Solar Wind Hybrid - embracing renewables for rural energy solution

 The jubilant Shyaso villagers inaugurated the facility in presence of the Block Development Officer. The combination of solar and wind ‎energy would ensure continual generation of power in this high altitude village - day-and-night, summer-or-winter. 

The SWHS technology is ideal for stand alone systems for remote rural settlements. This innovation had won The Energy Globe Award (2005) for the pilot in the neighbouring district of Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. 

Pragya has set up its third ‎Solar ‎Wind Hybrid System (‎SWHS) in Shyaso village, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, as part of its efforts to enhance energy access in the Indian ‎Himalayas to improve quality of life in rural households.(View Photographs from the installation process)

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RE Technologies for Rural Amenities & Public Facilities in Mountains

Access to modern energy services is a precondition for the development of any society and is the golden thread that interlinks economic growth with social equality and human development. Energy plays a transformative role in increasing the effectiveness and quality of rural amenities and public services across several spheres. This policy brief reviews the current status of Energy in mountain regions for civic facilities in Health, Education and Public Institutions. The brief evaluates diverse Renewable Energy (RE) technologies from varied renewable sources such as solar, hydro, wind power. 

Full report: Renewable Energy Technology Series - Policy Brief 4

Renewable Energy based Space Heating Solutions for the Mountains

Renewable energy heating and cooling has been described as the “sleeping giant” of Renewable Energy (RE) potentials from the global perspective. This policy brief reviews the current technological status of diverse RE technologies that can be employed in space heating. The brief highlights technologies from varied renewable sources such as solar, biomass, geothermal and examines their potential. The article spells out governmental measures to promote renewables, the barriers to adoption and concludes with recommendations for their uptake.

Full report: Renewable Energy Technology Series - Policy Brief 3

Renewable & Energy Efficient Technologies (REET) - Information Manual

The Himalayan communities are wholly dependent on natural resources, for their fuel, livelihoods and consumption needs. Increasing levels of extraction from forests, is resulting in rapid degradation of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. Moving them to Renewable & Energy Efficient Technologies would stall further eco-degradation, improve health & education, and enable alternate livelihoods due to provision of energy, and thus enable holistic & sustainable development.

The Information Manual was compiled for to facilitate promotion of these techniques.

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Renewable Energy Technologies for Mountain Livelihoods - Issues & Prospects

Renewable Energy (RE) is being championed as a vital source of employment and rural growth and as a means of tackling environmental and energy security issues. Mounting energy demands have in a sense resulted in ‘poverty of energy’. This article is a policy brief on RE Technologies for mountain livelihoods. The brief examines:  Potential RE Technologies and their prospects and feasibility for livelihood; RE Advantage, Limitation and Average Economic Cost of Energy Generation; Processes and Structures for RE; and Barriers to uptake of REs in mountain regions.

Full report: Renewable Energy Technology Series - Policy Brief 2

Rural Technopreneurs to address Himalaya’s energy needs

The youth participants cheered for each other as each of them performed completing electronic circuits successfully! The youths were being trained as Rural Technopreneurs to start up renewable energy based micro-enterprises in the district in order to improve energy access in remote villages of Himalayas. With >5000 un-electrified villages, the high altitude Himalayas is one of the least electrified areas in the entire country. The inhabitants meet 60-80% of their energy needs from the dwindling vegetation cover. Uptake of renewable energy and efficient energy technologies in the Himalayas is constrained by lack of awareness and procurement of renewable energy equipments calls for importing from far-away plains areas; maintenance services are not available within the region. The Pragya initiative is striving to create an energy supply value chain with Energy-Shop-cum-Technology-Kiosks as retail outlets for these products to be run by Rural Technopreneurs (read more). The two weeks long vocational training course helped these youth learn installation, sales and servicing of renewable energy equipments. They are now gearing up to form a cooperative and start their venture.

Renewable Energy Technologies for Rural Electrification in the Mountains

Energy is the basic necessity for human activity and lack of energy services is directly associated with key facets of poverty including low educational levels, restriction of opportunity, and conflict. This paper is a policy brief on Renewable Energy Technologies for Rural Electrification in the Mountains. The paper brings together pertinent findings from research studies and development reports and examines the major concerns and factors for rural electrification in the Mountains and the Village Grid approach for rural electrification.

Full report: Renewable Energy Technology Series - Policy Brief 1