As the purpose of this paper is to give a broad overview of the importance of energy access for democratic political engagement, such issues are not robustly tackled within this comparativelybrief insight into what is a vast and constantly changing arena. The goal here is to give an insight into the potential of the Internet and social media (enabled by …
TR14: Rural Electrification and Democratic Engagement Read More »
Svati Bhogle, social entrepreneur and founder, Sustaintech Location: Bangalore, India “Grow, but don’t spread yourselves too thin.” How long do you blend tea leaves with milk? Should you brew the tea for a shorter few minutes after that, or turn the gas off? When Svati Bhogle, a chemical engineer by training, went from one of …
Svati Bhogle, social entrepreneur and founder, Sustaintech Read More »
African Energy Week workshop identifies other barriers and opportunities for achieving 2030 access targets in high-impact region Abidjan: With a high percentage of the West African population living in remote rural areas, clean energy-powered mini-grids (CMEGs) have been identified as an essential tool for achieving universal energy access. An ambitious target of building 128,000 in …
The Smart Villages Initiative, jointly with the Academy of Sciences of Nicaragua (ACN) and the University of Central America (UCA), organised a national workshop in Matagalpa, Nicaragua on 27-28 April 2017 in order to explore the major challenges to, and opportunities for, achieving electricity access for rural and isolated communities to support productive processes and …
The Smart Villages Initiative, together with the Central American University (UCA) and the Nicaraguan Academy of Sciences (ACN), held the local workshop “The link between access to energy, financial mechanisms, and energy policies in Nicaragua”. The event took place from 27 to 28 April 2017 at the Selva Negra Resort Hotel in the mountainous area …
Nicaragua’s energy sector is facing one of the most important challenges of its history in terms energy infrastructure development and electricity access. As a result of substantial investments in grid extension and strengthening of distribution and transmission systems, official figures indicate that electrification rates increased from 47 percent in 2002 to 80 percent in 2014. …
BR27: Energy access in Nicaragua – financial mechanisms and energy policies Read More »
The third annual East Africa Energy Innovation Challenge took place in summer 2017. With the application and screening process fully handed over the CDI for a sustainable continuation of the programme, the Cambridge Development Initiative (https://cambridgedevelopment.wordpress.com/) (CDI) selected 11 individuals out of over 200 applicants for the programme. The eleven aspiring entrepreneurs developed ideas for …
Join us on Tuesday, 25 April from 9 AM – 4 PM for our “2017 IANAS Smart Villages Symposium“ at the University of Arizona Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona from 9AM – 4PM on 25 April Tuesday. Present the Smart Village Initiative and the IANAS energy program on underserved populations to generate a space for discussion …
The Smart Villages Initiative aims to provide policy-makers, donors, and development agencies concerned with rural energy access with new insights on the real barriers to energy access in villages in developing countries and how they can be overcome. This report aims to give an overview of the links between electricity access and education through a review of the literature in this area. It …
TR13: Education and the electrification of rural schools Read More »
This report provides an overview of the status of, and challenges facing, the electrification of health clinics in rural areas in the developing world. In addition, it considers the opportunities provided by telemedicine and the barriers to this, along with some examples of innovation and work in this field. The content of this report has been drawn from a review of the …
TR12: Electrification of health clinics in rural areas Read More »
Watch our Partner Working Session below – a special thanks to Jane Oyugi, Co-Founder & CEO Sustenersol Company Ltd., for sharing her video! Join us on Wednesday, 5 April from 3PM-4PM for our Partner Working Session, “Voices from the Village – Are you listening to what we really want?” at the SEforALL Forum at Duggal Greenhouse in …
The Smart Villages Initiative, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and the European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF), held a workshop titled ‘High-level workshop on energy access in West Africa’ in March 2017. The inceptive workshop served as a kick-off event to a wider capacity-building engagement on CEMGs in the ECOWAS region and provided …
A high percentage of the West African population lives in remote rural areas without access to modern energy services. Clean energy mini-grids (CEMGs) have been identified as essential to helping achieve universal electricity access in the region and they feature as important parts of national targets and renewable energy action plans for all ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) countries. It is estimated that mini-grids …
BR26: Energy access in West Africa – Policy Recommendations Read More »
The Smart Villages Initiative, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), and the European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF) were pleased to host the ‘High-level workshop on energy access in West Africa’ in March 2017. The workshop served as a kick-off event for a wider capacity-building engagement on clean energy mini-grids …
High-level workshop on energy access in West Africa: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire Read More »
Interview with Daniel Becker Managing Director, E.ON Off Grid Solutions and Founder, Rafiki Power Location: Tanzania Daniel Becker is the Managing Director of E.ON Off Grid Solutions and founder of its Tanzanian brand, Rafiki Power, which focuses on mini-grids for productive uses of energy. For a look at how Rafiki Power operates, watch their short …
Rafiki Power and E.ON: Mini-grids for improved livelihoods in Tanzania Read More »
Interview with Rikin Gandhi CEO, Digital Green Location: Across Asia & sub-Saharan Africa “Ultimately, lasting impact takes place by changing the story of how farmers see themselves, and helping them realise that they can aspire for a better life for themselves and their families, too.” Rikin Gandhi is the CEO of Digital Green, a not-for-profit …
Digital Green: How videos are transforming farming in India and across Africa Read More »
Integrated ministerial strategy and micro-grid financing are other key issues identified by first global study of rural off-grid communities Bangkok: Delegates to the Smart Villages Initiative Closing Workshop for South and Southeast Asia in Bangkok March 7-9 agreed that a bottom-up approach involving villagers themselves is essential to catalyse energy access and spread its resultant …
[:en] In this webinar, we will focus on the needs of displaced people and refugees – whether internally displaced, asylum seekers living in camps, or other situations. What are their energy needs? What happens when a temporary camp becomes a permanent home? What are the specific needs of men, women, and children in these situations …
The Smart Villages Initiative concluded its regional engagement in South and Southeast Asia with a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2017. The workshop was jointly organised with the Global Young Academy (GYA), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and the National Science Museum (NSM) of Thailand. From 7 to 9 March 2017, the workshop brought together 43 key stakeholders representing …
WR33: The Energy-Health-Education nexus and other insights for Smart Villages in Asia Read More »
The Smart Villages Initiative concluded its regional engagement in South and Southeast Asia with a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2017. The workshop was jointly organised with the Global Young Academy (GYA), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and the National Science Museum (NSM) of Thailand. From 7 to 9 March 2017, the workshop brought together 43 key stakeholders representing …