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Practical Action News (February 2009) edited by Lucy Stevens
[top] [end]News from the PISCES Bioenergy Research ProgrammeAuthor: Steven Hunt, Practical Action Consulting Policy Innovation Systems for Clean Energy Security (PISCES) is a five-year research initiative funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). PISCES is working in partnership in India, Kenya, Tanzania and Sri Lanka to develop new knowledge for the sustainable use of Bioenergy to improve energy access and livelihoods in poor communities. Some notable recent achievements include: [top] [end]Bioenergy Market Mapping workshop for policy stakeholders in Kandy, Sri Lanka 28-30th July 2008This event drew together Practical Action experience in Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD) and rural energy access to attract a range of high-level policy stakeholders to learn more about Bioenergy market systems. The three day workshop included both background on the tools for Participatory Market Mapping as well as direct exposure to Bioenergy market actors in production, processing, application and use of Bioenergy. In addition to just learning, the participants took the opportunity to share experiences and debate the gaps and challenges in these emerging market systems. The potential of an indigenous, sustainable and low-carbon energy source for development on the island is clear, and this workshop was aimed at helping build the market understanding and linkages that could help make this happen.[top] [end]Joint PISCES-FAO Case Studies on Bioenergy linkages with livelihoods in 12 countriesA collaboration between the FAO and PISCES has completed a series of international case studies exploring the impact of local-level Bioenergy Initiatives on rural livelihoods. The studies were led by Practical Action Consulting and cover Latin America, West and East Africa, South and South-East Asia. They develop understanding of the full extent of the livelihoods benefits of a range of small-scale Bioenergy initiatives using natural Bioresources, Bioresidues from agriculture, forestry and industry, and purpose grown Biofuels. The studies analyse relationships, rights, responsibilities and revenues across the whole market chains including by-products and supporting services. The report will soon be available on PISCES and FAO websites and via relevant networks including HEDON.[top] [end]Bioenergy Policy Working Groups established in Kenya and Sri LankaAs part of its remit to facilitate Bioenergy policy development for energy access and livelihoods in the four programme countries, PISCES has supported the establishment of Bioenergy Policy Working Groups (PWGs) in Colombo and Nairobi. In Sri Lanka the group is meeting quarterly and has focussed in on biomass as the key work area, conducting a biomass policy review and advising PISCES on policy gaps on which to focus research efforts in the coming years. In Kenya the market mapping method was adapted to better capture the full range of policy stakeholders and a first meeting has been held with two policy briefs produced on the Bioenergy policy scenario in Kenya, and the use of Market Mapping in policy stakeholder identification. Both are available now from the PISCES website. PISCES is led by the African Centre for Technology Studies, Kenya (ACTS) with lead partners Practical Action, M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Edinburgh together with a network of national and international partners and collaborators. For more information please go to the PISCES website (via the @HEDON link below) or contact info@... . To find out about Practical Action’s work on the project please contact steven.hunt@...
[top] [end]Planning for Energy Access – the GVEP International Kenya ProjectPhase 1 of the GVEP International project: The Development of an Energy-Poverty Reduction Action Plan for Kenya, was a capacity development project of UNDP and the Kenyan Government aimed at understanding energy supply and demand issues at village level. The long term objective was to contribute to increased access to modern energy services in Kenya.As part of this, the project developed an energy poverty reduction roadmap. To realize this final output, the project undertook several activities that led to (1) production of a comprehensive energy baseline data for Kenya, (2) assessing energy considerations and linkages in relation to national priorities for development and poverty eradication, and (3) assessing sectoral energy needs and to develop a cross-sectoral energy roadmap. The project was a highly collaborative process and involved several sectoral stakeholders. In Kenya a lot of capacity building took place with the sectoral planning units of the various collaborating players. These included some eight key ministries, NGOs and Jua Kali (artisan) associations among others. The lead implementer and a host of local consultants also benefited. The Ministries represented at the workshops identified the need for even wider capacity building for the planning methodology in future. The key achievements of this project can be summarized as: i) Development of an energy baseline and the first energy atlas in the country. This atlas is a compilation of the national energy baseline data and information on supply and demand. This