The practice of participatory research and gender analysis in natural resource management

Stakeholder participation is expected to improve the efficiency, equity, and sustainability of natural resource management research and development (R&D) projects by ensuring that research reflects users’ priorities, needs, capabilities, and constraints. Use of participatory methods and tools is growing rapidly; however, there is little systematic evidence about what participation actually means in practice, or about what difference it makes. Based on an inventory of 59 self‐described participatory R&D projects in the area of natural resource management, this article characterizes the typical project and analyzes how stakeholders are selected, how they participate in the research process, and what their involvement means for project costs and impacts. The results suggest that, while projects are generating a range of direct and indirect benefits for participants, more careful attention needs to be paid to achieving equitable impacts. Current practices may lag behind best practices in key areas, such as power sharing and participant selection, and may therefore be missing important contributions from women and other marginalized groups.     

From open access to access by all: restating challenges in designing groundwater management in Andhra Pradesh, India

In a village-based watershed in Andhra Pradesh, India, it is increasingly difficult for users to access and extract groundwater for irrigation: a 'pumping race' is taking place. A move from groundwater development towards groundwater management is required, with a new perspective on options for change. Through a study of borewell technology and groundwater use, and considering new local developments in electricity supply and participatory resource management, the article argues that groundwater is a resource with 'instructions for use'. The technological dimensions of groundwater irrigation urge its study as a socio-technical process in order to design sustainable and equitable groundwater management.     

Large-scale baseload wind power in China

This paper presents a novel strategy for developing wind power in large-scale (multi-GW) wind farms in China. It involves combining oversized wind farms, large-scale electrical storage and long-distance transmission lines to deliver 'baseload wind power' to distant electricity demand centers. Baseload wind power is typically more valuable to the electric utility than intermittent wind power, so that storage can be economically attractive even in instances where the cost per kWh is somewhat higher than without storage.
The prospective costs for this approach to developing wind power are illustrated by modifying an oversized wind farm at Huitengxile, Inner Mongolia. The site has an average power density of 580 W/m² at 50 m hub heights and is located 500 km north of Beijing. Using locally mass-produced wind turbines there are good prospects that wind power would be cost-competitive with coal power, on a lifecycle cost basis, while providing substantial net environmental benefits.
Finally, the institutional challenges related to the prospect of large-scale wind energy development are addressed. Especially important are policies aimed at developing the capacity for mass production of as much of this technology in China as is feasible. Promising instruments for speeding up the introduction of this technology include: (i) international joint ventures between foreign vendors and developers and Chinese manufacturers; and (ii) wind resource development concessions.     

Managing environmental aspects associated with the development of domestic and international power projects

Increasingly, a key component in the financial success of developing and operating domestic and international energy projects is the management of environmental issues. This article outlines an environmental management system for developing and acquiring power projects. The specific issues addressed include the development and communication of an environmental policy and the development and use of environmental expectations. These expectations are designed to manage the environmental components of the dynamic development process and provide a framework for enhancing team effectiveness in addressing environmental issues. Examples of expectations for each development phase are provided. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Natural resource industry involvement in collaboration for water governance: influence on processes and outcomes in Canada

Natural resource industries are increasingly significant actors in environmental decision-making. Possessing vast institutional and technical capacity, firms have an important role to play in ‘new’ governance strategies such as collaboration. These strategies are often based upon assumptions of equitable influence. This paper investigates the nature of resource industry participation in collaborative water governance in Canada, and the potential consequences of that participation as investigated using power theory. The study used comparative cases to reveal that resource industries are able to shape collaboration, and the issues collaborated upon, at multiple analytical levels both internal and external to the collaborative process in ways not available to other actors. Analysis also revealed that resource industry participation in collaboration did not reflect a commitment to engage in shared learning and the reexamination of values and interests as presupposed by collaborative theory. Collaboration is thus challenged in producing equitable, representative outcomes when resource industries participate.     

COST SHARING IN TRANSITION: THE CASE OF PLAN 6, CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: In the past, development of Federal water resource projects depended heavily or exclusively on Federal financing of construction costs. However, pressures on the Federal budget, environmental issues, and the notion that there are economic efficiency gains when beneficiaries of Federal water resource projects increase their cost share are causing changes. The case of the Central Arizona Project Plan 6 is a noteworthy example of the transition to more non-Federal participation in water resource development. This is because the non-Federal financing is to be provided for a project already under construction. The negotiation and terms of the Plan 6 financing agreement between the Department of the Interior and multiple interests in Arizona are used as an example of how Federal water project cost sharing is in a state of transition. The negotiation process is described, a financial analysis is provided, and the terms of the agreement and policy issues that were deliberated in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government are discussed.     

Justice in development? An analysis of water interventions in the rural South

This paper explores a fruitful convergence between the distributive and procedural dimensions of environmental justice theory and current debates in the field of development studies over capitals and capabilities, institutions, and discourse formation to shed new light on natural resource management projects in the developing world. Specifically, we document the planning and implementation of two types of water interventions in two contrasting regions: watershed development programmes in northeast India and small reservoirs in sub‐Saharan West Africa. We find that there is a contradiction between the inherently political nature of water interventions and the fact that such projects remain grounded in apolitical, technical and managerial narratives. In contrast to the new semantic of development, this depoliticization results in the near absence of attention paid to procedural (participation and empowerment) and distributive (equity) justice concerns and in local actors having to revert to covert ways to achieve their ends. A constructive dialogue between development studies and environmental justice scholars can offer a fresh look on the society‐environment nexus in the developing world.     

