Off-grid energy

WR27: Smart Villages in India – State level insights

Workshop Reports /

The discussions in both state-level workshops in India discussed in this report revealed that the biggest gains from an integrated sustainability solution for the smart city-smart village linkage would be to address the challenge of youth unemployment in both rural and informal urban communities. The introduction of disruptive technologies that generate the opportunity for rural youth to learn new skills—installing and maintaining rural …

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Smart Villages launches the Off-grid Energy Challenge for West Africa

Press Releases, Top Story /
West Africa Off-grid Energy Challenge

Smart Villages is pleased to announce the launch of the Off-grid Energy Challenge for West Africa. Building on the success of annual East African competitions in collaboration with the Cambridge Development Initiative, this inaugural West African competition challenges entrepreneurs to tell us how they want to grow their existing businesses.  Winners will work with consultant …

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BR20: Findings from the workshop on energy and agriculture for smart villages in India

Policy Briefs, Resources, Top Story /

Agriculture continues to be central to the lives and economies of rural communities in India. Many of those communities have little or no access to modern energy services. These realities motivated the holding of the workshop “Energy and agriculture for smart villages in India” in September 2016 at the International Crops Research Institute for the …

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WR23: South America Dialogue for media professionals

Workshop Reports /

A major objective of the Smart Villages Initiative is to raise public awareness of rural energy  access issues, sustainable energy technologies, and entrepreneurial approaches to energy in the developing world. In line with this objective, the Smart Villages Initiative, in partnership with the Green Building Council of Paraguay, held an international media dialogue for media professionals in Asuncion, Paraguay, …

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Barefoot Power India: Women are central to rural energy

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Vernie Sannoo, Managing Director Barefoot Power India Location: India; Barefoot Power is active in the global south “The only barrier is affordability.” While Vernie Sannoo didn’t found Barefoot Power India, he has a rich experience in sales and marketing for rural energy, rural distribution, and overall business operations that he uses to help continue to …

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BR16: Findings from the Smart Villages West Africa regional workshop

Policy Briefs /

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 …

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BR14: Findings from the workshop on sustainable energy sources for off-grid communities in Bolivia

Policy Briefs /

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 …

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[:en]New report claims off-grid smart villages can deliver sustainable path to rural development[:]

Press Releases /

[: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 …

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WR17: Sustainable energy sources for off-grid rural communities in Bolivia

Workshop Reports /

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 …

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[:en]Open Access Energy[:]

External content, Resources /

[: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]Open Access Energy[:] Read More »

[:en]Smart Villages | New thinking for off-grid communities worldwide[:es]Una nueva manera de pensar para comunidades sin conexión a la red a nivel mundial Smart[:fr]De nouvelles initiatives pour les populations hors réseau du monde entier[:]

Resources /

[:en]Smart Villages presents 16 essays by leading scientists and thinkers, providing policy makers, donors and development agencies concerned with rural energy access with new insights on the barriers to energy access in villages in developing countries – technological, financial and political – and explores opportunities and efforts to overcome them. The book describes the personal …

[:en]Smart Villages | New thinking for off-grid communities worldwide[:es]Una nueva manera de pensar para comunidades sin conexión a la red a nivel mundial Smart[:fr]De nouvelles initiatives pour les populations hors réseau du monde entier[:] Read More »

More applied research, news needed on off-grid ‘smart villages’

Blog /

Ed- How can science and research help bridge the gap in energy access for some 1.3 billion people living in off-grid communities worldwide? Anna gives her report after attending the Smart Villages Seoul Media Workshop. A potential solution lies in mapping on-ground activities of prototype ‘smart villages’ that use off-grid electrification solutions to deliver energy, …

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WR5: Smart Villages in Nepal: Kathmandu Workshop Report

Workshop Reports /

The Smart Villages Initiative, working with its local partner Practical Action Consulting South Asia, held a workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal on 10th April 2015. The aim of the workshop was to learn lessons from Nepal’s experience of micro/mini-hydroelectric schemes for off-grid rural communities and associated initiatives to stimulate productive enterprises which could be shared with …

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WR4: Kuching Workshop Report on Smart Villages in Southeast Asia

Workshop Reports /

Summary This report summarises the information presented at, and conclusions arising from, the second major international workshop of the Smart Villages Initiative. The workshop took place in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Malaysia, on the campus of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), and marked the beginning of a 12-month programme of engagement by the Smart …

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