This 2012 scoping study analyses aspects of contemporary work concerning village-level energy services in developing countries. African countries, particularly Ghana and Tanzania, and India are the primary geographical focus. The study also analyses social businesses and entrepreneurship in the area of sustainable off-grid energy provision. This study, carried out at the behest of the European …
This workshop was a two-day residential event featuring a combination of background briefings from local and international experts and entrepreneurs, together with Smart Villages team members on energy markets and provision in general, the off-grid sector in particular, the Smart Villages concept and perceived need, case studies of embryonic Smart Village projects and relevant technologies, …
This workshop was a two-day residential event featuring a combination of background briefings from local and international experts and entrepreneurs, together with Smart Villages team members on energy markets and provision in general, the off-grid sector in particular, the Smart Villages concept and perceived need, case studies of embryonic Smart Village projects and relevant technologies, …
In his maiden Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Modi took the opportunity to announce the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (Parliamentarian’s Model Village Scheme). Since coming into office, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wasted no time in pushing through reforms to modernize India’s economy. His speech stressed the importance of undertaking similar efforts in rural …
Three years of complementary funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) has just been confirmed by Smart Villages. The funding will help Smart Villages continue to explore technical, entrepreneurial and policy solutions for providing sustainable energy for development in off-grid rural communities. The project will now travel to Africa, Asia and Latin America to …
Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy sector can be improved to unlock a better life for its citizens. This report describes one of the most poorly understood parts of the global energy system, offers an authoritative study of its future prospects, broken down by fuel, sector and sub-region and shows how investment in the sub-Saharan energy sector can …
What is a ‘smart village? How can we ensure that people in rural villages have access to energy, connectivity, education and jobs? Hear from experts in the fields of energy, science, entrepreneurship and finance, including the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association, the Tanzania Academy of Science, Practical Action, Solar Aid, Global Village Energy Partnership, the Swedish …
Ahead of the next Smart Villages workshop focusing on the ASEAN region, we (Dr Heather Cruickshank and Molly Hurley-Depret) traveled to Manila to attend two recent conferences focusing on Asia and energy: the International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition (IOREC) and the Asia Clean Energy Forum 2014 (ACEF), held 16-20 June at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines. …
Off-grid energy takes centre stage at Asia conferences Read More »
The workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania from 2 to 5 June, 2014, was the first in the series of six major international workshops planned to be held in Africa, Asia and Latin America over the period 2014 to 2017 as a core component of the Smart Villages Initiative (www.e4sv.org). The organising partners for the Arusha workshop were the Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust …
WR2: Smart Villages in East Africa – Arusha Workshop Report Read More »
The workshop in Arusha explored the East African/Tanzanian environment for village energy, local case studies, challenges and opportunities, with a view to formulating policy recommendations for policymakers, funders, NGOs and other stakeholders the region. An important part of the workshop, and indeed the whole Smart Villages initiative work programme, was to gather evidence from existing projects that have provided …
Dr Jaideep Prabhu of the University of Cambridge describes ‘jugaad innovation’, “a frugal and flexible approach to innovation for the 21st century.” This type of innovation can provide affordable solutions for low-income communities and is also being adopted in the West. http://jugaadinnovation.com/
Last month, two members of the Smart Villages team, Dr Shailaja Fennell and Dr Terry van Gevelt, travelled to Hyderabad, India. Arriving in the early morning to the intense heat, the team was met by employees of SMAAT – a social enterprise focused on providing clean drinking water to urban slums and rural villages. After …
In this video, Dr Bernie Jones describes the aims of the Smart Villages workshop in Arusha in June 2014. The workshop aims to bring together leaders in the area of off-grid village energy, including poilcymakers, NGOs, entrepreneurs and other experts.
Dr Bernie Jones gives a brief overview of the aims of the Smart Villages initiative, particularly its focus on off-grid village energy in Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Dr Ernst van Groningen of the International Science Programme at Uppsala University discusses how several Swedish partners became involved in the Smart Villages initiative.
Dr John Holmes discusses the important role of the European Academies of Science in the Smart Villages initiative.
Dr Shailaja Fennell of the Centre for Development Studies (University of Cambridge) discusses why understanding rural communities needs and aspirations are crucial for improving rural development.
A recent article from Uganda reveals that one of the biggest questions facing rural communities around the world is how to build resilience to the increased uncertainty brought about by climate change. Small-scale agriculture is so often based on an unparalleled understanding of the seasons that has been honed over decades through an intimate relationship …
Prof Sir Colin Humphries, an expert at Cambridge University, discusses the great potential of ‘lifi’ for the developing world. As an alternative to wifi, which requires a lot of energy, lifi could bring internet access at a lower cost and use less energy. Timeline: approximately 5 years.
15 January 2014 The purpose of the workshop was to introduce the Cambridge Smart Villages Initiative (SVI) and bring together leading researchers in the UK to discuss the current landscape of energy production, use and efficiency in rural communities in developing countries, as well as scientific developments and technologies that might be influential over the …
Cambridge workshop report: New technologies for off-grid villages: a look ahead Read More »