Light, heat, energy: powering poor communities

April 2015 — Within global conversations about empowering the poor, one critical area for urban policies and programs is the question of literally powering poor communities. Light, heat, and energy are essential resources that can enhance opportunities in education, health, and employment, as well as the general quality of life. Poor communities tend to lag behind richer neighborhoods in terms of access to energy, but financial constraints and weaker traditional infrastructure also make them ideal sites for piloting sustainable energy infrastructures that can serve as models for the rest of the world.

For the month of April, we focus our lens on strategies, policies, and programs that provide reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy to poor and informal urban communities. Follow the conversation as it travels from city to city, and please contribute to the conversation in the comments below.

ENGLISH

Poverty, the corporate sector, and South Africa's energy crisis: a solar-powered light and Internet access for those with little or no access to electricity

Johannesburg, 28 April 2015 — Recently South Africans were shocked to find themselves in the midst of a national energy crisis. With energy firmly in the spotlight, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is slowly emerging in the private sector as one avenue through which to begin responding to these challenges. Net1 Mobile's Sun-e-light is one such CSR initiative, providing solar-powered light and Internet aimed at those with little or no access to electricity. See more.

ENGLISH

Poverty, the corporate sector, and South Africa's energy crisis: a solar-powered light and Internet access for those with little or no access to electricity

Tariq Toffa, Johannesburg Community Manager

Recently South Africans were shocked to find themselves in the midst of a national energy crisis. Policy decisions taken two decades ago that new capacity should be built by the private sector rather than by the Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom), the South African public electricity utility since 1923, ultimately failed as electricity was too cheap and profit margins too small for private power producers to take up. Though policy change and new projects would come years later, two decades without building any new capacity has meant that since 2006 South Africans have experienced official electricity blackouts known as "loadshedding" schedules as the current infrastructure continues to buckle.

With energy firmly in the spotlight, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is slowly emerging in the private sector as one avenue that has begun to respond to these challenges. The concept of CSR, though, is still very much in its infancy in South Africa and remains essentially voluntary. A previous article discussed how the CSR concept was accessed and creatively deployed by the young company Rethaka to make a contribution to social and environmental conditions as well. Others, such as Net1 Mobile Solutions, a Johannesburg-based technology and mobile banking company that is part of the Net1 group, have also begun to direct their own CSR content to engage energy needs more specifically, especially in areas of poverty.

Net1 Mobile's Sun-e-light is a new solar-powered lamp aimed at those with little or no access to electricity. The small, compact product provides light as either a lamp or a torch, charges mobile phones, and also provides access to the Internet as a WiFi hotspot. The lamp takes eight hours to charge and provides a battery life of up to 16 hours, and will also be available for sale to the public for under R300 (US$25). The plan is to roll out 2,000 lamps initially and, depending on demand, follow with more, as well as to move manufacturing from China to South Africa.

For many corporations, such green initiatives often tend to serve corporate offices themselves and not necessarily those in places of greatest need. For this reason, initiatives such as the Sun-e-light should be welcomed, and are also pertinent to the broader society given South Africa's current energy crisis. As the concept of CSR matures, however, it also must develop a greater spatial sensibility as opposed to injections of technological advances only; for in areas of greatest need, innovative technologies that serve shared spaces and uses can have greater collective impact within communities than products directed to individual consumers only.

These are encouraging signs. Much more is still possible. Close.

Photo: Net1 Mobile Solutions.

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PORTUGUÊS

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Aquecedores solares de baixo custo se espalham por São Paulo

São Paulo, 27 abril 2015 — Tecnologia sustentável esquenta água sem usar eletricidade. Desenvolvidos por ONG local, aquecedores podem melhorar as condições de vida de milhares de pessoas que vivem em favelas, com acesso improvisado à energia elétrica. Leia mais.

PORTUGUÊS

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Aquecedores solares de baixo custo se espalham por São Paulo

Felipe Villela, Coordenador da Rede em São Paulo

A autoconstrução é a solução encontrada por pelo menos 11 por cento da população residente na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) para conseguir um lar, segundo o censo de 2010 do IBGE. Entre as pessoas que não tem renda suficiente para comprar ou alugar um imóvel no mercado formal, resta a ocupação informal de terras impróprias para a construção. Nestes lugares, as casas são construídas com acesso improvisado a serviços públicos como água encanada e energia elétrica.

Como ocupam áreas de preservação permanente e mananciais, com solo contaminado ou terrenos públicos, estas comunidades permanecem ilegais por muito tempo, sem contar com ajuda do governo. Para compensar a falta de serviços básicos, ONG criou sistema para aquecimento de água que dispensa energia elétrica.

Os Aquecedores Solares de Baixo Custo (ASBC) foram desenvolvidos para serem construídos pelo usuário, com materiais industrializados comuns e baratos. A ONG Sociedade do Sol (SoSol), que criou o sistema e não registrou patente, oferece assessoria técnica para a montagem dos aquecedores, com transferência de conhecimento. Gustavo Cherubina, presidente da organização, diz que a tecnologia promove a autonomia do usuário e pode ser livremente reproduzida.

Esta é uma opção muito mais segura do que métodos populares para aquecer água com energia elétrica, como o "rabo quente". A técnica foi comum entre os moradores da favela Vila Nova Esperança, na zona oeste da cidade, que esperaram por mais de 50 anos até que o fornecimento de energia elétrica fosse regularizado. Até 2014, os consumidores “clandestinos” recorriam a "gatos", o que não oferecia energia suficiente para um chuveiro elétrico funcionar. Lia da Nova Esperança, como é conhecida a líder da associação de moradores, explica como usar o "rabo quente": "primeiro coloca a resistência num balde com água e depois na tomada, senão explode".

Lia conta com satisfação que está deixando de ser "clandestina para se tornar consumidora". Mas para os consumidores de baixa renda a formalização traz outro problema: o custo da tarifa. Por isso a associação de moradores estuda parceria com a SoSol para a instalação de aquecedores de baixo custo em 50 casas. Estes sistemas podem reduzir em até 80 por cento o consumo de energia elétrica em aquecimento de água e em até 50 por cento a conta final de energia.

Os aquecedores solares ainda são um projeto na Vila Nova Esperança, mas já se tornaram realidade em outra vizinhança pobre na RMSP. Entre 2013 e 2014 foram construídos, em esquema de mutirão, 11 exemplares no bairro de Tatetos, distrito de Riacho Grande, no município de São Bernardo do Campo.

Para construir um ASBC precisa-se de pelo menos duas pessoas com alguma experiência em construção civil. O sistema é composto por caixa d’água revestida com isolante térmico, como isopor e manta aluminisada, para não ficar exposta ao vento. O reservatório armazena a água aquecida pelo sol nos coletores, feitos com forro de PVC modular e sem vidro. O custo por sistema é de aproximadamente R$850.

Em casas precárias, como aquelas autoconstruídas em favelas, o custo de instalação pode subir dependendo das adequações estruturais necessárias para suportar o peso do novo reservatório de água. No caso de São Bernardo do Campo, a prefeitura e a deputada estadual Ana do Carmo (PT-SP) subsidiaram a instalação dos aquecedores. Para viabilizar os projetos, a SoSol mantém parceria com fornecedores dos componentes industrializados, como Braskem e Tecnoperfil. Close.

Fotos: Gustavo Cherubina

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ENGLISH

Collaboration and innovation for affordable energy

Delhi, 24 April 2015 — How do we ensure a better choice of affordable energy for the urban poor through collaborative stakeholder engagement, community empowerment, and simple technological innovations? See more.

ENGLISH

Collaboration and innovation for affordable energy

Priyanka Jain, Delhi Community Manager

Ending energy deprivation is not easy. Counterproductive pricing and subsidy policies have for a long time made the poorest household in India pay much more than the richest household. The common barriers — the high cost of service, illegal status of slum dwellers, lack of education and awareness, lack of trust between communities and service providers, and lack of infrastructure — can only be removed if we first and foremost get our institutions and regulations right. But that is not enough. Two case studies from Delhi show the role that collaborative stakeholder engagement and community empowerment — as well as simple technological innovations — can play to ensure a better choice of affordable energy for the urban poor.

The first case highlights the reasons for which the energy companies often neglect the urban poor — despite the fact that they live right next door to modern energy services, and the relatively low cost of extending the grid. There are genuine business obstacles, such as unpaid bills and higher initial cost of connection. But according to research by the Delhi-based NGO Integrated National Development Centre for Advancement Reform and Education Trust (INDCARE Trust), a high proportion of slum households also have illegal connections, amounting to electricity theft. In 2003, the organization was approached by USAID and North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) to build upon this research and assist in implementing an energy access project in the Bhalla Factory slum of New Delhi. What they did next is incredible.

INDCARE used innovative tools such as Mainstreaming of Urban Poor Women in Design for Resource Assessment (MAURA), to effectively target interventions, such as micro financing, and focused on supply constraints, payment mechanisms, and the quality of services provided. It also served as an intermediary between the community and the utility company, NDPL, and helped the community to negotiate agreements with NDPL through leadership training to community self-help groups so that they could articulate their demands and concerns. They worked with the community to change attitudes and help them understand their responsibilities as citizens to pay for services they consume. INDCARE collaborated with USAID and other microfinance institutions to provide capacity building for the community and to finance the costs of connecting households to the grid.

An outreach and advocacy campaign raised awareness in the community about the risks of illegal electrical access. Community representatives were coached to articulate their demands and their legal right to electricity and take the necessary steps to overcome issues of illegality. Awareness-raising events included street performances and poster campaigns, which were used to help teach the community negotiation skills necessary to demand and attain their rights. The project shows the need to establish trust between service providers and the community, and subsidize the high upfront costs of connecting. It also shows the importance of building capacity of the community, especially through women's groups.

The second case highlights how simple technological innovations, combined with a financial model and able leadership, can help provide better basic services to the poor. A social service organization, Sulabh, is quite well known in Delhi for providing public toilets. The organization decided to develop technologies to provide public toilets linked with a biogas plant and effluent treatment system, for the complete recycling and reuse of human waste. There are about 6,000 community toilet complexes, which serve about 12 million customers daily. Out of these, 100 have biogas plants linked to them.

The public toilets have provided people with hygienic sanitation facilities. The biogas plants have given more people, especially the poor, access to cleaner fuel. Additionally, the use of manure as a by-product has improved the fertility of arable land. Sulabh trained the community to construct and maintain the toilets and have attracted a solid paid workforce and an army of 50,000 volunteers who provide technical expertise and oversight. Close.

Photo: David Gil and Nathan Cooke

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BAHASA INDONESIA

ENGLISH

Potensi biogas menjadi energi

Jakarta, 23 April 2015 — Potensi energy terbarukan di Indonesia sangat besar namun belum cukup didukung dalam hal teknologi dan kebijakan pemerintah untuk pengembangannya. Salah satu inovasi teknologi diperkenalkan melalui Program Biru yang mengolah kotoran menjadi biogas pada tingkat rumah tangga. Baca lebih lanjut.

