Showing papers on "Rural electrification published in 2008"

The impact of electricity : development, desires and dilemmas

Abstract: List of illustrations Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction Towards an anthropology of energy Addressing development Research questions The choice of an untypical village Electricity matters What sort of good is electricity? Fieldwork and ethical considerations Learning 'the art of conversation' An outline of the book Chapter 2: Powers of the past The people and the place The colonial period The post-revolution era Chapter 3: The Rural Electrification Project (RUREL) Objectives: improve health facilities, create modern villagers and ensure Zanzibar's future income The impact of international environmental discourses Political difficulties: the project interrupted Public services dramatically improved Household connections, tourism and productivity A summary of the immediate effects of electricity's arrival Chapter 4: Electrifying Uroa Uroa becomes connected The significance of a meal A passion for meetings Women's limited role in the process Creativity and capability - participation practised The limits to local control Finding equivalence Explaining conflict and resistance Development as a political matter Chapter 5: Discourses of development Unreliable markets The generation of money in Uroa Education as an icon of development Religious, modern Zanzibar Television Zanzibar (TVZ) Towards increasing difference Chapter 6: The electricity company in the village Linked to the developed world Entering private space Measuring proper behaviour Payment time: humbleness and resistance The consumption of electricity: a high awareness of the cost Problems caused by the accounting system Disconnection Striving to behave like modern customers Chapter 7: Uroa by night Light as a marker of power The aesthetics of darkness Security light Demographic changes, men, and their houses Speeding up life - consequence and ideal? Uroa transformed Chapter 8: Introducing objects of desire Strategies for obtaining electrical appliances Women's wealth Explaining women's exclusion from the ownership of appliances Putting yourself at risk Normalisation: balancing equality and difference Chapter 9: Reorganising interior space Relaxing in Uroa The home as a stage Reorganising space and social relationships Encapsulating the family Chapter 10: Negotiating tastes in food Cooking with electricity Zanzibari tastes Food as a social marker A cook's technologies and concerns Taste and conflicting discourses Food and body Tastes at rest, tastes in flux Chapter 11: Electricity makes a difference What does electricity promise? Electric networks in their creation Electrification and human well-being Environmentally sustainable development Are kinship relations losing significance? Negotiating gender relationships Electrified worries and the need to get in control 'You don't tell someone with a bike to buy himself a car!' Glossary of Swahili terms Bibliography References Reports Archival sources (Zanzibar National Archives) Index

Microgrids — an integration of renewable energy technologies

Abstract: Microgrids may be a prospective power system that addresses the renewable energy technologies (RET) accompanying necessary growing deployment of distributed energy resources (DER), especially small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) and small-scale renewable energy sources (RES). This article introduces the RET expected to be applied in the microgrids system depending on the RES. The RET include: microturbines, fuel cells, photovoltaic cells, solar thermal arrays, and wind turbines installations, also, the storage, load control, power and voltage regulation and heat recovery units need to be grouped together into microgrids. Furthermore, several installations engaged in active experiments in the microgrid area around the world are introduced. The microgrids can meet the cost, efficiency, and environmental benefits; and the demanding requirements for security, quality, reliability, and availability (SQRA) benefits of on-site generation, achieved by incorporating modern controls and operating with a degree of autonomy. Market acceptability of DER technologies and the gradual and consistent increase in their depth of penetration have generated significant interest in integration, controls, and optimal operation of DER units in the context of microgrids. The development of the microgrid based on the distributed generation together with the opportunities offered by renewables, could have a major effect on the way rural electrification is approached, not only in electrified countries but also in developing countries.

Poverty, energy, and resource use in developing countries: focus on Africa.

Abstract: Energy poverty affects poor communities and poor nations far more severely, and more directly, than in developed nations. Poor rural communities are particularly vulnerable, and the poor globally spend by far the largest percentage of income on energy. To make matters worse, record-high oil prices combined with sharp decline in foreign exchange earnings are key processes influencing the energy sector in Africa. These increases cause tremendous local hardships, but can be used to steer development decisions toward renewable energy technologies. At the same time, breaking up of public monopolies and liberalizing generation and distribution provides an opportunity for a new approach to rural electrification. Given the right incentives and institutional framework, a new set of players (e.g., private entrepreneurs, cooperatives, nongovernmental organizations, and communities) are likely to emerge and dominate reformed rural electricity markets in the future. Through technological and institutional “leap-frogging,” Africa stands to gain significantly by augmenting current initiatives with experience and lessons recently gained in South Asia and Latin America. In these regions, a number of remarkable recent strides to seed and grow rural electricity markets while stimulating and encouraging private investments. Examples of innovative regulatory tools to address poverty include licensing, standards and guidelines, metering, tariffs, transmission charges, and performance-based contracting for energy services.

