communities.

In the Afghan capital, Kabul, there is 'city power' supplied through large utility generators, but in the north of Afghanistan there is no utility electricity and people must generate their own supply.

"What I saw in Afghanistan has to be unique," said Daire. "Power is generated and supplied from small water-powered turbogenerators called MicroHydro generators. These range from turbines that look like old water wheels to more compact enclosed paddle-types. These machines may be horizontal or vertically mounted with load controlled by diverting water away from the paddles or at the entry to the water canal that feeds them.

"Many of these hydro schemes are assisted by US Aid and Concern acts as administrators of this funding and has also assisted with the design of many of these machines.

"The Afghans make the turbines themselves in local workshops and the generators are generally of Chinese origin. Much of the cable used in the distribution system comes from Iran.

"The output is generally between 20 and 100kws and there is no frequency or voltage control. The power is generally used in low power equipment such as lighting, TVs and telephone systems. Because of the voltage loss in low voltage systems such as these, the maximum distance from any of the supply source to its destination is always short. It really has opened my eyes and it is so ingenious.

"In one installation I saw the gearbox and other bits and pieces, from old Russian tanks used to couple a generator and turbine which had a wheel from an old cereal grinding mill. Technology used thousands of years ago to grind corn is being used today to generate electricity!" This year Concern is spending €4.6 million in humanitarian and development aid in Afghanistan.