BAHASA INDONESIA

ENGLISH

Potensi biogas menjadi energi

Widya Anggraini, Jakarta Community Manager

Indonesia merupakan salah satu Negara dengan potensi energy terbarukan yang sangat melimpah. Namun demikian potensi tersebut belum secara maksimal digali dan dikembangkan. Setidaknya ada delapan bentuk energy terbarukan yang ada di Indonesia yaitu panas bumi, biofuel, panas surya, angin, biogas, ombak laut dan suhu kedalaman laut. Jenis energy ini dipercaya lebih bersih dan ramah lingkungan, aman serta terjangkau oleh masyarakat miskin. Yayasan Rumah Energi (YRE) merupakan salah satu organisasi yang mendorong penggunaan biogas untuk rumah tangga dengan menggunakan teknologi yang mampu mengubah kotoran ternak menjadi biogas melalui sebuah program bernama Biru. Program ini melibatkan sektor bisnis, lembaga pemberi bantuan keuangan bank dan non-bank dengan menggunakan pendekatan pasar.

YRE bertujuan untuk mengembangkan dan mempromosikan energy terbarukan sebagai solusi untuk meningkatkan ketahanan pangan dan energy terutama bagi masyarakat miskin sebab selama ini mereka banyak bergantung pada bahan bakar fosil tradisional dan sumberdaya alam lain seperti kayu bakar dan batu bara yang cenderung lebih murah. Oleh karena itu YRE mendorong masyarakat menggunakan tenaga alternative menggunakan sumber daya yang tersedia disekitar mereka melalui program Biru yang diinisiasi oleh Hivos dan SNV. Program biru mempromosikan penggunaan rekator biogas sebagai sumber energy lokal yang berkelanjutan dengan mengembangkan pasar. Pasar menjadi faktor penting sebab bagaimanapun teknologi tersebut digunakan untuk menciptakan lapangan kerja dan meningkatkan taraf hidup mereka.

Selama ini masyarakat miskin selalu menunggu uluran tangan dari pemerintah untuk berhasil, namun program Biru menciptakan kesadaran bahwa keberhasilan datang melalui upaya mereka sendiri. Untuk itu, swadaya menjadi penting. Rumah tangga didorong menggunakan teknologi biogas tersebut dengan bantuan pendanaan berupa kredit lunak dari beberapa bank yang berkomitmen dalam program Biru seperti Bank BNI dan Rabobank serta menggandeng pihak swasta yang tertarik mengambil fungsi penting seperti Nestle yang sudah menjadi partner. Program ini melibatkan masyarakat sebagai pemilik teknologi dan melatih mereka untuk menggunakan dan merawatnya. Kini rumah tangga tersebut telah mampu mengembangkan peralatan inti biogas dan semua peralatan tersebut dibuat secara lokal dengan kualitas yang baik.

Pada dasarnya teknologi biogas ini berfungsi mengubah kotoran binatang dan manusia serta materi organic lainnya menjadi biogas. Reaktor mengolah kotoran dan air menjadi gas. Pada tingkat rumah tangga, biogas ini digunakan sebagai bahan bakar mamasak dan lampu penerangan, sedangkan kotoran yang sudah terfermentasi dikeluarkan dan ampasnya bernama bio-slurry yang dapat digunakan sebagai pupuk organik dan bermanfaat untuk menyuburkan lahan dan meningkatkan produksi tanaman budidaya.

Program Biru mendapat sambutan sangat baik dari masyarakat sebab teknologinya membantu mereka mengolah kotoran termak sehingga tidak menumpuk dan bau serta mendapat bahan bakar gratis. Selain itu juga terjadi peningkatan aktivitas ekonomi yang cukup signifikan. Program yang melibatkan banyak pihak tersebut dinilai berhasil dijalankan dan teknologi yang digunakan memiliki tingkat ketahanan yang lama. Tantangan terbesar dalam program ini adalah mempertahankan keberlanjutan aktivitas ekonomi masyarakat ketika teknologi ini mengalami hambatan dan pada saat yang sama mereka harus terus membayar ke bank untuk penggunaan teknologi tersebut. Selain itu peran pemerintah cenderung lemah selama ini dalam hal mendorong keterlibatan sektor publik dan privat untuk terlibat dalam inverstasi penyediaan teknologi biogas meski pemerintah pusat telah mendeklarasikan untuk menjadi negara mandiri energi. Close.

Foto: PURI ORGANIK FARM

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ENGLISH

Light up Nigeria

Abuja, 22 April 2015 — With poor areas often not on the national grid, the Federal government devised a renewable energy source program targeting developing and off-grid areas. The goal is to provide power supply through cost-effective and sustainable energy sources to vulnerable groups, starting with Abuja. See more.

ENGLISH

Light up Nigeria

Olatawura Ladipo-Ajayi, Abuja Community Manager

The city of Abuja is best described as Nigeria's planned city. Most of its development occurred in the 1980s and as such, there have been many opportunities to incorporate inclusive planning and growth. The 3,000 sq mi (7,770 sq km) city is home to over 2,245,000 residents and serves as the capital city of Nigeria, located in the Federal Capital Territory. Despite being a planned city, Abuja is growing quickly and has some of its own urban development challenges, including power supply. Although Abuja enjoys fairly decent power supply, like most cities in Nigeria, the city's challenges include connectivity and steady supply. Fortunately, Abuja will eventually benefit from a national renewable energy program focusing on sources of renewable energy.

In 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the pilot phase of "Light-Up Rural Nigeria" in three peri-urban communities in Abuja with a pledge to ensure constant power supply. The project is one of the many under the national renewable energy program headed by the Ministry of Environment and the federal government. It aims to use renewable energy to provide electricity to communities across Nigeria, especially communities not connected to the national grid. The overall goal is to provide clean, cheap and reliable renewable energy that would address both climate and power challenges in Nigeria.

The project is implemented through the sourcing for and deployment of alternative and sustainable renewable energy sources, to create sustainable livelihoods for the poor, who feel the effects of unstable electricity supply more than any other group. Products used in implementation of the program include the NAIJA LIGHT Solar Kit, a portable solar electrification kit that provides power to remote communities using a light bulb, a mobile charging unit, and a fan for additional cooling. The product is available in 50Mwh and 100Mwh kits. Another notable product is the NAIJA LIGHT Primary Health Care Solar Kits, designed to aid in health care delivery to remote or unconnected areas. The kit is equipped with a mini-freezer for storage of serums and vaccines, two lighting points, and a 10-point mobile phone charging unit.

The program progresses as more unconnected communities are identified in order to improve the reach of power and connect these areas that are currently off the grid. Advocates for unpowered communities reach out to relevant authorities to ensure that they are involved in the process. The impact of the program is being felt by the pilot communities, as in February 2015, two communities in Abuja celebrated a year of uninterrupted power supply. This increased power supply has led to a growth in SME activities such as welding and artisan businesses. Close.

Photo: Coconinoco

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ESPAÑOL

ENGLISH

Educando sobre la necesidad de un consumo energético responsable

Bogotá, 21 abril 2015 — Aumentar la conciencia sobre la necesidad de un uso responsable de la energía es un paso crucial en el proceso de incrementar el acceso a la energía en los barrios de menores recursos económicos. Varios programs impulsado tanto por entidades públicas como privadas, han buscado conseguir ese objetivo educativo en Bogotá. Leer más.

ESPAÑOL

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Educando sobre la necesidad de un consumo energético responsable

Jorge Bela, Gestor Comunitario de Bogotá

Dentro de la ecuación del suministro energético, la educación sobre un consumo responsable es un componente esencial. El ajuste del consumo a las necesidades reales permite mejorar los problemas de suministro y tiene un impacto medioambiental favorable. El crecimiento económico y de demanda energética, especialmente eléctrica, está generando crecientes problemas en la red, incluso apagones. En este sentido resultan de suma importancia las campañas de concienciación y de educación, en la que los consumidores obtengan una mejor perspectiva de los costes y los impactos que la generación energética presuponen.

En Bogotá se han llevado a cabo varias iniciativas destinadas precisamente a mejorar el conocimiento de los bogotanos sobre estos temas. El Programa de Energía Limpia de Colombia (Colombian Clean Energy Program, CCEP), un proyecto de USAID, ha lanzado el denominado Proyecto Educativo y Demostrativo de Energía Limpia para el Jardín Botánico de Bogotá. Una vez concluido, el Jardín Botánico contará con una planta de gasificación de biomasa que suministrará hasta el 30 por ciento de la energía consumida y con un sistema de 39 paneles solares interconectado a la red. El proyecto tiene un fuerte componente educativo, por lo que se creará un paseo ecológico e interactivo. Por ejemplo, se instalará una cascada en la zona dedicada a los páramos, cuya bomba de agua estará impulsada por la energía de los paneles solares. La eficiencia energética será uno de los temas destacados en el paseo ecológico.

Otro proyecto lanzado por el CCEP se ha centrado en mejorar la eficiencia energética de 3000 pequeños comercios en la capital. Esta iniciativa contempla no solo la instalación de equipos eficientes de iluminación y de refrigeración, sino también un programa de difusión de resultados que tenga un impacto pedagógico más allá de los comercios directamente beneficiados.

La Alcaldía de Bogotá, a través de la Secretaría Distrital de Medio Ambiente, también ha lanzado varias iniciativas destinadas a mejorar la concienciación de la necesidad de hacer un uso responsable de la energía. Entre ellas destaca la promoción de un "apagón" ambiental el día 8 de cada mes, en el que se anima a los ciudadanos a apagar las luces de sus casas durante una hora. Coincidiendo con los apagones, la Secretaría organiza actividades en los barrios, en las que se explican estrategias para la conservación de energía, como la necesidad de desconectar los electrodomésticos que no se estén utilizando, así como apagar las luces siempre que sea posible.

La Fundación del Grupo Energía de Bogotá, empresa que se encarga del suministro eléctrico de la ciudad, también ha lanzado varias iniciativas pedagógicas. Entre ellas está el reparto de materiales didácticos basados en el juego, y destinados a mejorar la conciencia ambiental de los niños. También a alertarles de los riesgos asociados con el suministro eléctrico, no solo en las viviendas, sino también en las zonas próximas a las redes de transmisión energético, como tuberías de gas o transformadores eléctricos. Close.

Foto: Fundación del Grupo Energía de Bogotá

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PORTUGUÊS

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Governo Federal impulsiona a inclusão e a inovação energéticas em Curitiba

Curitiba, 20 abril 2015 — Para alcançar a inclusão energética total e desenvolver sua capacidade de inovação no setor, Curitiba tem pego impulso em duas iniciativas do governo federal: o programa Minha Casa Minha Vida, de financiamento de moradias para famílias de baixa renda, e a Lei 9.991, legislação específica sobre pesquisa e desenvolvimento. Leia mais.

PORTUGUÊS

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Governo Federal impulsiona a inclusão e a inovação energéticas em Curitiba

Andréa Azambuja, Coordenadora da Rede em Curitiba

Curitiba é considerada uma "cidade modelo" no Brasil, prestigiada também internacionalmente. Com o 10º IDH mais alto entre 5 565 municípios, acaba se ser apontada como a cidade mais verde do país e da América Latina no relatório Green City Index, entre outras deferências.

Isso não significa que a capital do Paraná não enfrente sérios problemas socioeconômicos. Inclusive, recentemente o jornal francês Le Monde publicou uma matéria que começa com a frase "É o fim de um mito", em que destaca suas questões mais urgentes, como segurança. Aparentemente, eficiência/ inclusão energética não é uma delas.