Operational guidance for World Bank Group staff : designing sustainable off-grid rural electrification projects - principles and practices

Abstract: This note is organized into three sections: (a) a context and background section, summarizing the rationale for off-grid electrification and its complementarity with grid-extension investment; (b) a discussion of critical factors in project design, analyzed by technology choice, social safeguards and environmental considerations, opportunities for productivity and institutional applications, affordability, appropriate business models, regulatory actions, and opportunities for international co-financing; and (c) guidelines for off-grid project designers.

Social Multicriteria Evaluation of Conflict over Rural Electrification and Solar Energy in Spain

Abstract: A case study is presented with two objectives: (i) to give a clear and simple illustration of social multicriteria evaluation in the field of rural renewable-energy policy, and (ii) to help in unde...

Environmental Implications of Renewable Distributed Generation Technologies in Rural Electrification

Abstract: Customer choices and competition have led the electric utilities to undergo major regulatory and technological changes while power sector reform continues. A part of this change also originates from the rapid emergence of viable small-scale distributed generation (DG) sources that are highly competitive with grid-delivered electricity in the isolated areas. In this article, the cost-effectiveness of renewable DG sources (i.e., photovoltaics, small-scale wind turbines, and biomass gasifiers) are assessed and compared with centralized generation for the case of a rural and isolated island in the western state of India using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER), developed and provided by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The model identifies a least cost set of various DG and centralized grid capacities and ranks them based on a life cycle cost. The adoption of DG technologies (especially wind and biomass gasifiers) provide no-regret options with signific...

The Status and Constraints of Solar Photovoltaic Energy Development in Tanzania

Abstract: Tanzania is facing energy problems and since the provision of commercial energy will remain limited for some time to come, largely for technical and economic reasons, cost effective renewable energy technologies (RETs) are considered as an option for improving the access to energy services. Solar photovoltaic (PV) is regarded by the government as one of the potential RETs for providing basic electricity. Solar PV development in Tanzania is not sustainable because it is mainly donor/non-governmental organization driven. Substantial amounts of investment in solar PV technology development have not produced significant impact on the level of rural electrification in Tanzania, which is roughly 1%. The major barriers to the utilization of solar PV are the high cost of solar PV systems, low purchasing power, and limited application of PV technology for powering enterprising activities. Renewable energy strategy that is focused on a diverse set of technologies with a major objective of powering income-g...

Does Allocation of Public Spending Matter in Poverty Reduction? Evidence from Thailand*

Abstract: The present paper uses a panel dataset to estimate the marginal returns to different types of government expenditure on agricultural growth and rural poverty reduction in Thailand. The study finds that additional government spending on agricultural research provides the largest return in terms of agricultural productivity and has the second largest impact on rural poverty reduction. Increased investment in rural electrification has the largest poverty reduction impact, mainly through improved nonfarm employment. Rural education has the third largest impact on both productivity and poverty reduction. Irrigation has a positive impact on agricultural productivity, but regional variation is considerable. Government spending on rural roads has no significant impact on agricultural productivity and its poverty reduction impact ranks last among all investment alternatives considered. Additional investment in the Northeast Region has a greater impact on poverty reduction than in other regions.

From açaí to access: distributed electrification in rural Brazil

Abstract: Purpose – To rigorously examine success and failure in the use of small scale technologies for rural electrificationDesign/methodology/approach – Semi‐structured primary field interviews plus secondary sourcesFindings – Business model differences and influence of institutions important are important for understanding success and failure in rural electrification and the contribution rural electrification can play in rural developmentResearch limitations/implications – Data on the entire universe of distributed electrification efforts are unavailable This highlights the need for better documentation of energy activities in rural areasPractical implications – The development of new policies to guide rural electrification towards more sustainable and development enhancing outcomesOriginality/value – Prior studies have taken an ad hoc approach to study previous projects and suffer from case selection bias since their scope is limited in geography (one country, region or even village), technology (only PV

Applications of Solar PV on Rural Development in Bangladesh

Abstract: This paper focuses on the prospects and problems for application of Solar PV (photovoltaic) on rural development in Bangladesh. Few private entrepreneurs, REB (Rural Electrification Board), LGED (Local Government Engineering Department) and few NGOs are working for installation of Solar PV in rural Bangladesh for meeting the basic energy needs. The application of PV technology for rural electrification is indirectly increasing the income as well as the living standard of rural poor. There is also positive linkage between application of solar PV and meeting the objectives of MDGs. The basic applied forms of Solar PV in rural Bangladesh are SHS (Solar Home System) and Micro-Utility (electrification of rural markets). Feedback from the users of the systems indicates that solar energy based electricity has been providing very satisfactory service to the consumers.

