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Planning and implementation model for distributed generation using renewable energy technologies and delivery of electricity services in remote villages
The project proposes to develop a model for integrated planning and implementation for village electrification programme in one of the selected states (from Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal or Orissa) in India incorporating following key components:
Access to energy services in rural areas is necessary for meeting the basic needs of the rural population, particularly by enabling them to generate income through micro-enterprise activities. Enhanced labor productivity, better conditions for health and education, and greater security are also seen as benefits afforded by provision of rural energy services, which together, can significantly raise living standards. This would serve to advance the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. At present, there are 80,000 villages in India that need to be provided with access to electricity. Out of these, 18,000 are remote and geographically inaccessible where grid extension is not economically viable. According to an estimate, about 65% of the households in electrified villages do not receive the benefits of electricity even now. This is both on account of inability of households to afford electricity connections and the inability of electricity utilities to provide connections and supply power. The net result is that at least 70-80 million rural households still depend on kerosene lamps to meet a basic need such as lighting. Distributed generation and supply of electricity using various renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, biomass and small hydro is a viable electrification option for such type of villages. However, there are enormous challenges in view of the daunting task of providing electricity services in the remote, geographically disadvantaged and economically most backward villages. These challenges range from an actual identification of the villages to ensuring people's participation during planning/implementation of the program, and include several others such as:
To summarize the above, the task of electrification of such remote villages requires a novel planning and implementation strategy that is village specific and takes into account local needs and resources. At the same time, it can be standardized for replication. The above hypothesis formulates the basis for the proposed methodology that incorporates a judicious mix of several tools and techniques such as rapid rural appraisals, exhaustive survey, modeling and simulation for several tasks that would be undertaken in a phased manner
European Research Network on the Social Dimension of Sustainable Development
The aim of this project is to mobilize cutting edge European scientific expertise to elaborate the social dimension of sustainable development as an integral part of comprehensive sustainability strategies. The project is based on the assumption that without a positive social perspective lack of acceptance and otherwise oriented preferences will prevent any radical environmental sustainability policies. The first objective of the project is to provide the scientific community with integrated concepts, and decision makers with criteria and indicators of social sustainability. The approach is transboundary, integrating so far unlinked experience in the member states into a European model. It is transdisciplinary, involving social sciences plus economics and ecology to permit integration of the results into the broader context set out by the EU sustainable development strategy. The concepts developed will be assessed and applied in a series of workshops involving scientific experts as well as major groups to apply the concepts derived to a number of key European policy areas covered by the Lisbon process. This application, as well as the discourse structure linked to it will help to assess the relevance and operational qualities of the concepts developed. Based on this experience they will be refined and indicators and reporting procedures developed. In the subsequent application phase, the concepts and indicators will be used to assess some core areas of EU politics, to demonstrate the value of the criteria developed for policy planning and assessment. Thus the project is relevant and timely, referring to policy integration and new models of governance as currently developed in the EU. As a result, criteria and indicators will be available to assess the social suitability not only of (environmental) sustainability proposals, thus providing the opportunity to optimize them in an early phase before public anger has developed, but as well for other (economic, research, agricultural etc.) policy measures suggested. The contribution of this exercise to IT research will be greatly enhanced by exchange with non-European research groups. On the one hand, intercultural discussions will provide the opportunity to better identify what is a globally acceptable principle, and what is specifically European (as opposed e.g. to Asian or US values and criteria). This provides a good basis for identifying global criteria and objectives, together with regional specifications and the appropriate strategies. For Europeans as for non-Europeans this provides the opportunity to strengthen simultaneously their own identity and the understanding of their discussion partners, thus contributing to the building of trust which might turn out to be useful in the next global environmental negotiations.
See the project page on the SERI website for more information.
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mail: Anna.Wieczorek@ivm.vu.nl
phone: +31 20 598 9504