Aparentemente, pois a ao mesmo tempo em que 99,98 por cento da população em domicílios têm acesso à energia elétrica, os que vivem em acampamentos ou habitações ilegais continuam excluídos. E ao passo que o Paraná é o principal gerador de energia do país, frequentemente apresenta falhas no abastecimento, baseado em hidrelétricas.

Para alcançar a total inclusão energética e desenvolver sua capacidade de inovação, Curitiba tem pego impulso em iniciativas do governo federal. Uma delas é o Minha Casa Minha Vida, programa de financiamento de moradias para famílias de baixa renda que exige o cumprimento de medias ambientais.

Com investimento do MCMV de cerca de R$ 4 milhões, em dezembro passado saiu do papel o conjunto habitacional Moradias do Nilo, o primeiro da cidade com sistema de aquecimento solar. São 66 casas com placas de vidro nos telhados, que se conectam a um reservatório térmico ligado à caixa d’água e aquecem a água para banho.

O equipamento reduz em até 50 por cento o consumo de energia elétrica e representa menos de cinco por cento do capital aplicado no empreendimento, construído pelo método wood frame, que substitui o uso de tijolos por painéis prontos de fábrica. Os painéis utilizados contêm malhas de garrafa pet que, entre outros benefícios, garantem isolamento térmico, evitando o uso de aquecedores no inverno — outra economia favorável aos moradores e ao meio ambiente.

O emprego de tecnologias fotovolaicas em geral ainda é tímido em Curitiba, mas tem ganho força com o programa Smart Energy Paraná, que estimula a microgeração com fontes renováveis próxima ao consumidor e sua integração a Redes Elétricas Inteligentes. A ação, estadual, é reforçada por incentivos fiscais do governo nacional, que também tem movimentado o setor através de uma legislação específica sobre pesquisa e desenvolvimento.

Assinada no ano 2000, a Lei 9.991 determina que concessionárias, permissionárias e autorizadas de serviços públicos de distribuição de energia elétrica apliquem pelo menos 0,50 por cento de sua receita no incremento de eficiência para benefício dos consumidores. Em atendimento à disposição, a Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel) — que, com complexo próprio de usinas, gera e distribui energia elétrica para toda a área urbana do Paraná e para 90 por cento da zona rural — criou o Programa de Eficiência Energética, que já beneficiou milhares de cidadãos.

Em 2012/2013, a Copel investiu pelo menos R$ 100 milhões em projetos de eficiência energética destinados à população de baixa renda. Entre outros, instalou ou substituiu sistemas de iluminação e de aquecimento de água — inclusive por placas solares — em comunidades isoladas, aldeias indígenas e ONGs, além de ter aplicado outros R$ 40 milhões em ações vinculadas ao poder público, em mais de 170 escolas públicas e hospitais.

Ao mesmo tempo que o governo federal estimula a inovação no setor elétrico em Curitiba, intensifica alguns de seus principais problemas. Um exemplo é a crise atual no transporte público — ao passo que uma campanha nacional incentiva a aquisição do automóvel próprio. A contradição é ilustrativa da cidade, que sempre teve uma capacidade invejável de mostrar resultados, enquanto a área periférica sempre sofreu com extrema precariedade. Close.

Foto: Prefeitura de Curitiba

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ENGLISH

Solar energy companies focus on needs of urban poor

Bangalore, 17 April 2015 — Solar energy initiatives have mainly focused on lighting up rural communities around India, but organizations are increasingly realizing that urban slums are also energy-poor. Pollinate Energy has been leading the way toward sustainable energy for India's urban off-grid communities by empowering local community members to become clean energy entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs connect Bangalore's poor to affordable solar products — a move that has radically transformed their lives. See more.

ENGLISH

Solar energy companies focus on the needs of the urban poor

Carlin Carr, Bangalore Community Manager

It's hard to talk about solar power for the poor in Bangalore without mentioning the Solar Electric Light Company, widely known as SELCO. The Bangalore-based social enterprise has pioneered bringing sustainable energy solutions to India's poor, especially in Bangalore's home state of Karnataka. However, SELCO has primarily focused on rural populations and only more recently has focused on urban communities in need. (URB.im has featured SELCO's urban work here.) While "energy poverty" is often seen as a rural issue, more organizations are beginning to focus on sustainable energy needs for India's slum households as well.

Bangalore's urban poor also face many severe energy challenges. Despite living in the IT hub, slum dwellers often live off the grid and survive by using toxic kerosene lamps for daily needs, including running their households, maintaining businesses, and studying. The World Health Organization has linked the employment of kerosene for household use to four million premature deaths worldwide. Women and children are adversely impacted because of the inordinate amount of time they spend at home. Furthermore, the dangerous, polluting energy source is not even an economical alternative. "The poor do not use kerosene because it is cheap," says a Yale study on the need for better solar access. "They are kept poor in significant part because they must rely on expensive, dirty kerosene."

Bangalore-based Pollinate Energy focuses on converting those Bangalore communities that are forced to use kerosene into solar energy users. Pollinate Energy does not create or manufacture solar energy products; rather, the organization connects slum communities to the best and most affordable products on the market, such as the highly regarded Sun King solar lamps, which are being used across South Asia and Africa. Pollinate Energy operates with a hive of "pollinators" — locally based entrepreneurs who act as micro distributors to slum communities in Bangalore. The goal is to empower the local energy entrepreneurs enough to move social businesses into the mainstream.

Pollinators run their business out of a bag — literally. The company sets them up with a "Business in a Bag" toolkit that contains helpful goodies, from a transport allowance to a smart phone equipped with a Salesforce cloud management system to track customers and orders. Pollinators also receive training and support to help launch and grow their small businesses. As of last year, Pollinate Energy had reached nearly 40,000 urban residents, and had prevented more than half a million liters of kerosene from polluting the lungs of the poor.

As for Pollinate Energy, achieving energy access for all is a key goal of the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, said, "Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability." As developed nations work to switch over traditional electricity users to solar, India and emerging countries like it have an opportunity to head straight to sustainable modes. Solar has become more affordable, and companies such as Pollinate Energy have come up with financing to make these products attainable for the poor. The potential of solar energy in India is massive — and one that must be continually championed, not just in India's hinterlands but even in the most hi-tech hubs. Close.

Photo credit: Pollinate Energy

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Iniciativa de techos verde en la Municipalidad de Chacao

Caracas, 16 abril 2015 — Los techos verdes han demostrado un impacto positivo en las ciudades. Sin embargo, al ser una nueva tecnología puede ser costoso de implementarla y replicarla. El proyecto de la Biblioteca de Los Palos Grandes es un primer paso para empezar a construir techos verdes en Caracas. Leer más.

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Iniciativa de techos verde en la Municipalidad de Chacao

Ana Cristina Vargas, Gestor Comunitario de Caracas

Los techos verdes son conocidos en todo el mundo por su impacto positivo al reducir el consumo de energía en el interior de edificios, disminuir las islas de calor en las ciudades y proporcionar espacios de recreación y ocio alternativo. En Caracas, dado que es una ciudad tropical con un clima óptimo todo el año, los ciudadanos han utilizado tradicionalmente terrazas al aire libre con plantas en macetas. No obstante, la idea de cubrir toda la superficie del techo con una capa vegetal como una estrategia para reducir el calor en el interior de los edificios ha sido poco desarrollada. En 2011, una importante cadena de supermercados Central Madeirense abrió una nueva tienda en La Alameda (Baruta, Caracas) con un techo verde de 4 000 metros cuadrados. Más recientemente, en 2013, el Municipio de Chacao en Caracas comenzó un proyecto piloto de techos verdes en su nueva biblioteca pública en Los Palos Grandes. Comenzó como iniciativa público-privada; coordinada por la Alcaldía y financiado por la empresa recolectora de basura local, Sateca, como su iniciativa de Responsabilidad Corporativa.

El proyecto se inició en respuesta a la iniciativa de sostenibilidad de la Municipalidad a través de la Dirección Cultural y Ambiental. El diseño arquitectónico del jardín de la azotea fue encargado a Yerbabuena Paisajismo Integral, una firma de arquitectura local especializada en el diseño, construcción y mantenimiento de superficies verdes. Al mismo tiempo, el Instituto de Desarrollo Experimental de la Construcción de la Universidad Central de Venezuela proporcionó el apoyo técnico para medir la cantidad de energía ahorrada después de la construcción del techo verde.

El techo verde de la Biblioteca de Los Palos Grandes cubre un área de 124 metros cuadrados y ha contribuido a reducir la temperatura en el interior del edificio entre 5 y 8 grados centígrados. La disminución de la temperatura ha ayudado a reducir el uso de aire acondicionado en el interior del edificio no sólo disminuyendo el consumo de energía, sino que también extendiendo la vida útil de las máquinas de enfriamiento. Los beneficios del techo verde son múltiples: contienen 75 por ciento de agua de lluvia que luego se evapora en lugar de desbordar los sistemas de drenaje público, reducen la temperatura en la ciudad evitando las islas de calor (que es un problema importante en Caracas durante la estación seca) y proporcionan techo terrazas para el ocio y la recreación.

Cuando abrió el jardín de la azotea, un foro de sostenibilidad fue organizado por el Municipio para promover la educación ambiental en la ciudad. Sin embargo, en Venezuela la energía subsidiada no genera un ahorro económico significativo como para motivar a los vecinos para construir techos verdes, que son más caros que los acabados regulares. Por lo tanto, la Municipalidad ha estado preparando una política pública, que ofrece otros incentivos económicos. También han construido más recientemente un jardín vertical en una escuela pública local UEM Carlos Soublette, para ayudar a educar a los niños en estrategias de sostenibilidad.

Para continuar replicando los techos verdes, las políticas públicas pueden tener un papel importante. Ciertos impuestos podrían reducirse o dar beneficios constructivos. Sin embargo, en una ciudad donde las zonas más pobladas y densas son asentamientos informales, parece fundamental desarrollar estrategias de techos verdes de bajo costo que pueden ser auto-construidas en pequeñas casas y no sólo ser sostenibles, sino también proporcionar nuevos espacios de ocio y recreación. Close.

Un agradecimiento especial a Pedro Méndez, Coordinador de Proyectos de Alcaldía de Chacao. Imagen 1: Techo Verde en el California Academy of Science; Ana Vargas. Imagen 2: Techo Verde Los Palos Grandes; El Universal. Imagen 3: Variaciones de temperature; Alcaldia de Chacao.

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Energía alternativa contra la pobreza

Mexico D.F., 15 abril 2015 — En la Ciudad de México esfuerzos para combatir la carencia de energía de bajo costo para las viviendas marginadas están presentes; un ejemplo es la instalación de fuentes de energía sustentable y subsidios para subsanar el costo del consumo de fuentes de energía. Leer más.

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Energía alternativa contra la pobreza

María Fernanda Carvallo, Gestor Comunitario de Mexico D.F.

En 2010 el INEGI registró la existencia de 2 386 605 viviendas en el Distrito Federal, de las cuales el 99.5 por ciento tienen acceso a energía eléctrica por la provisión por parte de la Comisión Federal de Electricidad. En este sentido la cobertura casi universal de este servicio no representa una problemática grave en la ciudad. No obstante, la población que vive en condiciones de marginación y pobreza se enfrenta a problemáticas para el pago de este servicio, por lo que una de las estrategias es hacer uso de la red eléctrica de manera informal, es decir usar a la electricidad sin registro alguno para evitar el cobro.