Ethanol Policy: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract: I. INTRODUCTION Corn ethanol is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, with production growing from about 175 million gallons in the early 1980s to almost 6.5 billion gallons in 2007. (1) This remarkable growth rate has benefited farmers by pushing corn and other agricultural commodity prices to near-record highs (2) and has stimulated economic activity in rural areas. Besides benefiting the farm sector, many U.S consumers find ethanol appealing for its environmental attributes and because it is made from domestic resources, not imported oil from the Middle East. However, ethanol is beginning to draw attention from critics arguing that using corn for ethanol is driving up world food prices and that further growth could result in land use expansion (e.g., cultivating land in rain forests) that would be harmful to the environment. (3) There are other factors behind ethanol's remarkable growth rate, but the ethanol industry owes much of its success to government policies and regulations. The early development of the U.S. ethanol industry was sparked by government policy; the recent expansion in ethanol plant capacity can be directly linked to government regulations; and the future of ethanol will greatly depend on continued government support. The three primary motivations behind government support for ethanol are environmental, energy independence, and rural development. Ethanol initially entered the U.S. fuel market as a replacement for lead additives to gasoline, which were being phased out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the 1970s. (4) The 1970s was also a time of gasoline shortages caused by political unrest in the Middle East, and for the first time policymakers began to think about alternatives to petroleum fuel. Policymakers began to look to the U.S. agricultural sector as a source of energy supply, which had the ability to turn corn and other crops into renewable fuels. There was also interest in creating a new market for farmers who suffered from persistently low commodity prices caused by frequent crop surpluses. (5) While ethanol has many desirable characteristics, it often has a higher production cost compared to gasoline. (6) In addition, the potential supply of ethanol made from corn is very limited relative to the size of the gasoline market, (7) so ethanol has primarily been used in the United States as a fuel additive that is blended with gasoline at a level between five and ten percent. Because of its high octane and oxygen content, ethanol began to establish a role as an octane additive to replace lead in gasoline in the late 1970s. (8) In order to encourage more investment in the fledgling ethanol industry, ethanol production received its first tax credit in 1978. (9) Ethanol advocates argued that government support for ethanol was justified because it provided public benefits in terms of reduced air pollution, enhanced energy security, and economic growth in rural areas. Since the private sector generally lacks direct price incentives to provide public goods, (10) it is the government's role to provide energy security, a clean environment, and economic opportunity to all citizens. Government support for increasing energy production and developing an energy infrastructure has a long history in the United States. As early as 1902, the Reclamation Act provided hydroelectric power in many areas of the West. (11) The Tennessee Valley Authority increased energy production in the Mid-South. (12) The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 helped finance rural electrification. (13) The early development of the U.S. oil and gas industries benefited from federal energy tax policies that encouraged increasing domestic oil and gas reserves and production. (14) The purpose of this paper is fourfold: (1) to provide a comprehensive review of ethanol policy over past thirty years; (2) to describe the convergence of energy policy with agricultural policy via the enactment of the 2002 Farm Bill; (15) (3) to review new and proposed energy legislation aimed at increasing ethanol production; and (4) to look at the effect ethanol policy has had on ethanol production, energy security, agricultural and energy markets, and the environment. …

Success factors for the effective implementation of renewable energy options for rural electrification in India–Potentials of the CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM

Abstract: Developing countries as well as international development assistance have for a long time aspired to combat energy poverty in rural areas of developing countries. However, until now a major part of national and international public and private attempts to provide affordable and stable energy supply have failed due to various economic, political, social and institutional obstacles. This situation is reflected in case of India where in comparison with other South Asian states the status of rural electrification and of energy supply are in a dismal state despite the promotion of renewable energy and rural electrification as early as from the 1960s. Embedded in the global context of the international climate change regime, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol has now emerged as a new option to facilitate investment in climate change mitigating projects. In this respect, promoting the deployment of renewable energy through this project-based mechanism opens new avenues for rural electrification. The main objective of this paper is, hence, to examine the context conditions and factors determining the effective application of renewable energy options for rural electrification in a developing country context, namely India. Understanding contextual requirements for renewable energy investment has proved imminently important in order to appreciate the potentials provided by new market-based mechanisms such as the CDM for rural poverty alleviation. Comparative political science case study research methods are applied to the analysis of CDM biomass projects in the context of the four Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. This allows for the conclusion that socio-political and historic framework conditions matter for the implementation of new renewable energy options.

