Renewable energy rural electrification

During the last 20 years Mexico has been fertile ground for rural projects using renewable energy technologies. In many cases, however, sustainability aspects were either improperly handled or essentially ignored. Such was the case, for instance, with solar thermal water pumping projects, solar water desalination, and even complete 'solar towns'. Painful but important lessons were learned from such failed projects. Now, sustainability is the focal point of a current rural electrification programme with renewable energy. As of this writing, over 24000 individual home photovoltaic lighting systems have already been installed in different regions of Mexico; another 12000 systems are estimated to have been installed in rural areas as a result of private commercial activities; seven village-size hybrid systems (photovoltaic–wind and photovoltaic–wind–diesel) have also been implemented. With this, the Mexican renewable energy rural electrification programme stands among the largest programmes of its kind in the world today. The question of the programme's sustainability has been a major concern at the Electrical Research Institute of Mexico (IIE), where activities have been under way since the start to lend it technical support. The lessons learned in the process will be discussed in this article .     

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.     

Sustainable energy development in rural Asia

In considering the prospects for sustainable energy, most studies have focused on developments in the urban and industrial areas. However, in Asia where the bulk of the population continues to live in rural areas, it is essential to monitor the changes occurring in the countryside. Therefore, this paper examines the developments taking place in rural energy in Asia in general and focuses specifically on the situation in China. It is observed that a total reorganization of the energy picture is occurring in rural China with regard to both conventional and non-conventional energy, as a result of the huge market for power and fuel created by rapid economic growth. This has led to new distribution networks for electricity (with the Chinese Government following the example of the US Rural Electrification Administration), fossil fuels and renewable energy systems. The growing affluence of the population coupled with rapid industrialization is producing far-reaching changes in the transportation structure as well as in the household energy structure. The situation in China is seen to be comparable to that in other East and Southeast Asian countries, particularly those which combine a rapidly growing industrial sector with a large rural population engaged in agriculture, such as the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia.     

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).     

Planning,governance and rural futures in Australia and the USA: revisiting the case for rural regional planning

Rural regions in post-industrial countries confront significant new challenges, particularly in relation to climate, biodiversity, unconventional resource development and energy. Yet at a time when the contours of these challenges are still being sketched, and preliminary, planned interventions undertaken, the practice of rural planning finds itself at a low ebb. We examine two ‘critical cases’, one each from Australia and the USA, to explore the issues and options for capacity of rural regional planning to surmount these new challenges. Our examination indicates the urgent need for a renewed discourse on rural regional planning.     

乡村振兴战略下农村生活污水治理模式优选之思考

乡村振兴是党的十九大报告提出的重大战略举措,农村生活污水治理是落实乡村振兴战略的重要内容。本文通过对农村生活污水排放特点的综合分析,实现对现有农村生活污水处理的技术综合比对。根据农村生活污水处理工艺选择原则,建议因地制宜地选择适合农村特点的污水治理技术,并对当前的农村生活污水治理相应地提出几点合理化意见和建议。     

Private participation in isolated grids in Mozambique

This article presents a case study from Mozambique of the electrification of two selected towns under a World Bank financed project. Low-cost electricity services were extended to the two isolated areas after an enabling framework had been created for private sector participation. The World Bank project also demonstrates that the private sector can be attracted to participate in rural electrification schemes even in a poor country. The example shown in this article is one of the few of its kind in SubSaharan Africa.     