El Gobierno Federal, a través de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social, generó a una estrategia complementaria al Programa Oportunidades, que tiene presencia en el DF. Este programa entrega apoyos en efectivo a las familias beneficiarias con el propósito de contribuir a la ruptura del ciclo intergeneracional de la pobreza, de manera que mensualmente se entregan apoyos para alimentación, salud y educación. Dentro de estos apoyos se considera mensualmente $50 pesos por familia para compensar los gastos realizados en el consumo de fuentes de energía como: luz, gas, carbón, leña, combustible o velas.

Por su parte, dentro del sector de la sociedad civil existen esfuerzos para proveer energía de manera sustentable a las viviendas. Un ejemplo es la Asociación Civil, Échale a Tu Casa que trabaja para proveer el acceso a viviendas dignas y ecológicas. Échale construye viviendas a través de la participación comunitaria, en la cual la población tiene un papel fundamental para edificar la vivienda de acuerdo con sus necesidades. Dentro de este proyecto, Échale se preocupa por equipar a las casas con ecotecnias que no dependen de infraestructura de luz convencional y que tienen fuentes de energía para las viviendas como: biodigestores, calentadores solar, estufas de leña y celdas fotovoltaicas. Échale a tu casa trabaja con presencia en zonas rurales y semiurbanas por lo que en el Distrito Federal tiene representación comunitaria en la delegación Xochimilco.

Hay un gran camino por recorrer en la instalación de fuentes de energía alternativas en las viviendas pobres de las zonas urbanas en la Ciudad de México, si bien hay diversos e importantes actores con presencia en las zonas rurales del país, las ciudades presentan rezagos en el uso de energías sustentables y sobre todo de bajo costo. Un actor importante y reconocido que trabaja en zonas rurales es la empresa social Iluméxico, a través de su programa PROMETEO, capta a la energía solar con un panel de celdas fotovoltaicas que transforma la energía en una batería que controla los ciclos de carga y descarga, permitiendo un uso más prolongadode las baterías para la iluminación de viviendas y calles.

El modelo se basa en la venta de crédito de los productos, venta de la infraestructura a programas de gobierno y empresas de responsabilidad social. En el DF, han participado como proveedores de la tecnología a través de la venta al público, mientras que en zonas rurales están presentes a través de proyectos sociales y subsidios gubernamentales. El trabajo que concretan en las comunidades rurales es un gran referente para que sea insertado en las políticas públicas de la ciudad. Close.

Foto: Ilumexico

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সৌর বোতল বাতি: আলোকজ্বল দরিদ্র বাসভবন

Dhaka, 14 April 2015 — চ্যাইঞ্জ, ঢাকা-ভিত্তিক একটি গবেষণা প্রতিষ্ঠান ব্রাজিলিয়ান সংস্কারক, আলফ্রেডো মোযার’এর 'লিটার অফ লাইট' – এর অনুকরণে 'বোতলবাতি' প্রকল্প শুরু করেন। এই বোতল লাইট এখন ঢাকায় অবৈধ এবং ব্যয়বহুল বৈদ্যুতিক সংযোগের উপর নির্ভরশীল বস্তিবাসীদের একটি সাশ্রয়ী বিকল্প খুঁজে হিসেবে সাহায্য করছে। See more.

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সৌর বোতল বাতি: আলোকজ্বল দরিদ্র বাসভবন

লেখিকা: প্রতিভা টেন্ডুল্কার, অনুবাদিকা: নুসরাত ইয়াসমিন

ঢাকায় নিয়মিত ৩ থেকে ৪ ঘন্টা অন্তর লোড শেডিং দেশের উন্নয়নে নেতিবাচক প্রভাব ফেলছে। সূর্যালোক প্রবেশ করে না বললেই চলে এমন অবৈধ জনবসতির আবদ্ধ পরিবারও সমানভাবে বিদ্যুৎ সঙ্কট দ্বারা প্রভাবিত হচ্ছে। ঢাকার বস্তিগুলো অবৈধ বিদ্যুৎ সংযোগের উপর নির্ভর করে; তারা প্রতিদিন ১০০ ওয়াটের বা এর বেশী দশ ঘন্টার অধিক সময়ের জন্য ব্যবহার করে। ঘন ঘন বিদ্যুৎ বিভ্রাটের কারণে এই পরিবারগুলো প্রায়শই অন্ধকারাচ্ছন্ন থাকে। এই সমস্যা মোকাবেলা করার প্রয়াসে, চ্যাইঞ্জ, একটি ঢাকা-ভিত্তিক গবেষণা প্রতিষ্ঠান ও উপদেষ্টা-বৃত্তি’র প্রধান সাজিদ ইকবালের নেতৃত্বে ‘বোতলবাতি' প্রকল্প শুরু হয়। প্রকল্পের লক্ষ্য বিদ্যুৎ ব্যবহার হ্রাস করে বস্তিতে শক্তি সঞ্চয়ে উন্নতি সাধন করা। প্রতিষ্ঠানটি বস্তিতে দৈনিক বিদ্যুত ব্যবহার হ্রাস করার জন্য বৈদ্যুতিক বাল্বের একটি বিকল্প সমাধান হিসেবে বোতলবাতি চালু করেন।

বোতলবাতি প্রকল্পের উদ্যোগ ২০১২ সালে শুরু হয় যখন এনভায়োরনম্যানটাল ম্যানেজমেন্ট’এর স্নাতক ছাত্র, সাজিদ ইকবাল এমআইটি ছাত্রদের সহযোগিতায় একজন ব্রাজিলিয়ান সংস্কারক, আলফ্রেডো মোযার’এর 'লিটার অফ লাইট' – এর উপর একটি ফেসবুক ভিডিও দেখে অনুপ্রাণিত হন। সৌর বোতল সস্তা এবং পরিষ্কার পানি ও অল্প ক্লোরিনে ভরা প্লাস্টিকের বোতল দিয়ে তৈরি।বোতলগুলো তারপর টিনের পাত এবং ওয়াটারপ্রুফ আঠার সাহায্যে ছাদের গর্তে এঁটে দেওয়া হয়। সৌর বোতলগুলো সূর্যালোক প্রতিসৃত করে এবং ৫৫ ওয়াটস উত্পাদনের মাধ্যমে সম্পূর্ণ রুম আলোকজ্জ্বল করে রাখে।

জিআইজেড’এর (জার্মান উন্নয়ন কো’অপারেশন) সঙ্গে, চ্যাইঞ্জ, ২০১৩ সালে ঢাকার মিরপুরের বাউনিয়া-বাধ বস্তিতে একটি সামাজিক ব্যবসা হিসেবে বোতলবাতি প্রকল্প শুরু করে। বোতল লাইট বস্তির ২৫০ পরিবারের মধ্যে স্থাপন করা হয় যা পরিবারগুলোর মধ্যে দিনমান আলো সুবিধা প্রদানে সফল হয়েছে। যখন সাজিদের মতে, এই এলাকার৮৩ শতাংশ মানুষ এখনও এই পদ্ধতি ব্যবহার করছেন এবং মাত্র ১৬ শতাংশ বিদ্যুতের উপর নির্ভরশীল। এই উদ্যাগটি কার্বন নির্গমন ও বিদ্যুতের অপব্যবহার কমাতে সফল হয়েছে। ধারণা করা হয়, এই প্রকল্পের ফলে প্রতি বছর প্রায় ৯৮.৮৪ মেগাওয়াট বিদ্যুত সংরক্ষিত হচ্ছে। একইভাবে, স্থানীয় বাসিন্দারা এই প্রকল্পটি সাদরে গ্রহণ করেছে যেহেতু এটি তাদের বিদ্যুৎ বিল হ্রাস এবং লোডশেডিং দ্বারা সৃষ্ট ব্যাঘাত ছাড়া নিয়মিত কাজ করতে সাহায্য করছে। দরিদ্র স্কুল ও পরিবারের মধ্যে সৌর বোতল আলোর উচ্চ চাহিদার কারণে, চ্যাইঞ্জ, ঢাকার মোহাম্মদপুর এলাকার জেনেভা ক্যাম্পের স্কুলগুলোর শ্রেণীকক্ষের মধ্যে বোতল লাইট লাগিয়ে দিয়েছে।

সৌর বোতল লাইট যেহেতু শুধুমাত্র দিনে কাজ করে থাকে, তাই চ্যাইঞ্জ সৌর বোতল আলো প্রযুক্তির পরিবর্তিত আকারে রাতে ব্যবহারোপযোগী একটি সৌর লণ্ঠন প্রকল্প শুরু করেছে। সৌর লণ্ঠন তৈরী করা হয় একটি সৌর প্যানেল এবং একটি ব্যাটারি সঙ্গে একটি ২০ ইঞ্চি ব্যাস পাইপের সাহায্যে প্লাস্টিক বোতলের মধ্যে সংযোগ স্থাপনের মাধ্যমে। সাজিদ মতে, সৌর লণ্ঠন বাজারে পাওয়া অন্যান্য বাতির তুলনায় সস্তা। প্রতিষ্ঠানটি স্থানীয়দের জন্য বাতি মেরামত বা তাদের নিজস্ব ব্যবসা শুরু করতে সাহায্য করবে এমন কর্মশালা আয়োজনের পরিকল্পনা করছে। তাই, প্রতিষ্ঠানটি দরিদ্র জনবসতি এবং গ্রামীণ এলাকার মধ্যে এই মজবুত প্রযুক্তির ব্যবহার প্রসারণ করবার উদ্দ্যেশ্যে সরকার ও মানুষের কাছে সাহায্য ও সমর্থন প্রার্থনা করছে। বর্তমানে, বেশ কিছু যুব সংগঠন লিটার অফ লাইটের অনুরূপ প্রকল্প শুরু করেছেন । তবে, সাজিদ মনে করেন প্রকল্পটি সংবেদনশীল এবং পর্যাপ্ত সতর্কতা অবলম্বন না করলে এটি দরিদ্র পরিবারগুলোর ঘরের ছাদে ফুটো সৃষ্টি করতে পারে। Close.

চিত্র: চ্যাইঞ্জ বর্ণিত বোতলবাতি প্রক্রিয়া’র লিফলেট

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ENGLISH

Sampah kota yang membawa berkah

Surabaya, 13 April 2015 — Sampah kota merupakan pekerjaan rumah besar bagi tiap kota besar dimana penyelesaiannya membutuhkan kemauan politik yang kuat dan partisipasi masyarakat yang tinggi. Pemerintah Surabaya melihat potensi sampah menjadi tenaga listrik melalui penggunaan teknologi yang menghasilkan nol sampah dan advokasi kebawah yang mendorong penerapan 3R. Baca lebih lanjut.

BAHASA INDONESIA

ENGLISH

Sampah kota yang membawa berkah

Widya Anggraini, Surabaya Community Manager

Sampah di perkotaan selalu menjadi persoalan serius yang di hadapi semua kota di dunia termasuk Surabaya. Meningkatnya jumlah penduduk berbanding lurus dengan jumlah sampah yang dihasilkan. Permasalahan sampah muncul bukan hanya dari masyarakatnya yang belum memiliki kesadaran untuk menjaga kebersihan lingkungan namun juga kelemahan pemerintah dalam kebijakan pengelolaan sampah kota. Namun Surabaya menunjukkan kekuatan dalam mengatasi dua kelemahan tersebut : teknologi pengolahan sampah kota menjadi listrik dan mendorong komunitas untuk mengolah sampah rumah tangga mereka mereka untuk mengurangi jumlah sampah.

