Author's posts
May 12 2014
Smart Villages: Learn about our initiative
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.
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/smart-villages-learn-initiative/
May 12 2014
Swedish involvement in the Smart Villages initiative
Dr Ernst van Groningen of the International Science Programme at Uppsala University discusses how several Swedish partners became involved in the Smart Villages initiative.
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/swedish-involvement-smart-villages-initiative/
May 12 2014
The role of the European Academies of Science in Smart Villages
Dr John Holmes discusses the important role of the European Academies of Science in the Smart Villages initiative.
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/role-european-academies-science-smart-villages/
May 12 2014
Why rural communities matter
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.
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/rural-communities-matter/
May 05 2014
Mobile phones increase farmer resilience
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/mobile-phones-increase-farmer-resilience/
Apr 29 2014
Off-grid Village Energy Workshop – Arusha, Tanzania 2-5 June 2014
From 2-5 June 2014, the Smart Villages initiative will hold its First Workshop on Off-grid Village Energy in Arusha, Tanzania. The workshop in Arusha will explore 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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/smart-villages-workshop-arusha-tanzania-2-5-june-2014/
Apr 15 2014
What is the Smart Villages initiative?
The Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre at Cambridge (MCSC), Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust (CMEDT) and the European Academies Science Advisory Council (www.easac.eu) are undertaking a study of sustainable energy for villages ‘off-grid’ in Africa, Asia and Latin America called “Smart Villages.” The concept of the ‘smart village’ is that energy access acts as a catalyst for development – …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/smart-villages-initiative/
Mar 27 2014
New technologies for off-grid villages?
The Smart Villages initiative held a workshop in Cambridge, UK, on 15 January 2014 to bring together leading UK researchers to discuss emerging technologies for the sustainable production and use of energy in rural communities in developing countries, and to take a ‘look ahead’ at scientific developments and technologies that might be influential over the …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/new-technologies-grid-villages/
Mar 03 2014
“Lifi” – a breakthrough technology for off-grid villages
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.
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/1101/
Mar 03 2014
New report: Trade crucial to off-grid energy in developing countries
What effect does trade policy have on sustainable energy in developing countries? Madhavan Nampoothiri and Hari Manoharan argue that trade policy has a substantial impact on developing countries’ ability to access “sustainable energy goods”, such as solar panels, solar lanterns and other useful equipment for off-grid villages in their recent report, International Trade and Access to Sustainable Energy: …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/new-report-trade-crucial-grid-energy-developing-countries/
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/cambridge-workshop-report-new-technologies-for-off-grid-villages-a-look-ahead/
Feb 26 2014
“To give people electricity, to me, is like giving them medicine”
The Africa-EU Energy Partnership recently held its Second High Level Meeting and, according to SciDev.net (“Africa awaits an energy revolution”), the discussions in the corridors are focusing on off-grid energy, a welcome development. Coordination and partnerships were chief concerns among industry leaders and policymakers alike. Bringing energy to rural areas of developing can have positive impacts on …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/give-people-electricity-like-giving-medicine/
Feb 26 2014
Woman farmer: Land ownership in Africa “the preserve of men”
On the surface, the facts are startling. According to Farming First, a coalition of farmers, engineers, scientists and industry, women[lightbox full=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiban/6866495548/”][/lightbox] constitute up to 80% of Africa’s smallholder farmers and are produce around 90% of its food. Key issues in the northern Ugandan context, the focus of the article published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, relate to issues of …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/men-grow-tobacco-drinking-money-women-feed-families/
Feb 26 2014
Innovative off-grid engineering in motion
A recent article in the Guardian (“Bright ideas for the developing world: cheaper, superior lighting design“) has highlighted the emerging realization that technology works best when suited to the local context and more often than not, it is the innovative end- user in developing countries who ingeniously adapts off-the-shelf technology. This understanding has transformed the efforts of simple …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/innovative-grid-engineering-motion/
Feb 18 2014
WR1: Cambridge Forward Look Workshop Report
The purpose of the workshop was to bring together leading UK researchers to discuss emerging technologies for the sustainable production and use of energy in rural communities in developing countries, and to take a ‘look ahead’ at scientific developments and technologies that might be influential over the next 10 – 20 years. It was held …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/cambridge-workshop-report/
Jan 15 2014
[:en]Offgrid Energy Forward Look Workshop[:es]Cambridge Forward Look Workshop[:fr]Cambridge Forward Look Workshop[:]
[:en]The purpose of the workshop was to bring together leading UK researchers to discuss emerging technologies for the sustainable production and use of energy in rural communities in developing countries, and to take a ‘look ahead’ at scientific developments and technologies that might be influential over the next 10 – 20 years. It was held …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/cambridge-forward-look-workshop/