Workshops

A workshop on Smart Villages and Resilience to Natural Disasters was co-hosted by the Smart Villages Initiative and the Asia Research Institute, the National University of Singapore in Singapore on 5 May 2016. The workshop brought together 44 participants from two communities of researchers: those focusing on energy access; and those focusing on natural disasters. …

Smart Villages and Resilience to Natural Disasters Read More »

Business models for off-grid energy remain one of the most fascinating–and challenging–topics, particularly for entrepreneurs working in the developing world. In this webinar, we will hear from several entrepreneurs who each have a unique approach to building a business while also making a social impact in India, East and West Africa, and South America. From …

Energy entrepreneurs: Business models for off-grid energy & social impact Read More »

Mini-grid Energy Generation, Storage and Transmission technology in India, for the next 10 years Solar and hybrid renewable minigrids are predicted to play a large role in the coming efforts to electrify those without access to electricity services. India currently has 240 million1 such people living without electricity.  Along with smaller scale off-grid renewable energy …

Smart Villages Bangalore Forward Look Workshop Read More »

Background/Rationale More than a billion people worldwide still lack access to basic electrical services. As policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics work to address a UN goal of sustainable energy for all by 2030, prominent technical solutions increasingly focus on decentralized connections to renewable, intermittent energy sources. Whether pico-solar lanterns, solar home systems, or larger solar, …

Frontier Energy Storage Technologies and Global Energy Challenges Read More »

Workshop on the energy and water nexus for remote off-grid communities: The Smart Villages Initiative and the Philippines Center for Water and Sanitation Throughout Southeast Asia, over 120 million people still live without access to electricity, with the majority of these people living in rural communities. This lack of energy has strong impacts on their …

Burgos Smart Villages Workshop Read More »

The Smart Villages workshop in Myanmar forms part of our regional engagement in Southeast Asia. The workshop brought together key stakeholders engaged in the cookstove value chain in the region. In many developing countries, energy for cooking needs accounts for the largest share of total energy consumption and is normally met by using biomass as …

Sustainable Dissemination of Improved Cookstoves Workshop Read More »

The Smart Villages in South America Workshop aimed to facilitate the analysis and exchange between the public and private sectors and civil society, from first-hand experiences in the field of energy in rural off-grid communities. Topics for discussion include rural electrification; energy generation and distribution; the inclusion of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy …

Smart Villages in South America Read More »

[:en] Questions: It is generally considered that private enterprises and independent power producers have a key role to play in bringing sustainable energy-enabled businesses to un-served rural communities. What are the main opportunities and challenges in establishing viable business and financial models for these organisations, and what innovative approaches are emerging to meet these challenges? …

Business and Financial Models Workshop Read More »

Social Enterprises and Industrial Markets for Smart Villages in developing countries technology breakthroughs over the next 10-15 years with potential applications Definitions Social enterprises or Inclusive businesses: Product or service which is socially beneficial Inclusive markets: Industries that create jobs and affordable goods and services Questions What is the breakthrough opportunity in productive use of …

Potential Breakthroughs in the Use of Energy in Off-Grid Villages Forward Look Workshop Read More »

Our Colombo media workshop was a two-day residential event featuring a combination of background briefings from local and international experts and entrepreneurs on energy markets and developments in the South Asian off-grid sector. The workshop offered an opportunity to explore the Smart Villages concept and study nascent Smart Village projects and relevant technologies from around …

South Asia Media Dialogue Workshop Read More »

The Smart Villages workshop to be organised in Pakistan is a continuation of the regional engagement in South Asia. The Pakistan workshop aims to glean insights from the country’s experience of off-grid energy provision to remote rural communities through the deployment of micro-grids. In particular the workshop aims to tease out the enabling framework conditions …

Islamabad Smart Villages Workshop Read More »

To help collect and distil the knowledge and experience from the last 15 months of engagement in East Africa, a concluding workshop was held in Kigali, Rwanda on 8 September 2015. The workshop brought together over 40 government representatives and other key stakeholders from across the region to share information on progress and remaining challenges, …

East Africa Summary Workshop Read More »

Off-grid electrification for development of small islands represents a number of unique challenges under the broad category of rural electrification. Small, off-grid island communities are particularly vulnerable to diesel price fluctuations and natural disasters, and thus, enhancing resilience through more sustainable and cheaper energy technologies should be a key priority. Financing the transition to these …

Off-Grid Islands Electricity Workshop Read More »