Jumlah sampah Surabaya per hari kini mencapai 1.300 ton yang ditampung dalam Tempat Pembuangan Akhir (TPA) yang tersebar di beberapa lokasi. Penerapan teknologi nol sampah mampu mengolah air limbah sampah dan mengubah sampah kota menjadi kompos dan bahan pembangkit listrik. Beberapa jenis sampah juga di daur ulang menjadi bahan bernilai ekonomis. Dengan pembangkit listrik berbahan sampah, Surabaya telah mampu menghasilkan listrik berkekuatan 40.000 watt. Dengan potensi jumlah sampah yang kian bertambah, pemerintah akan segera menempatkan pembangkit listrik tenaga sampah di dua lokasi lain sehingga dengan energi listrik yang dihasilkan dapat membantu lebih banyak warga.

Upaya pengelolaan sampah kota memerlukan partisipasi luas yang dimulai dari warga di desa dan kampung-kampung kumuh dan padat di Surabaya. Perbaikan kampung telah dilaksanakan melalui program Kampung Improvement Program (KIP) yang menyediakan akses jalan, sistem drainase, pengelolaan limbah dan sampah dan berbagai fasilitas sosial. Salah satu contoh keberhasilan adalah Kampung Gundih di Surabaya yang sebelumnya terkenal sebagai "kawasan merah". Citra negatif ini berasal dari kenyataan bahwa daerah tersebut merupakan daerah miskin yang dipenuhi perumahan informal dengan tingkat kejahatan tinggi. Pelaksanaan KIP kampung Gundih dilaksanakan tahun 2007 dengan mendorong terjadinya peremajaan kampung secara swadaya. KIP diarahkan untuk menciptakan kampung hijau dan bersih melalui aktivitas seperti pemilahan dan pengolahan sampah, pengolahan air limbah dan menjaga kebersihan lingkungan. Kini warga secara mandiri mampu memisahkan sampah organik dan non-organik. Sampah non organik diolah menjadi kompos yang digunakan untuk merawat tanaman di kampung. Sementara itu perubahan perilaku didorong melalui pengenalan terhadap konsep 3R — reduce, reuse, recycle.

Kemudian untuk pengolahan air limbah dilakukan secara komunal dan individu. Air limbah manusia diolah secara individu pada septic tank di tiap rumah sedangkan air limbah rumah tangga diolah melalui APAL — alat pengolahan air limbah, yang tersedia di setiap gang rumah. Proses pengolahan air limbah dilakukan secara sederhana dimana air limbah dari rumah disalurkan ke APAL dan dijernihkan. Air hasil olahan disalurkan dan digunakan bersama-sama untuk menyiram tanaman dan mencuci motor. Hasil olahan air limbah mencapai 5-6 kubik meter air perbulan.

Penyelesaian permasalahan sampah perkotaan bukan hanya tanggung jawab pemerintah namun memerlukan partisipasi luas masyarakat. Pemanfaatan teknologi yang menghasilkan nol sampah merupakan kebijakan yang tepat untuk mengatasi persoalan sampah kota. Selain itu dukungan masyarakat luas terhadap upaya peremajaan dan perbaikan kampung kumuh sangat baik yang membawa Surabaya menjadi salah satu kota di ASEAN yang menerima ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City (ESC) Award. Namun demikian tantangan terbesar tentu pada tingkat komitmen masyarakat untuk terus melaksanakan program pemerintah secara swadaya serta mendorong perubahan perilaku. Tantangan dari sisi pemerintah adalah meneruskan good political will yang ada saat ini dan menginstitusinalkan praktik-praktik baik sehingga saat pergantian kepemimpinan politik, kegiatan bisa tetap berjalan. Close.

Foto: Anton Muhajir

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ENGLISH

Can solar solve Mumbai's deplorable sanitation situation?

Mumbai, 10 April 2015 — Activists in Mumbai were outraged recently when a woman died after falling through one of Mumbai's dilapidated community toilets. While access to clean, functional toilets is a major issue in the city's slums, one community toilet initiative has transformed its toilet block into a community center and managed to run the entire program on solar energy. See more.

ENGLISH

Can solar solve Mumbai's deplorable sanitation situation?

Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager

The toilet situation in Mumbai's informal settlements is beyond shocking. Earlier this year, the city was outraged when a woman from a Mumbai slum died after the toilet seat she was using in a run-down toilet block caved in under her. A recent Harvard School of Public Health and Graduate School of Design study found that there is just one toilet for every 5,000 people. That's 10 times higher than the Bombay Municipal Corporation's estimated ratio, which is 1:500 — highly underestimated figures and far from where the municipality aims to be with one toilet for every 50 people. Even when toilets are present, they are often dirty, unsafe or closed altogether.

"The condition of these community toilets is truly shocking," write Shoumeli Das and Payal Tiwari, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai who recently created a documentary about the deplorable state of Mumbai's toilets called "Toilet Torture." "According to a recent survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, 58 percent of the community toilets in slums have no electricity and 78 percent have no water!"

A community toilet block in the suburb of Santacruz has been leading the way in addressing sanitation issues for local residents using sustainable mechanisms. Solar, they found, has been a key component of the toilet block's award-winning success.

Triratna Prerna Mandal (TPM), an NGO, began using solar when electricity and water bills became too expensive to run their toilet. "More than 1,000 people from the nearby Kothu Wadi slum depend on TPM's toilet for their sanitation, with the annual charge for using it being as minimal as Rs 150 (USD $2.40) for a family. The toilet earlier used to foot an electricity bill averaging Rs 6,000 (USD $90) every month without water heaters," says an article in the Times of India championing Mumbai's only solar-run toilet. "The toilet now has solar water heaters, with a capacity of heating 1,000 litres of water a day up to 60 degrees Celsius, and a half KW solar photovoltaic panel with a nine-hour battery backup for the night. They claim their electricity expenditure has gone down by 45 percent since."

In addition to lowering expenses, the solar panels have also increased safety for women. Issues around women's safety in Indian cities have been gaining more awareness, and much of that revolves around night-time trips to the toilet. The ability to run the electricity as needed around the clock at TPM makes the building safer for women.

While TPM's solar toilet block is a small endeavor in a city with overwhelming sanitation needs, more international organizations have taken an interest in combining sustainable solutions with expanded toilet access. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation debuted an "eco-friendly" solution to the sanitation issue in India last year. The self-contained, waterless toilet runs on solar power and converts human waste to biochar, a highly porous charcoal. The innovation came out of an international competition the Gates Foundation held to make a more lasting impact on the one of the world's most pressing problems. And solar, it seems, might just be leading the way. Close.

Photo: SuSanA Secretariat

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ESPAÑOL

ENGLISH

Haciendo accesible la energía solar a las viviendas de menores ingresos en Cali

Cali, 9 abril 2015 — La energía solar ha sido demasiado costosa par a las familias de bajos recursos. La caída del precio de los paneles solares y el diseño de soluciones financieras innovadoras puede cambiar la ecuación. Cali ha lanzado un programa piloto que utiliza los subsidios a la energía para llevar la energía fotovoltaica a las casas con menores recursos. Leer más.

ESPAÑOL

ENGLISH

Haciendo accesible la energía solar a las viviendas de menores ingresos en Cali

Jorge Bela, Gestor Comunitario de Cali

Los elevados costes iniciales, y el lento ritmo de recuperación de las inversiones iniciales han excluido a las viviendas de menores ingresos del acceso a la energía solar. Sin embargo, la caída acelerada en el coste de los paneles solares y la formulación de nuevos modelos de gestión, como el arrendamiento financiero (leasing) de los paneles, están comenzando a cambiar la ecuación. En ciudades ecuatoriales, como Cali, la fuerza del sol añade – en promedio no llueve en 200 días cada año - un elemento que hace aún más interesante la consideración de la instalación de paneles solares.

En Cali, como en el resto de Colombia, existe un sistema de subsidios cruzados, mediante el cual los barrios con mayores recursos económicos pagan cuotas adicionales en beneficio de los barrios menos acomodados. Además, el ministerio de Industria también entrega a las empresas de electricidad subsidios energéticos. La disponibilidad de estos recursos hace posible explorar la posibilidad de utilizar energía fotovoltaica, que sigue sin ser rentable por sí sola en este tipo de viviendas.

En este sentido la empresa municipal de energía de Cali (parte de las Empresas Municipales de Cali: EMCALI) ha lanzado un programa piloto para explorar la posibilidad de incluir la generación de energía fotovoltaica en viviendas de estrato 1 (las de menores ingresos). El programa piloto está diseñado para evaluar la posibilidad de utilizar los subsidios que ahora reciben este tipo de viviendas para recibir le energía convencional en el arrendamiento financiero de los paneles solares. De esta forma las viviendas seguirían disfrutando del suministro, mientras que al final del pago de los paneles solares los costes para el estado se reducirán significativamente.

Como parte del proyecto se han instalado paneles solares en cinco viviendas, que seguirán contando con acceso a la red en las condiciones actuales. Las instalaciones realizadas cuentan con la capacidad de enviar energía a la red en el caso de que se produzcan excedentes. También se ha instalado en cada unidad un medidores inteligentes permitirán determinar la rentabilidad de la fórmula. De tener éxito, los usuarios de estrato uno podrían pasar a ser generadores netos de energía. Si los resultados del piloto tienen éxito, se lanzaría, en colaboración con el Ministerio de Vivienda, un proyecto de instalación de paneles solares en 4 000 viviendas.

En Colombia la generación de energía eléctrica depende fuertemente de la generación hidroeléctrica. Este modelo implica un grave riesgo en años de sequía, especialmente acusados cuando se produce, de forma periódica el fenómeno del Niño que implica una drástica reducción de las lluvias. La diversificación de las fuentes de generación es por tanto crucial, y la energía solar presenta una alternativa a otras fuentes mas contaminantes.

Otra iniciativa interesante de EMCALI fue la introducción en 2014 de un sistema prepago, mediante el cual los usuarios pueden realizar pagos anticipados del suministro eléctrico. Este sistema evita onerosos cortes y suspensiones, y ya ha sido utilizado por mas de dos mil hogares caleños. Close.

Foto: EMCALI

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ENGLISH

Powering health care services: from diesel power to solar energy

Lagos, 8 April 2015 — Renewable forms of energy, such as solar energy, provide more sustainable and environmentally friendly sources of power. With that in mind, Lagos has begun using alternative energy to provide dependable health care services. See more.

ENGLISH

Powering health care services: from diesel power to solar energy

Olatawura Ladipo-Ajayi, Lagos Community Manager

The increase in use of alternative sources of energy, though recent, has been widespread in the past few years. This growth comes in response to a number of concerns, including the secondary effects of pollution and global warming, health issues arising from exposure to traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels and coal, and the general sustainability challenges of the environment. Harvesting energy from natural sources to which all of Lagos' residents have access has become important, as conventional energy sources are neither affordable nor available to all. The city of Lagos is now innovating by taking advantage of solar energy to provide power for services, especially health care.

