Adoption of solar home lighting systems in India: What might we learn from Karnataka?

Karnataka has been among the most successful markets for solar lighting systems (SLS) among Indian states. In order to understand the dynamics of systems adoption and operation, that have fostered market based adoption of solar lighting, we interviewed rural households from six districts that had purchased solar lighting systems using loans at market rates, the rural banks that provided loans and the solar firms that marketed the technology. We found that a large proportion of households in our sample were connected to the grid but chose to install solar lighting because they considered the power supply from the grid to be unreliable. Households in our sample reported savings on electricity costs and reduced kerosene usage for lighting. In addition to providing credit, banks also play a key role in ensuring good service and maintenance; the viability of the SLS market is thus critically dependent on the role that the banks play as intermediaries between consumers and solar firms in rural areas. Government programs should be carefully designed to match the incentives of firms, banks and consumers if the successes of the ‘Karnataka model’ are to be repeated and amplified.     

Rural development opportunities in the bioeconomy

In this paper we discuss the rural development implications of the bioeconomy. We define the bioeconomy broadly but dedicate much of the paper to the implications of bioenergy and how it will transform the economies of rural regions. We then conclude with three different bioenergy related concepts that will provide a broader framework for the development of the rural bioeconomy. These include the costs of bioenergy and especially transportation costs, the regional energy balance and the utilization of waste streams.     

Contribution of the solar energy in the sustainable tourism development of the Mediterranean islands

The purpose of this work is to examine specific features of thermal and photovoltaic solar systems and their contribution to the sustainable tourism development of Mediterranean islands. In doing so, the best practices are studied and the factors which influence the transfer of these practices in other geographic regions are examined. We take under consideration the sensitiveness of many islander Mediterranean regions in relation to the climate changes and the perspective of their economic development through thematic tourism forms and differentiated tourism products and services. At a further step, we present currently developed innovative applications which are specially adapted to the needs identified within this research and we propose marketing strategies for their further expansion. The marketing approach followed is based on an innovative concept, which suggests that solar energy systems could constitute a driver for the development of specific forms of tourism. These systems are mainly the ICS solar water heaters, the coloured flat plate-collectors, the CPC collectors and the hybrid PV/T collectors. Apart from these, the use of booster reflectors that achieve a higher energy output in all cases of the above mentioned collectors is also suggested. We conclude that turning solar energy systems into a driver for specific types of tourism development and consequently of a local economic development is possible, if we take into consideration specific social needs and aspirations.     

Rural electrification in Zambia: A policy and institutional analysis

Zambia is well endowed with hydropower and other energy resources, which could facilitate production of electricity for both urban and rural areas of the country. The country has an installed electricity generation capacity of 1786 MW and undeveloped hydropower potential of over 6000 MW. In the last few years, demand has been growing and it is anticipated to outstrip supply in 2008. The load growth is attributed to increased mining activities and development of the industrial base. The country is also endowed with abundant natural resources such as arable land, water, minerals and wildlife. With the available resource base, electricity along with other social and economic infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications could facilitate increased economic activities. In rural areas, electricity could be used for crop irrigation, agro-processing, small-scale mining and to facilitate tourism. However, rural electrification (RE) faces many challenges such as long distances from existing power stations to targeted rural areas, low population densities, high poverty levels and low skills availability. These and other factors have contributed to continued low levels of access to electricity in rural areas of the country.     

A sizing methodology based on Levelized Cost of Supplied and Lost Energy for off-grid rural electrification systems

Off-grid renewable systems can play a pivotal role in the process of rural electrification, thus promoting local development. Moreover, scientific literature is increasingly addressing this issue through the concept of sustainability and appropriate technologies. With regards to this topic, we present a sizing methodology which better relates the results and the sizing process itself to the local context. Specifically, we address the research area of sizing methodologies for off-grid PV systems. Typically, the Loss of Load Probability (LLP) is a key parameter in these methodologies, but is difficult to set as regards the specific context. The proposed methodology employs the concept of Levelized Cost of Supplied and Lost Energy, it is based on the estimate of an economic Value of Lost Load, and eventually, the LLP results to be an output of the process. Therefore, the methodology uses only data characterizing the local situation and results better fit with population conditions. We also propose a simple approach to compute the Value of Lost Load and we apply the methodology for a rural area of Uganda. The results show that the methodology identifies a reliable system which supplies electricity with a fair cost while minimizing the energy bill of the consumers.     

