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No one left behind: Will energy access alone end poverty? A European Development Days debate with rural leaders, the private sector, and scientists On 15 June 2016, an interactive debate, “Will energy access alone end poverty?: A debate with rural leaders, the private sector and scientists” will be held during European Development Days at Tour …
No one left behind: Will energy access alone end poverty? Read More »
2015 was an extraordinary year for renewable energy. Renewables are now cost competitive with fossil fuels in many markets and are established around the world as mainstream sources of energy. Cities, communities and companies are leading the rapidly expanding “100% renewable” movement, playing a vital role in advancing the global energy transition. Distributed renewable energy …
On average, 60% of the population across the 15 countries that comprise the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) is based in rural areas. Rural electrification rates in the region remain extremely low and estimates suggest that, for the region as a whole, only 19% of the rural population has access to electricity. Traditional …
The University of Edinburgh together with the Smart Villages Initiative held a workshop at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation on 11 May 2016. The workshop brought together social and physical scientists, industry representatives and entrepreneurs, energy and international development policy makers, and practitioners. The workshop provided an overview of new insights and research in battery …
WR19: Frontier energy storage technologies and global energy challenges Read More »
There is substantial potential across West Africa to develop renewable energy resources for electricity generation. Despite the potential, a substantial portion of the population across the region remains without access to electricity. For cooking, a large majority of the population remains dependent on using biomass as the basic fuel in rudimentary cook stoves to meet …
BR16: Findings from the Smart Villages West Africa regional workshop Read More »
Primary data from 163 households was analyzed using a novel asset- and income-based index. We found statistically significant differences between households of different socio-economic status for a variety of indicators. Microeconometric techniques revealed the determinants of willingness-to-pay for electricity. We used primary data collected from 163 households in an off-grid Rwandan village to provide insights …
The University of Edinburgh together with the Smart Villages Initiative held a workshop at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation on 11 May 2016. The workshop brought together 27 social and physical scientists, industry representatives and entrepreneurs, energy and international development policy makers, and practitioners. The workshop provided an overview of new insights and research …
BR15: Findings from the Workshop on Frontier Energy Storage Technologies Read More »
This report summarises the findings of a workshop on Smart Villages and Resilience to Natural Disasters. Co-hosted by the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and the Smart Villages Initiative, the workshop brought together two communities of researchers and practitioners focusing on energy access and natural disasters to promote active discussion around key issues …
WR18: Smart Villages and resilience to natural disasters Read More »
2.5 million people in Bolivia live without a clean and sustainable energy source, and rely on diesel, kerosene, and candles for lighting. Many of them live in remote rural communities. The Political Constitution of Bolivia establishes that access to electricity is a citizen’s right, and the country aims to be fully electrified by 2025. To …
In smart villages, energy access together with other key components of infrastructure can accelerate the development of education and healthcare services, provision of clean water and sanitation, availability of nutritious food, and the establishment of productive enterprises. Underpinned by technological advances, such developments provide substantial improvements in well-being and life opportunities, and a choice between …
BR13: Smart Villages and resilience to natural disasters Read More »
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, there is a growing interest in off-grid solutions. However, the various options – pico-solar lanterns, solar home systems, or larger solar, wind, or …
[:en]Key Points: Off-grid technology can catalyse sustainable development for even the 1.1 billion without electricity in the remotest “last mile” communities Bottom-up approach key to achieving SDG7 Energy Access for All Goal Hub and spoke models combining hybrid mini-grids and solar home systems can provide starting point Governments need to create integrated off-grid and grid …
The Smart Villages Initiative organised a workshop on access to, and use of, renewable energy sources for rural communities in Bolivia on April 28, 2016, in La Paz, Bolivia to facilitate analysis and exchange of experiences of electrification of off-grid rural communities in Bolivia. The workshop brought together representatives of the public sector, international, and regional …
WR17: Sustainable energy sources for off-grid rural communities in Bolivia Read More »
This report summarises the findings and recommendations arising from the engagement activities of the Smart Villages Initiative in East Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and South America over the first 18-month period (October 2014 – March 2016) of the first phase of the initiative. Over that period, workshops and other engagement activities involved over 600 …
TR5: The Smart Villages Initiative: Interim review of findings Read More »
[:en]On the stage of the Lighting a Billion Lives Convention in Delhi India, Smart Villages has announced Naturetech Infra as the winner of the Smart Villages Off-grid Energy Impact Competition for India. Applications from off-grid energy entrepreneurs across the nation were assessed on impact, level of project development, sustainability, innovation and replicability. Naturetech Infra was …
[:en]Co-authored by a science journalist and an energy researcher, WGSI’s OpenAccess Energy Brief is an engaging overview of energy access issues that identifies challenges, knowledge gaps and opportunities. This version incorporates feedback collected by our advisory group who met in October 2015 to evaluate version 1 of the Brief and Summit goals. This version of …
[:en]Smart Villages is pleased to announce the launch of the second annual Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge. Building on last year’s success, this year’s competition challenges aspiring young East African entrepreneurs to come up with an idea for a social business powered by off-grid energy. Social businesses deliver positive social impacts to the end user …
[:en]The Smart Villages Initiative together with its local partner, Kopernik, held a workshop on Bunaken Island, Sulawesi in Indonesia, in November 2015 to discuss off-grid energy systems in remote island communities in Southeast Asia. The workshop focused on the barriers and circumstances of rural energy access that are unique to small island communities, drawing inspiration …
[:en]The Smart Villages Initiative is pleased to announce three finalists in the Off-grid Energy Impact Competition for India. Energy entrepreneurs from across the nation entered this competition, designed to highlight cases where access to energy has acted as a catalyst for development in rural Indian villages. Entrepreneurs play a key role in increasing energy access …
More than half of the population in Southeast Asia continues to depend primarily on biomass as fuel in inefficient cookstoves to meet their cooking needs. The majority of those using biomass are based in rural areas. In view of this high level of dependence on biomass, various countries in the region have launched improved cookstove …
BR12: Sustainable dissemination of improved cookstoves: Lessons from Southeast Asia Read More »