In a recent effort to improve health care facilities and services, the city is embarking on a project to ensure the steady supply of power to a number of these facilities. Moving away from the use of heavily polluting diesel-powered generators to supply energy, infrastructure is being put into place to address the challenges of power supply in the health care system. The city has seven completed Maternal and Child Centers with 24-hour Primary Health Care service infrastructure, in Ikorodu, Ifako Ijaiye, Isolo, Gbaja, Ajegunle, Amuwo, and Igando. The innovation is not in the 24-hour powered health care service, however, but in the mode of providing the energy to support uninterrupted clinical services. The norm of covering power supply shortages at public facilities with diesel-powered generators is being abandoned in favor of solar power. The city is thus putting into place mechanisms to power the seven Primary Health Care Centers through solar energy. One hundred seventy-two schools across Lagos State will also be powered by solar energy by June 2015.

Although this project is just beginning, city leadership indicate commitment to the program and ensuring that it is widespread. One potential issue is that the project has been initiated in an election year, causing concern with regard to project continuity should a new party take over leadership. Timing is key when embarking on infrastructure-intensive work, and the dynamics of politics often slow down development. This highlights the importance of having a system that puts citizens' needs first, and not party ideology.

Nonetheless, other alternative energy projects do exist in Lagos, including the the First City Monument Bank and Lagos State's funding of 2,500 rechargeable solar lamps for distribution to school children. Through the Lagos Metropolitan and Governance Project, the World Bank is assisting in slum upgrading by installing solar street lights in low-income areas such as Bariga, Mkoko, and Badia. The city is definitely making strides in resolving issues of energy shortfalls; it can only be hoped that politics do not interfere. Close.

Photo: Jeremy Weate

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PORTUGUÊS

ENGLISH

Biogás — uma nova solução para dois antigos problemas do Brasil: excesso de lixo e carência de energia

Rio de Janeiro, 7 abril 2015 — Uma lei que demanda o fechamento de todos os lixões do país até 2018 tem fomentado investimentos no biocombustível, produzido a partir do lixo. No Rio de Janeiro, o biogás já é uma fonte de energia considerável, graças a um moderno aterro sanitário construído pelo governo. Ao mesmo tempo, agentes civis estão testando o potencial do gás em microescala, construindo biodigestores caseiros. Leia mais.

PORTUGUÊS

ENGLISH

Biogás — uma nova solução para dois antigos problemas do Brasil: excesso de lixo e carência de energia

Andréa Azambuja, Coordenadora da Rede em Rio de Janeiro

Eficiência energética é um assunto caro ao Brasil que tem recebido particular atenção nos últimos meses. Enquanto cerca de um milhão de brasileiros ainda não tem acesso à energia (a estimativa não incluí quem vive em acampamentos, que não podem ser ligados oficialmente), o país enfrenta uma grande crise hídrica, que expõe a fragilidade de seu sistema de abastecimento de luz, mais de 70 por cento amparado por hidrelétricas.

Ao passo que organizações independentes a exemplo do Insolar e do Greenpeace lutam por conta própria para instalar placas solares em comunidades carentes e combater a exclusão energética aproveitando o sol tropical, uma lei federal aprovada em 2010 tem fomentado investimentos numa outra fonte sustentável e acessível.

Trata-se da Lei de Resíduos Sólidos, que determina o fechamento de todos os lixões do país até 2018. O Brasil é o quinto maior produtor de resíduos sólidos do planeta, e esses vazadouros informais recebem diariamente cerca de 79 mil toneladas de detritos — matéria-prima em potencial para a produção do biogás, biocombustível produzido com o metano oriundo da decomposição de matéria orgânica.

No estado do Rio de Janeiro, o biogás já é uma fonte de energia notável. Boa parte disso se deve ao Centro de Tratamento de Resíduos de Seropédica, um moderno aterro sanitário construído para substituir o antigo lixão de Gramacho, que durante 35 anos foi considerado o maior da América Latina e recebeu quase todo o lixo da capital e da Baixada Fluminense.

Desde 2011, Saropédica armazena e trata, obedecendo normas internacionais de preservação, as cerca de nove mil toneladas diárias de detritos que eram descartadas em Gramacho, que agora funciona como usina de biogás. A produção é significativa: são 70 milhões de m3 por dia — volume que poderia abastecer todos os estabelecimentos comerciais e residências cariocas.

A bioenergia gerada em Gramacho por enquanto é destinada a uma refinaria de petróleo, a Reduc, mas a expectativa é que em breve abasteça também seus arredores, compostos por bolsões de pobreza. O mesmo deve acontecer no Gericinó, outro grande lixão que foi encerrado e está em obras para gerar energia — num futuro próximo, deverá fornecer biogás para escolas públicas e um complexo penitenciário próximos —, e no próprio Seropédica, que também terá usina do combustível.

Seropédica é uma iniciativa do governo do Rio, mas agentes da sociedade civil também têm explorado o biogás, desenvolvendo microssoluções. É o caso da escola pública Guilherme da Silveira Filho, onde professores e alunos construíram, com materiais simples, três biodigestores que transformam restos de comida e esgoto em bioenergia e já conseguem abastecer a cozinha da instituição.

Os líderes do projeto firmaram parceria com duas universidades, que analisaram o combustível gerado, e agora estão em busca de apoio financeiro para instalar um gerador que converta o gás em energia elétrica e para prover todo o quarteirão. Segundo eles, há possibilidade de redução de até R$ 1.000,00 nos custos mensais da escola, outros benefícios, porém, talvez sejam mais importantes: promover a consciência ambiental na região e formar multiplicadores da tecnologia, que pode ser facilmente replicada.

A produção do biogás ainda é embrionária no Brasil e precisa evoluir. Quando está atrelada ao lixões, por exemplo, deveria estar acompanhada de uma política de inserção de catadores no mercado de trabalho. Alguns especialistas também questionam sua eficácia para resolver o problema no setor elétrico e apontam custos altos. Apesar dos obstáculos, é uma alternativa pertinente para fortalecer os esforços na luta pela inclusão energética, especialmente no atual contexto de calamidade ambiental — uma alternativa que certamente tem muito potencial a ser explorado, tanto em macro quanto em micro-escala. Close.

Fotos: Extinto lixão de Gramacho, Folha de São Paulo; CTR Seropédica, Cidade Olímpica; Esquema de funcionamento de um biodigestor caseiro, Blog BGS.

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ENGLISH

Locally produced cook stoves promote energy efficiency in Malawi

Lilongwe, 6 April 2015 — With formal electricity access off the table, more efficient and sustainable energy solutions for Malawians rely on simple local solutions with potentially wide-reaching impacts. One such solution is the chitetezo mbaula, or improved cook stove. See more.

ENGLISH

Locally produced cook stoves promote energy efficiency in Malawi

Nora Lindstrom, Lilongwe Community Manager

The fourth annual Cleaner Cooking Open Day was celebrated in Lilongwe on 13 March 2015. Organised by Clioma, a partner in the DISCOVER consortium, the event brought together a variety of actors — from the private sector to community groups — involved in developing and promoting renewable and efficient cooking and household energy options for Malawi.

This is a serious issue in a country where less than 10 percent of the population is estimated to have access to electricity. In Lilongwe, the cost of electricity and, significantly, the cost of electricity connections, means only nine percent of households are connected to the parastatal provider ESCOM, and, inevitably, those represent the wealthier households in the city. This leaves Lilongwe's poor, like most of the country, to rely on using biomass — wood, charcoal — for cooking and heating needs. Although wood can be a sustainable source of energy, heavy reliance on biomass in Malawi has myriad negative impacts: extensive deforestation, respiratory illnesses (especially among women and children who are subjected to air pollution), fire hazards, and burdens on the already meagre incomes of the poor.

The issue has received high level attention in Malawi. While President, Joyce Banda made a commitment to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves to make two million cleaner cook stoves available to Malawians by the year 2020. Likewise, during his keynote address at the Cleaner Cooking event this year, Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Atupele Muluzi stressed that "[w]e have to replace charcoal. We have to replace wood fuel and we have to find alternatives that are environmentally sustainable and alternatives that are cost effective, affordable and with health benefits as well."

One of those alternatives is the improved cook stove, known as chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa. Made from locally sourced clay, the simple, portable stoves sell for around USD $2.50. In Lilongwe, they are a fixture at many petrol stations, but also available at local markets in the townships where many are also produced. The key benefits of the stoves are that they consume up to 80 percent less wood and produce less hazardous smoke than a customary three-stone fire.

While any household using the stove will benefit, there are reasons the urban poor in particular can gain from using improved stoves. As there is a limited amount of firewood available for collection in Lilongwe and wood must therefore be bought, lower fuel consumption results in direct savings for poor households. According to the Maeve Project, which promotes the stoves in both rural and urban areas, the "[c]hitetezo mbaula saves one ton of wood per household per year." In addition, given the cramped living conditions in some of Lilongwe's poor settlements, a reduction in air pollution while cooking is likely to have a relatively larger positive impact in urban than rural areas.

Production of the stoves also offers gainful income-generating opportunities for the urban poor. Clay is easily available in many peri-urban settlements, and Lilongwe's growing population offers an ideal customer base. Many of the organisations providing training in the production of chitetezo stoves focus particularly on women, for a combination of reasons; the 18-women strong Kauma Stove Production Group in north-eastern Lilongwe not only generates an income for its members, but has also helped elevate the position of the women in the community more generally.

Comprehensive statistics on the reach of the improved stove in Lilongwe or elsewhere in the country are not yet available. However, the message from the 2015 Cleaner Cooking event is positive, to a large extent because the chitetezo stove has several key features that should help Malawi reach its two million goal by 2020: the stoves are quick and easy to use, they are locally made, and come with an eminently affordable price tag, even for the poor. Close.

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ARABIC

ENGLISH

التقنية الخضراء منزلية الصنع المُعاد تدويرها: أداة للتنمية المستدامة في الأحياء الفقيرة بالقاهرة

Cairo, 3 April 2015 — في مبادرة مبتكرة وجدت مؤسسة SolarCITIES (ربط محفزات المجتمع ودمج التقنيات للأنظمة الصناعية البيئية)، طريقة لإشراك الناس في منطقة عشوائية في القاهرة من أجل تحفيزهم على إنتاج الطاقة النظيفة الخاصة بهم باستخدام نفايات المطبخ وأسطح المنازل لإنتاج الطاقة الشمسية بطريقة منخفضة التكلفة. اقرأ المزيد عن ذلك

ARABIC

ENGLISH

التقنية الخضراء منزلية الصنع المُعاد تدويرها: أداة للتنمية المستدامة في الأحياء الفقيرة بالقاهرة

Shaima Abulhajj, Cairo Community Manager

مع الارتفاع المطرد في توليد واستهلاك والكهرباء في مصر بمعدل 7٪ سنويا على مدى العقد الماضي، واجهت البلاد نقصا متزايدا في الطاقة منذ عام 2010. ويزيد معدل الطلب عن قدرة توليد الطاقة الفعلية. وعلى الرغم من أن معدل انتشار الكهرباء في مصر بلغ 99.6٪ عام 2009، حيث كان من بين أعلى المعدلات في أفريقيا، لكن شهدت البلاد انقطاعات متكررة للتيار الكهربائي في جميع الأنحاء لعدة مرات بصورة أسبوعية خلال السنوات الأخيرة.