胥溪乾潭镇段堤防生态建设方案研究

为丰富富春江胥溪乾潭镇段旅游内涵,需对乾潭旅游码头进行扩建,将子胥公园湖泊纳入其建设范围,从而涉及该湖泊与胥溪之间的堤防调整。为不影响胥溪的行洪安全,又能使乾潭镇区达到防洪排涝标准,同时能满足码头对泊位和水域宽度的要求,对该段堤防拟定了五个生态建设方案,利用水利模型对各方案进行计算、比较,优选出最佳方案为子胥公园湖泊保留面积50%,并设置9m3/s的排涝泵站。     

Energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of tourism industry in destination

This study proposed the measuring models for the energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of the tourism industry in destination by the detailed bottom-up analysis method, the theory of life cycle assessment, and material flow. The Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (WSHIA) in China was chosen as the research area; the energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of tourism industry in the WSHIA were measured and analyzed from 1979 to 2015. The research results showed that energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of tourism sectors and the whole tourism industry were improved with the evolution of the stage of tourism life cycle. There was a big discrepancy in energy efficiency and carbon efficiency among different sectors of tourism industry. Tourism activity had the highest of direct and total energy efficiencies and carbon efficiencies. Compared with the industries, the tourism industry in the WSHIA belonged to the low energy consumption and green low-carbon industry. The energy and environmental policies and the different strategies on the improvement of energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of tourism industry should be formulated and implemented by the government sector of tourism management and the tourism enterprises for green and low-carbon development of tourism destination.     

Integrated solar energy systems for rural electrification in Kenya

In sub-Saharan Africa where population is projected to increase by 124% in the next 20 years, grid extension has advanced more slowly than in any other major regions; only about a third of the urban residents, and a mere 8% of the rural population, are served by grid electricity. Today, it is estimated that nearly two billion people worldwide remain without access to electricity or the immediate prospect of grid electrification. The situation in Kenya is no different. About 80% urban and 99.5% rural households, respectively, in Kenya have no access to electricity and its services. The annual electricity demand currently stands at 6% and increasing. However, we have shown that Kenya is well endowed with abundant renewable energy (RE) potential, especially solar energy resources. In our study, we have observed that Kenya gets an annual average exposure to sunshine of about 10 h per day in most regions, and an annual mean radiation of 6.98 kW h/m², which if harnessed efficiently could contribute to improve quality of life in rural and poor urban sector in Kenya.     

Gone with the wind? The impact of wind turbines on tourism demand

While wind energy production is relatively free from environmental externalities such as air pollution, it is frequently considered to negatively impact landscapes' visual aesthetic values, thereby inducing negative effects on tourism demand. Existing evidence for Germany indeed points towards a negative relationship between tourism demand and wind turbine construction. However, the existing studies primarily rely on interview data and simple bivariate statistics. In contrast, we make use of secondary statistics on tourism and wind turbine locations at the level of German municipalities. Using spatial panel regression techniques, we confirm a negative relation between wind turbines around municipalities and tourism demand for municipalities not located near the coast. In the latter regions, the relation between wind turbines and tourism demand is more complex.     

SDBF规模化经营障碍及相应对策

通过河南省试点情况,探讨了目前影响SDBF在农村规模化经营的障碍(主要包括资金、管理、政策、信息传播等方面的障碍),提出了相应的对策,认为推广此项技术主要应从以下方面着手,一是根据当地的实际情况制定出合理的经营模式;二是政府相关职能部门应制定相应的规章制度并营造积极的政策环境.文章着重探讨了以上几个方面的内容,为SDBF技术的在我国的进一步发展提供了一些可借鉴的资料,具有一定的理论意义和实际意义.     

Towards green rural energy in Yunnan, China

Yunnan is one of the less developed provinces in China, but has abundant energy resources, and is an ideal destination for tourists around the world due to its perfect climate and unique sightseeing resorts. However, energy consumption in rural households relies mainly on straw (12.15%), firewood (41%), and coal (38.5%). This pattern of energy consumption has been imposing pressure on the environment, water resources and soil in recent years with the rapid growth of Yunnan’s economy. This paper reports the achievements in Yunnan’s rural energy development in the past two decades. Issues of the greatest concern and interest, which are unfavorable for further development of rural energy, have been identified, and a new proposal of developing green rural energy in Yunnan is suggested based on its economy and resource conditions. The proposal addresses the development of biogas, small hydropower and solar energy, which are abundant in Yunnan. It is estimated that the new program will annually bring direct benefits of about 5 billion yuan to farmers by 2010, and the indirect benefits, such as those from tourism due to the improvement of the environment resulting from the use of green rural energy, will be enormous. It is believed that the program will speed up rural economic growth through the integrated utilization of rural energy.     