江苏省新农村建设评价指标体系初探——以大丰市南阳镇为例

党的十六届五中全会提出了新农村建设的任务,江苏省也于近期举办了新农村建设专题研讨会。本文通过对现存相关指标体系的回顾分析,结合新农村建设“生产发展、生活宽裕、乡风文明、村容整洁、管理民主”的内涵,对江苏省新农村建设指标体系进行了初步探讨,并采用这一体系对大丰市南阳镇新农村建设实现程度进行了评价。结果表明,虽然江苏省农村发展水平已有明显提高,但仍需要进一步加强农村工作,努力达到新农村建设的目标。     

农村生态环境污染治理的法律思考

农村生态环境保护是乡村振兴战略的重要一步,但当前农村生态环境污染现状严重,亟待解决.运用案例分析和文献研究法对农村生产、生活现状进行分析.发现我国农村生态环境法制方面存在基本法律缺乏、执法不规范、农民环保意识淡薄的问题.而完善农村环境保护立法、强化农村环境保护执法、提高农民环境保护意识这三条路径能够有效解决农村环境法制...     

农村沼气的可持续发展探析

农村沼气在为农户提供大量优质能源的同时,在改善农村环境卫生条件和减少病原体的孳生及传播方面还具有显著作用。当前我国农村的沼气建设资金投入不足,建设标准比较低,后续管理不善,农民对沼气缺乏认知,在使用方面存在安全隐患。发展沼气生态农业必须从加大宣传力度和资金投入、扩展服务体系等方面入手,实现我国农村沼气的可持续发展。     

Golden Genesis and the Teotonio Vilela Foundation: commercializing PV residential electrification with a not-for-profit partner

This article presents a case study of a project which provides photovoltaic-based rural electrification in the state of Alagoas in northeastern Brazil. The project, the Luz do Sol Programme (LdS), was initiated in mid-1996 by the Golden Genesis Company (Golden) and the Fundação Teotônio Vilela (FTV). The article emphasizes some noteworthy characteristics of the project: the partnership between US commercial and Brazilian philanthropic interests; the financial aspect, a dedicated line of credit requiring only the equipment itself as security; and the local ownership and management of system operations, collections, and routine maintenance.
In 1996, the Golden Genesis Company had developed a central battery charging system to bring the price of electrification within the range of the rural poor; it financed the US content of the systems, with the Bank of the Northeast of Brazil (BN) financing the Brazilian content. The article traces the long and arduous path to establish the programme, including both bureaucratic and technical challenges. These difficulties brought the project to an impasse in August of 1998, and Golden withdrew. FTV then re-negotiated the agreement with BN, changing the technical approach to individual solar home systems. This improved the situation, and the project has since enjoyed 100% loan repayment rates from the entrepreneurs. In June 1999, BP/Solarex became FTV's new commercial partner. The project currently shows promise of becoming the commercially viable programme originally envisaged by Golden, with commercial and technical decision-making at the local level.     

川中丘陵地区农村沼气发展现状与对策——以蓬安县为例

农村沼气建设是一项重大的惠民的工程.发展农村沼气,不仅能够推动种养业的发展、促进农村产业结构调整和农民收入的增加,还可以改善农村用能结构、保护生态环境;同时,这一举措也是建设社会主义新农村的必经之路.蓬安县根据当地实际情况,大力发展户用沼气池建设,取得了重大成果.但是在调查中发现,蓬安县在沼气推广过程中还存在着一些亟待...     

Perceptions towards solar mini‐grid systems in India: A multi‐stakeholder analysis

This study identifies and assesses the perspectives of four key stakeholder groups towards solar minigrids in rural India. The stakeholders considered are policymakers, minigrid developers and operators, development organizations, and national grid representatives. Recent state and national policies in India have increased the focus on minigrids and their services. In this study, stakeholder interviews were employed to identify the attitudes towards the recent electricity policy, the underlying context for minigrid development, the role of minigrids in rural electrification, and the inclusion of minigrid systems within the larger framework of electricity sector policies by the recent government minigrid policies. Results indicate that stakeholders agree that minigrids, as a rural electricity service, are currently viable to complement the national grid due to their high reliability, performance in remote regions, and diminishing cost per unit. However, stakeholders disagree on the future outcomes, with diverging views on the priority of minigrids as an electrification tool in the face of the expanding central grid, the ideal implementation strategy for minigrids, and the potential for grid‐minigrid interaction. Based on stakeholder feedback, the growth of minigrids in India is likely to be constrained by the confidence in recent policies, necessitating more frequent dialogue among decision makers and a solidified relationship to the national electricity grid.     