Economics of upgrading swer distribution systems

Abstract: This paper reports on the various means by which single wire earth return (SWER) distribution systems may be upgraded, comparing the various limits that are associated with each method and the economic costs of its deployment. An existing overloaded SWER system, Mistake Creek North in Central Queensland - Australia, has been used as a concrete example. Conclusions are drawn about the appropriateness of each method and recommendations are made.

Renewable technologies for rural electrification in Colombia: a multiple objective approach

Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to present preliminary results from an integrated evaluation of electricity supply systems for rural areas using renewable energy technologies by means of a multi‐objective decision making methodDesign/methodology/approach – Goal programming is applied to obtain the optimal system configuration meeting the electricity demand, based on the location's resource availability and taking diesel generation as the alternative of reference. The performance of the system is evaluated through four attributes: electricity generation costs, employment and two environmental impacts (CO2 emissions and land use). The model is designed for isolated rural area belonging to the non‐interconnected zones of Colombia.Findings – Application of the method showed that biomass conversion technology has the highest potential and that renewable energy systems offer better performance than diesel generation. Reductions of more than 10 percent in unit electricity costs, land use rates and CO2 emissions can be...

Expandable hybrid systems for multi-user mini-grids

Abstract: Village electrification represents a high potential market for hybrid power systems. Many stand-alone diesel units are powering mini-grids all around the world and could be retrofitted with renewable power generators and battery storage units. Small hybrid power systems have proven to be a cost-effective solution for powering single user applications. However, in the case of multi-user mini-grids, there is a need for new research developments in order to achieve higher system sustainability. Within the frame of the EU funded project “Mini-Grid Kit”, innovative solutions are presented concerning energy and demand management systems. The new concepts are integrated in two modular hybrid power plant products, the centralised DC-bus system TApS-Centralita from the company Trama Tecnoambiental S.L. and the distributed AC-bus system Sunny Island and Sunny Boy family from the company SMA Regelsysteme GmbH.

Rural electrification sustainability indicators : - Manual for field workers

Abstract: Despite a large number of rural electrification projects being implemented in developing countries, there are few published in-depth evaluations of the effects of these projects on sustainable deve ...

Enhancing the livelihoods of the rural poor through ICT : a knowledge map - Bangladesh country study

Abstract: Livelihood analysis is deeply rooted at the micro level, where individuals, families, households and groups create their own coping strategies within a context of vulnerability. The vulnerability of the rural poor is determined by multiple influences related to trends, shocks and seasonality concerning economic, social, political, geographical, and natural resource factors. Vulnerability can increase owing to lack of access to resources, weak economic integration and climatic problems, factors which are often exacerbated by ineffective governance, lack of economic opportunities, social exclusion, conflict, discrimination, and lack of voice for the poor. Vulnerability can also decrease when trends move in directions that are favorable to the poor. Information can play two key roles in reducing the vulnerability of the poor: i) an analytical role in assessing the vulnerability context; and ii) communicating such information to those who can act upon it. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to improve rural livelihoods and expand a range of knowledge bases for the rural poor in Bangladesh. ICTs can improve capacity and efficacy both for the rural poor and for institutions engaged in improving rural livelihoods. Institutional systems can act directly and indirectly to ensure the well-being of the poor: through direct physical assistance which may have a visible impact on vulnerability and through dissemination of information which has an influence in terms of improving livelihoods.