输变电建设项目环境管理中存在问题及对策探讨

阐述了输变电建设项目在环境标准、技术规范、公众参与及竣工环保验收等方面存在的问题,并针对这些方面提出了建议。     

Regional intergovernmental institutions: Participation benefits and costs

Evaluators frequently cite the absence of effective participation by constituent governments and the need for consensus or even unanimity prior to action as the causes of poor performance by regional resource management institutions. Major governments either will not join the regional institution, will not participate even if legally members, or will exercise a veto over many important management projects.This paper examines the variables that may cause these problems and provides an improved understanding of why rational political actors would act in ways that inhibit the efficient management of resources. Among the principal variables determining participation are expected benefits of collective decisions, perceived losses of autonomy and representation, the number and homogeneity of other participants, decision costs, and the decision rule used to determine actions. Analysis of these factors suggests why consensus and unanimity decision rules are frequently chosen and why participation is usually limited.     

中央空调节能减排技术改造——实例探析

通过实施中央空调系统全方位节能减排技术,优化电网安全用电,节省电费开支,减少建设成本。不仅可收到可观的经济效益,而且能取得良好的社会效益,是我国建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会的必然要求。节能减排,减少污染,应立足本职．把节能减排工作抓紧抓好,推而广之。     

CO2 emissions reduction from the power system in India

The power system in India accounts for nearly one-third of CO₂ emissions of the country as a whole. A comparison of some of the technical options to reduce CO₂ emissions is presented in this paper. A linear programming framework is used to simulate the integrated optimal operation of the three regional grids, and it is shown that such operations lead to lower fuel costs and to lower CO₂ emissions. The same framework is used to see how a rise in thermal efficiency translates into a CO₂ emissions reduction. Reduced fuel requirements also lead to reductions in other pollutants ie SO₂, NO_x and fly ash. The reductions in CO₂ emissions and other pollutants are at far lower cost in the case of integrated optimal operations as compared to reductions due to gas fuelled generation or thermal efficiency improvements. However, thermal efficiency improvements under optimal integrated operations result in much higher reductions in operating costs, coal consumption and total emissions of all pollutants.     

Project Development in Support of National Energy Strategies

The nature of the technical assistance needed by the energy-importing developing countries to bring energy sector projects up to the implementation stage is discussed. Such projects may be delayed or poorly implemented because the energy-importing developing country lacks the proper infrastructure or the technical/managerial skills to carry them out. Planning helps to identify the resources, financial, technical and managerial, that need to be brought to bear as well as the benefits that can be achieved.     

Government participation in mining projects

Governments of developing countries may obtain ownership participation in national mining projects in the hope of receiving greater policy control over, financial rewards from, and information about such projects. These objectives could be achieved by using their sovereign authority to tax, regulate and monitor projects more effectively. The principal problem is likely to be the administrative inability fully to enjoy rights that they lawfully possess. As such projects are nearly always controlled by foreign entities, and involve the exploitation of irreplaceable mineral wealth, they may engender feelings of suspicion and hostility. Government participation may sometimes be necessary to mitigate those feelings and to lead to more stable and successful projects. If these political objectives are fully recognized, then government participation may be structured so as to minimize any detrimental effect it might have on the fiscal and financial structure of the project. It may also prove to be a vehicle for future participation by private local interests, thereby eliminating the alien enclave feature generally characteristic of such projects.     

海洋油气开发工程环评中公众参与探讨

根据我国环境影响评价公众参与现状和海洋油气开发工程公众参与实践,对海洋油气开发工程环评中公众参与进行初步探讨。目前海洋油气开发工程公众参与存在的问题主要有:相关公众界定较难、公众主要是在环评机构主导下的被动参与、信息不对称使公众难以正确表达意见、相关公众中个人的环境素养和法制意识不高。根据存在的问题,建议通过以下方法提高海洋油气开发工程环评公众参与水平:研究制定海洋工程公众参与技术方法规范;掌握好公众参与时机,尽早启动,调动公众主动参与;科学确定公众范围,选择好公众参与对象;结合实际选择公众参与方式。     

Multiobjective Assessment of Multipurpose Water Resources Projects for Developing Countries

Multiobjective assessments of water resource projects are useful for widening the range of impacts that are considered during the process of project planning and selection. Some of the principles and problems associated with multiobjective analyses are reviewed, as are several relatively simple information display techniques and approaches found applicable to conditions in many developing countries. These techniques can be used where data and technical expertise are limited, and where it is not possible to identify and quantify all economic, environmental or social objectives and their trade-offs during the search for the best compromise decision.     