Assessment of the Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach: Case studies from Malawi and Uganda

This paper presents lessons from applying an innovative action research approach for linking smallholder farmers to markets, in eastern and southern Africa. The Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach aims to strengthen social organization and entrepreneurial capacity in rural communities. It focuses on fostering community‐based capacity for the inclusion of rural women and the poor in analyzing and accessing market opportunities. Using case studies from Malawi and Uganda the paper assesses the outcomes of ERI on rural communities with a focus on human capital, gender issues and investment in natural resource management. Results show that households are benefiting significantly from linkages to markets in terms of increasing household incomes, and accumulating assets. Skills in analyzing markets and in negotiating with traders have increased among smallholder farmers. The integration of gender in the approach has led to changes in gender decision making patterns at household and community level towards a more shared decision‐making process. The results however show a difference in skills between men and women, with women showing lower levels of skills acquisition. Farmer participatory research has increased investments in improved technologies such as fertilizer applications for soil fertility management.     

农村环境保护的“四位一体”管理模式

农村环境保护是建设社会主义新农村的重要组成部分,加强农村环境管理是做好农村环境保护的关键。针对我国农村环境问题日趋严峻的状况,本文采用文献资料对比分析以及管理学等方法,论述了农村环境的现状,分析了农村环境问题产生的4个主要原因,提出了加强农村环境保护的政府、企业、社会、农村"四位一体"的管理模式,阐明了"四位一体"管理模式的主要内容,阐述了"四位一体"管理模式对于加强农村环境管理、解决农村环境问题、保护农村环境的重要作用。     

乡村旅游发展的起源及研究综述

乡村旅游已日益成为我国旅游产业发展中的特色和重要支柱。通过对乡村旅游的起源、研究综述、定义的比较研究，更全面地认识和理解乡村旅游的定义，并以此在乡村旅游的发展方向和研究方向上给出一个新的视角和思路来审视乡村旅游在实践过程中的问题。     

乡村文化旅游资源的发掘与开发——以崇州市凤鸣陆海天府乡村文化休闲度假旅游地为例

从根本上讲,乡村旅游资源就是通常所指的乡村景观,分为乡村自然景观和乡村人文景观两大类,均是在社会历史长河的演化中逐步形成,并由人类的农事活动刻上了刀削斧凿的印迹.由于乡村幅员辽阔,各地旅游资源差异极大,因此乡村旅游资源的开发利用一定要牢牢把握"乡村性"这一核心要素,因地制宜,扬长避短,突出自身的优势,使其具有鲜明的个性和特色.同时,资源开发还必须遵循产业发展规律,规范有序地进行.     

农村生活污水深度处理适用技术

农村污水治理是改善农村人居环境的重要内容之一,介绍了3种适用于农村水质敏感地区的污水处理技术:间歇曝气活性污泥法、生态处理技术、膜生物法,并对3种污水处理技术的优缺点进行了比较分析。     

Enhancing biomass energy use in Kenya

This paper argues that in Kenya, environmental and economic factors will favour the continued use of biomass as a primary fuel for household and institutional cooking for the next decade or longer. The paper describes several successful projects which have improved the efficiency of urban charcoal use and of rural woodfuel use. The Kenya Ceramic Jiko, a more efficient version of the traditional charcoal stove, is a model programme sustained by free market competition, artisans participation, and widespread public acceptance. The Maendeleo stove is the best example of a successful rural woodstove project. The performance attributes of the stove, and its promotion through Kenya's largest women's organization, have resulted in the distribution of an estimated 26 000 Maendeleo stoves. Rural stove efficiency will become important as the cash-based economy expands in those areas. Agroforestry will also be critical to an enhanced use of biomass energy in Kenya. Experience to date shows that successful agroforestry programmes will have to be appropriate to local conditions and crops .