Electric consumption in SHSs in rural communities of Brazil and Peru and recommendations for sizing

Abstract: The lack of data records of electric power consumption of small photovoltaic home systems, independently of the method used for sizing them, drives to consider the demand as a constant. However, the existing data reveal the variability of the consumption due to the influences of some social, cultural and psychosocial aspects of the human groups. This paper presents records of consumption data obtained from several solar home systems (SHSs) in Brazil and Peru, and it discusses about the Gamma distribution function that can express to a great extent the behaviour of the demand. By this analysis it was verified that ‘a lot of people consume little and few people consume a lot’. In that sense, a few recommendations for sizing procedures that can be useful in the implantation of extensive programmes of rural electrification by SHSs are presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rural poverty reduction in Northeast Brazil : achieving results through community-driven development

Abstract: Over the past two decades, Brazil has been employing a very innovative community-driven development (CDD) approach to reducing rural poverty in its Northeast region. These efforts began with a relatively small pilot in the late 1980s, which was then extended to the entire Northeast region in the early 1990s. Emboldened by early results on the ground, the state and Federal governments have since continued to steadily scale up this CDD program, known in Brazil as the Programa de Combate a Pobreza Rural (PCPR, or by its English acronym of RPRP, Rural Poverty Reduction Program), to the point where it is now reaching some 11 million people. The process has been one of continual piloting, refinement and expansion, underpinned by very active monitoring and evaluation efforts by the government itself, the World Bank as the primary external partner, foreign and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academics.

Another Look at Renewables on India's Sagar Island

Abstract: Much existing literature champions renewables implementation on India’s Sagar Island as an unqualified rural electrification success story. Photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems put in place by the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) have clearly brought benefits to many of the island’s residents. The Sagar Island experience identifies some deeper liabilities of the business model guiding the renewables projects. Two of the ostensible strengths of the Sagar Island implementation – the harmonious tariff collection associated with community management and the resources, competence, and assertiveness of WBREDA itself – can at the same time be considered weaknesses limiting the scope, sustainability, and replicability of the projects. This working paper considers these questions through a case study of a typical Sagar Island facility, the Mritunjoynagar PV power plant. For WBREDA and other agencies to sustain and replicate similar projects—and their attendant benefits—throughout India, they must adjust their economic model, as WBREDA is beginning to implicitly acknowledge in exploring a franchise model for future efforts. [PESD WP 77]

Simulating the impact of design-stage uncertainties on pv array energy output estimation

Abstract: A number of South African photovoltaic- based rural electrification projects have experienced problems, which in retrospect can be ascribed to a failure by decision makers to acknowledge the inherent design- stage project uncertainties. PV array energy output estimation is a typical uncertainty. This paper reports on the results of a modeling and simulation process that explored the impact of various factors on the accuracy of PV energy estimation software like HOMER and RETScreen. The process explores the impact of 1) weather data measurement interval, 2) synth esized instead of measured diffuse irradiation, 3) tilted surface diffuse irradiation models, and 4) PV array electrical performance models. A MATLAB -based software package, SunSim, was developed for this research. SunSim is capable of mirroring the methodologies used by HOMER and RETScreen, while also offering a 'best-case' methodology as a baseline for comparison. This 'best case' methodology uses 5-minute weather data as input, the Perez tilted surface diffuse model (recommended for South African conditions), and Sandia's King PV array performance model. Conclusions are reached that make explicit the impact of certain uncertainties on PV energy estimations. By informing decision makers of these impacts, the probability of success of rural electrification projects in South Africa is increased.

Maximizing the productive uses of electricity to increase the impact of rural electrification programs : an operational methodology

Abstract: Rural electrification programs are generally motivated by the effective and lasting impacts that they are expected to generate in the field. While there may be some natural trickle down effect from the massive investments required to reach high rates of rural electrification, spontaneous positive effects on social and economic development are generally limited by a number of local bottlenecks. Two of the most important deterrents to the productive uses of electricity are the lack of technical knowledge and skills of potential users and the financial means to acquire the relevant equipment. This paper argues that to be successful, rural electrification programs should target direct impact on livelihoods and revenue generation beyond the provision of connections and kilowatt-hours by implementing electricity projects that affect livelihoods and generate new revenues.

Approaches to Using Renewable Energy in Rural Areas of China

Abstract: The Chinese Government has made strong policy commitments to expand the use of renewable energy systems in rural electrification as a means of achieving sustainable development. International experience has shown that there are technical, social, cultural, institutional and economic barriers to the deployment of renewable energy systems and, thus, to their ability to contribute to the development goals of the community over the long term. This paper aims to identify promising approaches for overcoming these barriers in the context of rural China. It includes (a) a literature review of key renewable energy projects in rural China1, (b) a comparison of the lessons learnt from renewable energy rural electrification programs in other countries, (c) an assessment of the contribution of these projects to our understanding of renewable energy projects in rural areas.