10 August 2010
Drawing on consultants worldwide, BIC has created a series of documents laying out successful renewable energy projects and the lessons that can be learned from them. The models cover Mexico, Indonesia, Southern Africa, and Central Asia.
These models will serve as an example for the World Bank and other financers for how to invest in energy in the developing world. The examples prove that renewables can be profitable, effective, and widespread. All that is missing is the proper investment.
In Central Asia, where geography has created great potential for hydroelectric power, the recent trend has been to talk about large dams as a once size fits all solution. Experience tells that large hydropower can cause devastating ecological effects, displace local populations, and create political tensions between upstream and downstream countries. On the other hand, several micro hydropower projects have proven successful at bringing electricity to rural communities without the need for the same infrastructure a grid based technology would need. Similarly, small wind power and solar dryers allow underdeveloped communities the benefits of energy access with without many of the commonly cited costs.
Geography also plays a major role in energy access in Indonesia. As an archipelago, Indonesia doesn't have a single "grid" to speak of, and outlying islands rely on liquid fuels such as kerosene for many uses, an expensive and possibly dangerous habit. Two projects in Indonesia show how community led projects can lead to great successes, allowing previously energy poor communities to in fact become exporters of energy, and how investment in technologies like cleaner stoves can easily improve health as well as livelihoods.
Mexico already has significant access to energy through their own oil reserves. However, as these reserves dwindle prices will rise, severly impacting access for the country's many poor households. Furthermore, marginalized populations such as those on the edges of cities and indigenous groups still do not have access to electricity or the myriad benefits it can bring. The best practices model looks into Mexico's massive potential for solar and wind power, as well as several projects that have brought services such as water treatment to houses with renewable power.
Integrating many of the above themes together, the Southern Africa model looks into 11 different projects, their level of stakeholder participation, their environmental impact, and how they can be replicated. Like the other models, this document finds that stakeholder involvement combined with the appropriate technology can create sustainable, effective, and affordable energy access for the poorest of the poor.
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Sustainable energy solutions in Central Asia
Sustainable energy solutions in Indonesia
Sustainable energy solutions in Mexico
Sustainable energy solutions in southern Africa