ونتيجة لهذه النقص في الطاقة الكهربائية، تم إطلاق العديد من المبادرات والمشاريع الخاصة في السنوات القليلة الماضية مع التركيز على إنتاج الطاقة الخضراء النظيفة، مثل الطاقة الشمسية، واستخدام الغاز الحيوي من المواد المعاد تدويرها والنفايات من أجل توليد الطاقة المتجددة. وفي عام 1986، أنشأت الحكومة بالفعل هيئة الطاقة الجديدة والمتجددة، والتي تهدف إلى إجراء البحوث والدخول في اتفاقات متبادلة مع الدول الأخرى والشركات الخاصة بغرض تطبيق أفضل الممارسات لاستخدام وتوليد الطاقة المتجددة في البلاد.

طالما وُجهت انتقادات للطاقة البديلة والمعيشة الخضراء بأنها متاحة فقط للأثرياء من الناس في البلدان المتقدمة. ونظرا للحاجة الماسة للطاقة، أوجد عدد من المصريين الفقراء نموذجا للحياة بالطاقة النظيفة. وقد ساعدت مؤسسة SolarCities أكثر من 20 أسرة في منطقة الدرب الأحمر في القاهرة كي يبنوا تقنيات خضراء مصنوعة من مواد معاد تدويرها، وكذلك استخدام الطاقة الشمسية لتسخين المياه ولضروريات الطبخ.

وبالإضافة إلى توفير طاقة نظيفة للفقراء، ساعد المشروع سكان المنطقة على اعتماد منهج تعاوني، والذي ساعدهم في حل مشاكلهم اليومية وتعزيز التفاهم بينهم. فقد بدأ المشروع ببعض ورش العمل حول إنشاء وتركيب أنظمة المياه الساخنة الشمسية باستخدام النفايات المعاد تدويرها، فضلا عن استخدام الغاز الحيوي والبستنة على الأسطح وبعد ذلك ساعد المشروع السكان على تطوير حلول بأنفسهم باستخدام تقنيات تعلموها. وفي نهاية المطاف، ساعد المشروع الأشخاص الفقراء في هذه المنطقة العشوائية على بناء سخانات مياه شمسية والغاز الحيوي وقمائن تدوير النفايات، حتى يتمكنوا من الاستفادة من نفايات المطبخ العادية وتحويلها إلى وقود نظيف.

ليس هناك شك في أن المشروع قد عزز الخبرة المحلية لتطوير تقنيات الطاقة الرخيصة في أفقر منطقة غير رسمية في القاهرة، حيث استطاع فريق SolarCities توفير نظام تدفئة وتسخين واحد بسعر يقل عن 500 دولار أمريكي. وتم إنتاج الألواح الشمسية من خردة الألمونيوم والزجاج، وأنابيب النحاس غير صالحة للاستعمال. واستخدم الفريق أيضا حاويات شامبو قديمة سعة 200 لتر كخزانات للمياه. ولذلك، تمكن الفقراء في منطقة الدرب الأحمر العشوائية على بناء بعض سخانات المياه بالطاقة الشمسية وقمائن الغاز الحيوي على أسطح مباني وحداتهم المعيشية الصغيرة في واحدة من أفقر المناطق وأكثرها اكتظاظا بالسكان في العاصمة.

لا ينبغي أن تقتصر الطاقة الخضراء على الدول المتقدمة، حيث يمكن للابتكار المحلي أن يخلق فرقا حقيقيا على المستوى العالمي في حل أزمة المناخ على سبيل المثال. وهذه المبادرات، إذا ما طُبقت في مختلف البلدان النامية، من شأنها أن تحد من انبعاثات الغازات المسببة للاحتباس الحراري، وتحقيق الاكتفاء الذاتي ورفع مستوى المعيشة للسكان المحرومين في العالم.

Close

Photo: Hossam el-Hamalawy

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VIETNAMESE

ENGLISH

Sửa chữa điện miễn phí cho hộ nghèo: Cải thiện cũng là một phần của Sáng tạo

Ho Chi Minh City, 2 Tháng Tư 2015 — Kể từ năm 2009, mỗi cuối năm Đoàn thanh niên thuộc EVNHCMC lại tìm đến một khu dân cư nghèo để bảo trì miễn phí mạng điện cho từng hộ dân. Dự án thầm lặng, đơn giản nhưng hiệu quả của họ đã giúp đỡ được 4.500 hộ nghèo trong TP. Hồ Chí Minh, thu hút sự tham gia của 6.000 đoàn viên. Và hiện dự án đã phát triển hơn thế nữa. Xem thêm.

VIETNAMESE

ENGLISH

Sửa chữa điện miễn phí cho hộ nghèo: Cải thiện cũng là một phần của Sáng tạo

Tam Nguyen, Người quản lý cộng đồng tại thành phố Hồ Chí Minh

"Cảm ơn các con, con cháu xúm vào giúp mẹ đông vui quá," Mẹ Việt Nam Anh hùng Nguyễn Thị Chít cảm ơn Đoàn thanh niên EVNHCMC. Từ năm 2009, Đoàn cho biết đã giúp sữa chữa mạng điện cho 4.500 hộ nghèo tại TP.HCM, góp phần đáng kể đảm bảo an toàn và tiết kiệm điện.

Không đủ tiền cho một bóng đèn mới

Tuổi đã già lại không có tiền hay con cái ở bên, mẹ Chít đã sống với mê cung dây điện cũ kỹ, chằng chịt và rò rỉ điện nhiều năm cho tới khi Trần Phí Công và các Đoàn viên thanh niên khác đến để bảo trì điện miễn phí cho các hộ nghèo trong quận 12 vào một buổi sáng tháng 12. Nhìn nhận được rằng việc thay thế các bóng đèn bị hỏng, ngăn ngừa điện rò rỉ thông qua dây và kết nối cũ, cũng như lắp đặt các công tắc điện dễ sử dụng cũng quan trọng đối với việc tiết kiệm điện năng không kém gì các sáng kiến được nói đến nhiều hiện nay như ứng dụng năng lượng tái tạo và điện sinh học, Đoàn thanh niên thuộc Tổng công ty Điện lực TP.HCM (EVNHCMC) đã chọn cách áp dụng nguồn lực và chuyên môn vốn có của cơ sở mình – quản lý và sửa chữa mạng điện – vào công cuộc đem điện đến với người nghèo.

Tất cả các hộ gia đình thuộc diện chính sách đều có đủ điều kiện để được bảo trì điện miễn phí, bao gồm gia đình cựu chiến binh, bà mẹ Việt Nam Anh hùng, người già neo đơn, và các hộ cực nghèo. Đổi lại, các Đoàn viên trẻ tham gia dự án được đàn anh đi trước chỉ dẫn và cải thiện kỹ năng nghiệp vụ sau mỗi ngôi nhà được sửa chữa.

Sau 6 năm thực hiện công trình thanh niên hàng năm này, Đoàn thanh niên EVNHCMC đã giúp được 4.500 hộ trong TP. HCM và các vùng lân cận, cung cấp 160.000 mét dây điện mới, 4.000 bóng đèn tiết kiệm năng lượng mới, và hơn 9.000 bảng điện. Cụ bà Đoàn Thị Chính, năm nay đã 85 tuổi với đứa cháu bị bệnh và 2 chắt tuổi còn rất nhỏ, vui mừng chia sẻ, “Trước đây, nhà tôi chỉ có một bóng đèn tuýp nhưng mỗi lần bật lên đèn cứ nhấp nháy một lúc lâu rồi mới sáng. Biết là bóng đã hư nhưng phải ráng cầm cự vì tiền mua gạo cho mấy đứa cháu ăn hằng ngày còn thiếu thì làm gì có tiền thuê người về sửa điện. Từ ngày có các "chú nhà đèn” đến sửa chữa điện và thay bóng đèn mới, tôi với tụi nhỏ mừng và biết ơn các chú ấy nhiều lắm".

Sửa chữa điện kết hợp với giáo dục ý thức

Các ý kiến cải tiến hay sẽ luôn hình thành trong quá trình thực hiện bất kỳ dự án nào. Hiện nay, không chỉ bảo trì điện, các Đoàn viên đồng thời tư vấn cho các gia đình về phương pháp tiết kiệm chi phí và năng lượng. Một mặt, Đoàn viên tư vấn cho các gia đình về các sản phẩm bóng đèn, quạt, và các thiết bị điện gia dụng vừa đạt chuẩn tiết kiệm năng lượng vừa phù hợp với nhu cầu gia đình. "Nghe lời các em tư vấn, tôi sẽ dùng bóng đèn tiết kiệm điện. Tôi mong việc làm này sẽ được nhân rộng hơn nữa để người nghèo như chúng tôi thêm ấm áp," ông Phan Minh Tấn, cựu chiến binh và là chủ gia đình, chia sẻ.

Mặt khác, Đoàn viên cũng hướng dẫn và vận động các chủ nhà trọ làm thủ tục đăng ký định mức điện để những người thuê nhà là người nhập cư, công nhân viên và sinh viên nghèo được hưởng giá điện theo quy định của Nhà nước. Tính đến cuối năm 2014, 98,000 chủ nhà đã nộp đơn và 1,200,000 người trọ nghèo đã được hưởng lợi từ đó.

Công trình thanh niên này thực sự là một dự án ổn định, lâu dài và có thể tiếp tục hàng năm nhờ vào chính lợi ích thiết thực mà nó tạo ra. Quan trọng không kém chính là nguồn lực hỗ trợ cho dự án từ EVNHCMC, một trong những đơn vị nhận thấy rằng họ muốn đóng góp một phần cho an sinh xã hội, dù với bất kỳ lý do gì. Một kế hoạch đơn giản, thiết thực với một doanh nghiệp hỗ trợ mạnh mẽ luôn là một sự kết hợp tuyệt vời cho các dự án xã hội thành công, điều mà rất hiếm khi xảy ra, và do đó, cần được nhắc đến. Close.

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ENGLISH

From waste to renewables, how one organization is working to transform life in Nairobi's slums

Nairobi, 1 April 2015 — Residents of informal settlements in Nairobi lack widespread access to affordable and sustainable energy sources. One innovative organization is working to transform raw waste into energy that is both affordable and accessible to impoverished individuals. See more.

ENGLISH

From waste to renewables, how one organization is working to transform life in Nairobi's slums

Hilary Nicole Zainab Ervin, Nairobi Community Manager

It is estimated that the average household will spend around 9,200Ksh (USD $100) a month on charcoal for cooking — a price that often spikes during the rainy season and is a direct contributor to widespread deforestation and linked to increased global warming. However, for many residents of Nairobi's slum communities, charcoal remains one of the only accessible and relatively affordable sources of energy.

In a prior article, "Gendering development planning to address persistent quality of life challenges," we discussed the water and sanitation (WASH) challenges associated with living in Nairobi's slum communities. As we highlighted there, the complex security issues faced by many women and girls to access pit latrines or flush toilets are very real and contribute to the high utilization of "flying toilets" by many. The practice of open defecation also poses environmental and health sanitation concerns, and contributes significantly to the high rate of premature deaths estimated to cost Kenya over US$244 million a year.