went alongside a national stakeholder matrix for energy. The project was instrumental in building the capacity of collaborating organizations on designing an energy atlas. ii) Development of an analytical framework for assessing the linkages between energy and poverty eradication through a process of a literature review and a planning methodology (in the context of national planning processes). In applying the framework a total of 8 key sectors in fighting poverty were identified: Energy, Health, Education, Environment, Agriculture, Livestock, Trade and Industry, and Water and Irrigation. The major challenge faced, and the most daunting, was the lack of data and information critical in designing the plan and developing the baseline. In most cases only sketchy information was available, in a very poor form and requiring a lot of cleaning, which took much more time than anticipated. A second challenge was the lack of local capacity to undertake the analysis and sectoral-based planning. Among the lessons learned is the need to fully integrate gap analysis and create enough room for data collection during the project design. Another lesson was the need to structure capacity building as a separate component in order to specially build a critical mass in the new planning methodology. In promoting sustainability, replication and/or up-scaling, the project led a group of regional energy experts in developing a regional energy access strategy. The highlights of the strategy are i) how best do we reach out to the 48 million people underserved and unserved in the region? and (ii) what mix of services and technologies are needed to have a high impact and at the same time be low cost and scalable to create a huge impact and meet the MDG targets in terms of energy services. [top] [end]Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment in Kenya (SWERA)Author: Daniel Theuri, Senior Energy Programme Manager, Practical Action in Eastern AfricaSolar and Wind energy are emerging as the fastest developing renewable energies in the world today. Many developing countries hold tremendous potential in their resource base; and with the demand for energy services rising fast, solar and wind energy become serious options. In developing countries like Kenya, investments in solar and wind are hampered by the lack of hard data and information to support policy, planning and investment decision making. Without reliable resource information, potential investors tend to avoid the risk of project development activities. Mainstream investors, venture capital firms and independent power producers are not aware of the viable renewable energy options, or the investment opportunities waiting to be exploited. A Solar and Wind Energy mapping exercise was carried out in Kenya with the primary objective of promoting and supporting renewable energy by overcoming informational barriers to wind energy financing. It is hoped that information on the potential for solar and wind energy will influence policy and national planning by providing institutions with readily available options and alternatives to delivering energy services using multiple sources, critical in securing energy supplies in the country. The international SWERA project was lead by UNEP and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with local in-kind contributions by Practical Action and the Kenyan Ministry of Energy. It was a collaboration between several leading European and American agencies under the leadership of UNEP/DTIE supported by a local implementation team to map both solar and wind energy resources. The European and US teams comprised of the Institute of Thermodynamics of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), RISOE, the European Wind Research Centre, NASA, State University of New York (USA), NREL the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of USA, Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) of India and a host of other partners specific to the countries and regions. The local partners comprised of Practical Action in Eastern Africa, the Department of Meteorology in the University of Nairobi and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development. Practical Action was the local project lead implementer and co-ordinated data and information collection and validation while the University of Nairobi Meteorology department provided local knowledge on the two resources. The Regional Centre for Mapping for Development provided mapping experience and GIS mapping services. The result of four years of work in three African countries (Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia) was the production of very high resolution maps for solar Direct beam irradiance and Global horizontal irradiance; and average wind speeds and power density at 50 metres above the ground level for the whole country. A geospatial mapping identifies locations for further measurements and validation for investment purposes. The production of these maps is a great achievement for these countries. Now, potential inventors do not have to waste a lot of time identifying potential sites for study but can go straight into firm energy pre-investment studies and propose projects for local communities or connection to the national grid. The SWERA report can be referenced via the @HEDON link below.