制革行业污染治理集成技术及工程应用

介绍了"五水分流"清洁生产技术、铬液灰液循环利用技术、制革高氨氮废水稳定达标排放技术、MicrowaterTM环境治理微生物技术体系、四相废水深度达标治理专利技术、膜处理回用技术、含铬污泥资源化利用技术等制革行业污染治理集成技术的概况;通过分析应用实例,指出该技术体系在达标治理的前提下,通过清洁生产、高效处理、中水回用、铬泥资源化利用等手段,可有效降低污染治理成本,应用前景广阔。     

Effective retrofitting of post-combustion CO2 capture to coal-fired power plants and insensitivity of CO2 abatement costs to base plant efficiency

Existing coal-fired power plants were not designed to be retrofitted with carbon dioxide post-combustion capture (PCC) and have tended to be disregarded as suitable candidates for carbon capture and storage on the grounds that such a retrofit would be uneconomical. Low plant efficiency and poor performance with capture compared to new-build projects are often cited as critical barriers to capture retrofit. Steam turbine retrofit solutions are presented that can achieve effective thermodynamic integration between a post-combustion CO₂ capture plant and associated CO₂ compressors and the steam cycle of an existing retrofitted unit for a wide range of initial steam turbine designs. The relative merits of these capture retrofit integration options with respect to flexibility of the capture system and solvent upgradability will be discussed. Provided that effective capture system integration can be achieved, it can be shown that the abatement costs (or cost per tonne of CO₂ to justify capture) for retrofitting existing units is independent of the initial plant efficiency. This then means that a greater number of existing power plants are potentially suitable for successful retrofits of post-combustion capture to reduce power sector emissions. Such a wider choice of retrofit sites would also give greater scope to exploit favourable site-specific conditions for CCS, such as ready access to geological storage.     

Analysis of Feedstock Supply Costs for Wood-fired Electric Power Plants in Liberia, West Africa

In Liberia, as in many developing countries, electrification of towns and cities throughout the country has long been a major development goal. However, fuel expenditures by the Liberian Electricity Corporation (LEC) for its rural public stations represent a major and growing burden on the financially hard-pressed utility. In this paper we evaluate the economics of supplying wood to rural electric power plants utilizing different sources of feedstock. We also evaluate the cost implications of differences in wood supply requirements based on the use of steam or gasifier technology, and from variation in plant utilization level.
The wood supply we consider as sources are: (1) retired rubber trees; (2) the harvesting of secondary-growth forest just before the land is returned to temporary cultivation; (3) the establishment of commercial short-rotation wood energy plantations; and (4) adding to the system of shifting agriculture the planting of fast-growing wood species. The results indicate that wood can probably be supplied under a wide range of supply and demand conditions for US$1.00–1.70 per GJ. We estimate that wood steam plants can generate power for about $0.09-0.14 per kWh and gasifier plants for $0.10-0.18 per kWh. These costs are well below the present cost of oil-based rural electric power generation in Liberia (about $0.20–0.27 per kWh).     

Economic dispatch of power system containing wind power and photovoltaic considering carbon trading and spare capacity variation

The drying up of the fossil energy sources and the damage from unchecked carbon emissions demand the development of low carbon economy, which promotes the development of new energy sources, such as wind power and photovoltaic. However, the direct connections of wind/photovoltaic power into power grid bring great impacts on power systems, thus affecting the security and stability of power system operations, which challenges the power system dispatching. In despite of many methods for power system dispatch, lack of the models, for power system containing wind power and photovoltaic considering carbon trading and spare capacity variation (PSCWPCCTSCV), restricts the further optimal operations of power systems. This paper studies the economic dispatch modeling problem of power system containing wind power and photovoltaic, establishes the model of economic dispatch of PSCWPCCTSCV. On this basis, adaptive immune genetic algorithm is applied to conduct the economic operation optimization, which can provide the optimal carbon trading price and the optimal power distribution coefficient. Finally, simulations based on the newly proposed models are made to illustrate the economic dispatch of PSCWPCCTSCV. The results show that optimization with the proposed model can not only weaken the volatility of the new energy effectively, but also reduce carbon emissions and reduce power generation costs.     

Empowering communities – the role of intermediary organisations in community renewable energy projects in Indonesia

Community Renewable Energy (CRE) has been defying conventional energy systems for decades, though only recently it started to feature in academic and institutional discourses. Despite its new appeal, the literature on the impacts and factors influencing CRE projects is still scarce and builds mostly on studies in Europe and North America. In developing countries, where electricity access is low and energy poverty is prevalent, CRE can offer interesting opportunities for rural electrification and added benefits. The objective of this study is to assess the impacts of community-owned renewable energy projects and identify the internal and external drivers and barriers to their success. An exploratory case-study approach was used for collecting data, through interviews and observations, in two community micro-hydro projects in Indonesia. The results showed positive socio-economic impacts that exceed electrification benefits, and the reported success of community energy projects can be traced back to a combination of community-level as well as external factors. Yet, particularly important is the role of the intermediary organisation (Ibeka) in building communities’ ownership, enhancing (technical, entrepreneurial and managerial) capacities, transferring knowledge and technology, establishing innovative financing models and shaping policy. Such organisations are critical in bridging external and internal factors and thus represent a key element in integrating the proposed analytical frameworks.