As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Across the slums of Nairobi, an organization called Umande Trust has been demonstrating how the right mix of science, entrepreneurship, and community education can transform human waste from a hazard to an asset.

Founded in 2007, the Umande Trust currently operates 72 biogas centers across Kenya — 44 of them in Nairobi's informal settlements — that provide improved sanitation options to tenants of informal settlements, income generating opportunities to cooperative self-help organizations, and, most importantly, an affordable and highly sustainable source of fuel for cooking to residents. Each biogas center has an underground digester that uses bacteria to digest the human waste, which is then filtered and converted into acid. It takes roughly one month for the methane gas to convert to liquid form; it is then piped out to communal kitchens and sold to individual residents.

Tackling perceptions proved to be one of the organization's largest challenges: assumptions that food cooked with the methane gas would be unhygienic, smelly, and foul-tasting required targeted education and information campaigns within the communities where the centers where installed. With targeted social marketing, the Umande Trust has been able to empower local self-help groups not only to address the immediate challenges of widespread lack of water and sanitation access for many of Nairobi's slum residents, but also to provide a clean and renewable source of energy that will not degrade.

The average human produces anywhere from 100 to 250 grams of feces on a given day, meaning that the roughly four million impoverished households living in Nairobi's informal communities collectively produce upwards of 400 metric tons of excrement daily. By transforming this waste into a useable energy source that is highly accessible, costing only 390Ksh a month (USD $4) per household, the Umande Trust is supporting local communities in addressing a complex public works issue in ways that empower and employ residents directly in the process. Close.

Photo: United Nations

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Comments

Free maintenance of existing electric facilities

Permalink Submitted by Shaima Abulhajj on Mon, 04/06/2015 - 09:48

Nice article Tam. Indeed, and as you stated here, green living is not only about applying new methodologies rather it can lie in improvement, fixing and maintenance. We have here in Egypt a big problem in regard to lack of education on "power saving" and replacing old wires for example with new electrical wires as a mean to save energy. It is good point really to be indicated here and great that an article pointed to this issue which usually exists in undeveloped countries of South.

Youth Union's in Ho Chi Minh City

Permalink Submitted by Hilaryzainab on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 11:14

Hey Tam, I agree with Shaima you raise a critical point about also investing in the maintenance and upkeep of existing systems. For many households investing in newer "green" technologies may be prohibitive and often there is extensive [if decaying] energy infrastructures that the poor are reliant on. Providing services to families while also employing and training youth workers is such a cool aspect of Vietnam Electricity's approach. It is encouraging to see them engaging with not only the youth but ensuring that services are directly targeted to impoverished households. This is often the last group that is accounted for by state-controlled enterprises anywhere in the world. The direct outreach to landlords is also an innovative approach that removes some of the burden placed on the individual household and holds landlords accountable to their tenants in a unique way that has direct benefits to both parties.

SolarCities Iniatives in Cairo

Permalink Submitted by Hilaryzainab on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 11:22

Shaima, I really was inspired by the initiative you covered this month. The re-proposing of waste materials to provide sustainable energy solutions is an innovative field by necessity, but to often high-cost inputs prohibit access to low-income populations as Tam points out in her article. The group you cover not only addresses the problem of waste but does so in a manner that transforms trash into an asset. As our cities continue to become more dense these types of solutions will become more critical. Thanks for sharing about this project.

Project scale?

Permalink Submitted by Nora Lindstrom on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 04:41

Shaima, interesting article as Hilary points out. I was just wondering if there are efforts under way to scale up the project you describe? Or was it a one-off or pilot? 20 households is great but really just a drop in the ocean, and I've noticed that (generally) many of these kinds of innovative projects fail to scale up to really make a wider difference and become real energy (or other) options.

Challenges to scale

Permalink Submitted by Carlin Carr on Tue, 04/14/2015 - 04:15

Nora, you bring up a good point about how to move pilot projects to scale. I was thinking about the same thing as I was writing my piece on the solar-run toilet block in Mumbai. It's a project that receives a lot of attention, both in the city but also internationally. It has won a few awards, etc. But, despite all the attention and its obvious potential, there hasn't really been much success replicating the project elsewhere in the city. So, it's a good question--what do great pilots need to scale up? Political will? A viable financial model? For a toilet block, for example, where do they get the initial investment for the solar panels? I know that when I was working with a safe water NGO, how to scale up was always the big question. Even bigger, though, was how to sustain those projects long-term. It's more than just widespread replication; interventions need to be able to be repaired and maintained and have the funds to do so. Good point--thanks for reminding us that highlighting pilots are great but it's just as important to think about how their reach can be expanded sustainably.

Brazil's Biogas Push

Permalink Submitted by Hilaryzainab on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 11:38

Hey Andrea, this month I looked at Biogas among informal settlements at a small scale that also provided local organizations and individuals with income-generating opportunities and revenues to cover the cost of upkeep in slum facilities. Your article on Brazil was really encouraging as it highlights how this same technique can be used on a large infrastructure scale to tackle city-wide waste management issues. I was surprised by the criticisms regarding cost the project received. On a small-scale the cost benefit to citizens in accessing energy in Nairobi was significant. I wonder if that was linked to a local centralized site that individuals had to physically go and access themselves. It would seem that converting existing natural gas and oil infrastructure to handle biogas would be minimal and the cost able to quickly be recaptured once such a system is operational. It would be interesting to see what [if any] companies or energy sectors are represented by those critics.

Energy Upgrade in Lagos

Permalink Submitted by Hilaryzainab on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 12:02

Olatawura, your article really hits home about the issue of politics, access and availability of key services to poor individuals and how large-scale infrastructure investments can be derailed by political interests that are not well aligned with the needs of the citizens. Solar-powered street lamps, and lighting in general for slum residents is so critical. The link between street lighting and violent crime victimization is well established. It is encouraging to see organization like the World Bank getting involved, do you know if they are providing these slum upgrading services on a grant or loan basis? Energy diversification has increasingly be recognized by environmentalists and industries in the energy sector as a pro-growth and sustainable approach to ensuring that electricity can be provided at a consistent and stable rate. As you point out though, keeping the political in check to insure that access for all is the primary motivator remains a significant challenge in many countries.

I believe the World Bank

Permalink Submitted by Olatawura Ladip... on Mon, 04/20/2015 - 06:45

I believe the World Bank funding for the project is an investment loan. I couldn't agree more with your comment regarding the link between power supply and violent crime, and energy diversification for sustainable supply. Often not widely discussed is the secondary benefits accrued from power supply such as reduced crime when the issue of energy and power supply is discussed. Also, often ignored is the human variable in the sustainability of energy supply and saving which Tam's article on HCMC highlights nicely. Maintenance and an understanding of how to use energy efficiently is an aspect of energy solutions that needs to be discussed more often especially for developing countries with poor maintenance cultures. Focusing on maintaining current infrastructure and energy source can be a solution to improving supply and access, I know for Nigeria this much is true.

Bi-Directional Solar Energy in Cali

Permalink Submitted by Hilaryzainab on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 12:08

Jorge, I was really interested by your comment on the bi-directional energy capture that the solar units allow for. Many household level or closed solar systems only provide electricity to an individual unit and as a result end up "wasting" a lot of potential energy due to a lack of storage capacity. By integrating the surplus energy into the overall grid it sounds like EMCALI will find some significant benefits from the systems that allow them to expand serviced to additional households and further cut the costs of electricity for all households.

Hi Hilaryzainab, one of the

Permalink Submitted by jorgebela on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 15:35

Hi Hilaryzainab, one of the main issues that underlie all of the alternative energy generation systems discussed this month is cost. In fact, even though cost of solar energy generation is plummeting, as cost of photovoltaic panels falls, it is still not competitive. What may tip the balance in Cali is that electricity is already subsidized. Directing those subsidies towards the installation of solar panels might be a smart decision, but in this particular project the beneficiaries would not be the final consumers (their subsidized cost would not go down), but the entities that pay up the subsidies. This is an interesting approach from a financial viewpoint. It also does not encourage an increase of energy consumption by the users. Of course, it also brings about the benefits of greener energy consumption. I will follow up on the pilot, and let the URB.IM community know if it ultimately proved successful.

Thanks for your comment!

Permalink Submitted by Andréa Azambuja on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 13:56

Hi Hilary,

Sorry for taking so long to reply. When you said you would write about biogas I was very curious, and I was pleased to see that this new alternative is already making the difference in Nairobi!

When I mentioned that some experts pointed out high costs in the production of biogas, it was indeed related to macro-scale projects, to big production centers. According to some industry researches (and I think maybe this is a general understanding), the production of biogas in much more expensive than using fossil fuel, while it has a lower thermodynamic efficiency.

Seropedica, for example, cost R$ 4 million to be constructed but has a lifespan of only 25 years, then it has to be shut down; the costs related to the waste management (the garbage travels long distances until reaching the final destination) is huge, accidents happen a lot (what consume more money)... at the same time that "In a time of crisis, the price of biogas in the spot market is above R$ 600 the megawatt / hour, while wind power, for example is R$ 100 a megawatt / hour", according to the Electricity Sector Study Group (Gesel) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

Nevertheless, Seropedica is still a model in the country, and most industry researchers agree that biogas can be a great solution considering our environmental conditions and support investments in this technology – lots of them, however, say that it is a relevant part of the solution, but just a restricted thing. Probably that's because it's still something really new and that needs to evolve a lot, I don't know. What I can say is that, at least in small-scale projects, it sure seems that the great potential of biogas is being confirmed everyday without any doubts, and that is a good start :)

Did I answered your question? I'm not sure :) I was looking for some articles in english to send you and found this page where you can explore the subject if you want: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Macro-economic_Evaluation_of_Biogas_Plants

Waste fueled power plants are profitable?

Permalink Submitted by jorgebela on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 15:11

Hi Widya, I was wondering if the power generated with waste in Surabaya is competitive in cost, or if it requires public subsidies to persist. Thanks!

Cairo Initiative

Permalink Submitted by jorgebela on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 15:39

Hi Shaima,

I join the voices commending your article. Simple, almost home made technological solutions to energy needs is in fact the holy grail. I loved the idea of home made solar panels, built with recycled materials. Gas ingestors are also a clever approach to cooking gas supply. Still, 500$ might be a prohobitively expensive proposition for most lower income houses. Some form of support will have to be given by the government or NGOs.

Scaling alternative strategies for sanitation

Permalink Submitted by María Fernanda ... on Wed, 04/15/2015 - 20:02

Carlin, thanks for your article it shows a very innovative and creative strategy for addressing the problem of sanitation through alternative energy. It is very interesting that international organizations are developing sustainable solutions; is there any interest for scaling the project through the alliance of these actors and government in order to increase the coverage?

SolarCities Initiative-Cairo

Permalink Submitted by Shaima Abulhajj on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 16:28

Dear Hilary, Nora and Jorge
Thanks all for the encouraging comment and sorry that I took some time to get back to you as I was abroad with limited internet access.
Indeed, I was also inspired by Solarcities initiative. And as Hillary and Jorge stated the project has to be scaled up and some funding has to be facilitated for the household owners. 20 households is still a limited number. I actually was able to write to some NGOs here in Cairo to let them know about this initiative which was done on privately base with limited government or local support, so they can promote the idea, so the households' waste turn to be a real source of energy in low income areas.

I am glad that you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your stories.

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