[top] [end]Energy Sector Review, BangladeshAuthors: Shamim Hasan and Lucy StevensPractical Action Bangladesh recently commissioned a review of the national energy sector with a particular focus on the scope for renewable energy, and the potential for NGOs to play a role in improving access to modern, clean energy for the poor. The review was written by the consulting firm ‘BizEx’. There are still millions of people in Bangladesh without access to energy, and overall the sector is developing slowly. Nationally only 35% of the population is connected to electricity with a clear urban-rural divide. Only just over a quarter of rural households are connected compared to three quarters in urban areas. Bangladesh has access to some of its own energy resources, mostly in the form of natural gas and a little coal. However, most of this serves the commercial sector or urban areas and these resources are coming under increasing pressure, both from higher demand due to rising imported fuel prices, and few new reserves being discovered. This is adding to national calls for the exploration of alternative fuels. Despite the Government’s stated goal of ‘electricity for all by 2020’, it is likely that commercial demands will have the primary call on the limited expansion of electricity grid capacity in coming years. In the absence of a radical change in energy policy, rural areas are likely to have to continue to rely on off-grid solutions. From a policy perspective, there is need for greater co-ordination and better financial instruments to support entrepreneurs and users to help expand access to, and reduce the price of renewable energy for isolated, poor communities. This would be in line with national goals outlined in the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper because of the contribution energy can make to education, health, job creation and so on. The present Renewable Energy Policy includes a target for renewable energy to satisfy 5% of total power demand by 2010 and 10% by 2020. GTZ has been supporting the government to rewrite the National Energy Policy and to prepare a framework for the new Sustainable Energy Development Agency. The review considers the potential for various types of renewable energy. However, one problem is that the size and economic potential of most renewable energy resources (e.g. solar photovoltaic, wind power, biogas) in Bangladesh is not well known. Solar: This is the sector which has progressed the furthest. Solar energy has the potential to be used across the country and, after a decade of efforts, a viable market for solar PV now exists. Nationally it is estimated that 170,000 domestic solar systems had been installed by early 2008. Rahimafrooz (a private company) has been a leader in the market and aims to supply around 500,000 solar systems in the next three years. It has 43% of the market share in systems and 90% of the market share in batteries for solar home systems. Government efforts have been directed through the Bangladesh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) and supported by the World Bank. Its solar programme resulted in the installation of around 141,000 home systems by August 2007. The company provides finance and helps build the capacity of partner organisations. The most successful of these is the large national NGO Grameen Shakti. BRAC also has a programme for small-scale solar home systems. Most of the buyers have been farmers and small businesses who use the electricity for productive as well as domestic uses. There seems to be more scope in this area, and one example is the potential for promoting solar pumps (already under development by Rahimafrooz). If organised on a large enough scale there is scope for claiming CDM credits for switching from diesel to solar pumps. This could prove increasingly important in the context of increasing global prices for imported oil. Various organisations are also developing cheaper, lower-powered systems using LED lights, in order to increase affordability for poorer households. Biogas: This is already a relatively popular technology for producing gas for cooking. There is some potential for converting biogas to electricity as well. It has also been promoted by IDCOL and NGOs such as Grameen Shakti. Wind: Potential is limited mostly to coastal areas. However, in this zone winds are often too strong for most existing systems during monsoon periods (March to October). Wave and tidal power: Potential exists in coastal areas, but the technology is not well developed at a global level. Micro and pico-hydro: potential is limited to Chittagong and the Chittagong hill tracts. Biofuels: There is potential for growing Jatropha and Verenda. Nationally there is scope for blending diesel with biodiesel. In some places, the oil from these plants is already used for lamps. In a densely settled country there are natural concerns about turning land used for food crops over to biofuels, meaning that they would have to be grown on unused or degraded land. There is scope for NGOs like Practical Action to partner with more established partners like Rahimafrooz and Grameen Shakti to help develop these options and support their introduction as part of integrated rural development programmes. Practical Action’s role may be in helping to pilot and demonstrate additional options for renewable energy products which can be taken up by these partners who have a wider reach to millions of potential beneficiaries. [top] [end]Practical AnswersPractical Answers was created to provide a means of accessing the wealth of technical information held by Practical Action. As well as Technical Briefs and other technical documents, it also includes:The Technical Enquiry Service supplying, free of charge, technical and developmental information to development workers, community-based organisations, NGOs and other agencies using appropriate technologies to implement sustainable development. Resource Centres based in the Practical Action offices, are open to the public and hold a distinctive collection of appropriate technology and development literature. Practical Action has created a range of materials such as leaflets, CDs, journals and online resources covering many appropriate technology subjects. There are over 250 practical guides and case studies that explain, in a few pages, how to apply these technologies. Manual and engineering drawings can provide more detailed information when required. This material is complemented by the many books and journals available from Intermediate Technology Publications. Through Practical Action's international network of enquiry services, the Technical Enquiry Service is able to call on the expertise of several hundred professionals in technical, economic, and sociological disciplines to help formulate the answers to enquiries - across our offices we receive and answer approximately 300 enquiries a year. We always try to supply information of direct relevance to the individual enquirer’s circumstances and will take into account the non-technical factors that might have a bearing on the use of the technology. Enquiries can me made online or through any of Practical Action’s international offices, see the website for a full list. Enquiries can me made online or through any of Practical Action’s international offices, see the website for a full list. E-mail: infoserv@... Website: www.practicalaction.org/practicalanswers Practical Action UK Resource Centre The Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, CV23 9QZ, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1926 634400 Fax: +44 (0)1926 634401 [top] [end]@HEDON[top] [end]Download the original article Practical Action News edited by Lucy Stevens (383 KB)[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 56 - Liquid fuels in the household
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29 January 2009; Last edited:
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