Inveneo

The Low-Power Advantage

Over time the cost of ICT equipment, e.g. computers, networking and storage, has fallen continuously at the same time as the cost of conventional electric power sources has stayed constant or risen. For rural deployments in particular, the cost of fuel needed to generate electricity with typical small generators has gone up considerably.

The cost comparisons charts and tables in this document clearly show that it is virtually always a lot less expensive to purchase ICT equipment (especially low-power-consuming computers), than to accept "free" or donated PCs. Organizations considering rural deployments should therefore make efficiency and low power consumption top priorities when comparing available solutions.

Below are a set of diagrams that demonstrate in each scenario (Solar/Grid/Generator) how these cost advantages add up for a computer lab in a school, a internet cafe or a community ICT center.

Download PDF document of total TCO for Inveneo.
(604kb .pdf).




Notes
5-year Total Cost of Operation (TCO) is the cumulative cost from installation throughout the first 5 years of a facility's operation, and it includes these factors:

  1. Original capital cost of computers
  2. Original capital cost of power equipment, including generator, wiring, protection devices, batteries, chargers, inverters, solar panels, mounting, labor etc.
  3. Ongoing monthly operating costs, such as maintenance, generator fuel, or (for AC grid source) power company charges per KW/Hr.

Power cost comparisons are based on these assumptions:

  • Solar panels cost= $6.00/Watt (installed)
  • Deep-cycle batteries cost= $2.00/AmpHour
  • AC Grid power cost= $0.20/KWHour
  • Generator capital cost= $500.00/KW of capacity
  • Generator fuel cost= $1.50/liter
  • Fuel consumption= 0.59 liters/KW/hour

Note: Replacement cost of batteries, or any other component that might fail, is not included in TCO in these calculations.
All costs are calculated in US Dollars.