Willingness to pay for electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid applications: A Nordic choice experiment

We present the results from a choice experiment conducted across Denmark Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden focusing on electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology. The survey involved the entire Nordic region and had >4000 respondents choosing between two versions of electric vehicles (some including vehicle-to-grid capability) as well as their preferred gasoline vehicle. We analyzed the data using a mixed logit model and present the willingness to pay for driving range, acceleration, recharging time, fuel source, and vehicle-to-grid capability. In addition, due to the cross-national nature of our data, we also present willingness-to-pay comparisons between the five Nordic countries. We find that certain attributes, like driving range and recharging time, are substantially higher than previous estimates, whereas others, like acceleration are lower. In addition, we find that some attributes vary across the five countries (such as driving range), whereas other attributes remain constant. Finally, we find that vehicle-to-grid capability, divorced of onerous contracts, is significantly positive, but only for some countries, whereas in other countries it has no value, implying greater education and awareness of vehicle-to-grid is necessary if it is to accelerate electric vehicle adoption.     

Using contingent behavior analysis to measure benefits from rural electrification in developing countries: an example from Rwanda

Hundreds of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity and will not receive it from national grids in the next few decades. Electricity makes up an important component of rural development and so increasing access can have positive socioeconomic benefits. In this study, we use contingent behavior analysis to quantify the potential benefits of electricity in rural Rwandan villages which currently do not have electricity. The proposed method allows for calculation of net benefits as well as electricity bills. We find that even relatively poor, isolated households would pay for electricity, though amounts vary across households and this affects the financial viability of electrification. Common uses for electricity include lighting, battery charging, and agricultural processing. Despite heterogeneity, opportunities exist to improve rural economic welfare through increased electricity access.     

Modelling and simulation of the utilization of a PEM fuel cell in the rural sector of Venezuela

We studied the use of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells in rural villages of Venezuela lacking a permanent and reliable energy supply. For this purpose, we formulated a semi-empirical mathematical model representing the main technical and economic features involved in the operation of the PEM cells. The simulation of the resulting non-linear model spans a 20-year time horizon, considering how costs are affected by the expected increase in the energy demand of the rural population, to which it is applied and the decrease in the unit costs of the cell on account of technological improvements and mass production of the cell. These villages are located in the parish of Trinidad de la Capilla, in the central-west part of the country. They were selected on the basis of various social and economic factors involving percentage of rural population and the Human Development Index. The results show that the main operating variables, current density, efficiency and generated voltage, show the typical behaviour of this type of cell, whereas, from the economic point of view, the cost of the electricity produced by the cell stack decreases to constant values, both for the same year and interanually, due to the economy of scale and because the investment costs and the costs of the hydrogen used offset one another. The use of PEM cells, besides meeting the energy requirements of this Venezuelan rural parish, is viable in principle, as it contributes in a large way to improving the quality of life and sustainable development of these isolated and depressed regions, which, due to their distance from the electrical grid and their surface area, are not covered by it, and probably will not be in the near future.     

农村供水站运营管理模式改革及供水价格分析

针对我国现有的农村供水站大都存在规模小、地理位置不佳、供水价格偏低及管理人员短缺、管理不规范、用水户节水意识差等诸多问题,基于企业管理学和水价构成理论,结合农村供水站的经营属性及运营特点,提出并分析了现有的几种农村供水站运营管理模式。引入PDCA(Plan-Do-Check-Action)的管理循环理念,设计了适合白泉供水站的运营管理模式,并计算了供水价格及国家需要对其补贴的最低额度。结果表明,供水站的正常运营需要国家的补贴来维持,且供水站的管理改革也需有其他形式的资金介入。     

Health impacts of cooking fuel choice in rural China

This study investigated the impact of cooking fuel choice on the health of elderly people, as measured by activities of daily living, using micro survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2015. In contrast to previous studies, our focus on activities of daily living allows for a more comprehensive analysis of health outcomes than diagnoses or doctor visits. Propensity score matching and an endogenous switching regression model were used to address potential selection biases. We found a strong and positive effect of using non-solid cooking fuels on an individual's ability to cope with daily activities, with substantially greater effects on female and older respondents. Our results highlight the need to support energy transition in rural households to non-solid fuels for cooking. We also discuss potential policies to facilitate energy transition in rural China.     

我国农村能源与环境协调发展分析及其策略

对我国农村目前的主要能源来源进行了分析，并阐述了它们对农村环境所造成的不良影响。为了保护农村环境，促进我国农村能源与环境的协调发展，文章提出了几个主要协调发展的策略。     

Convergence of carbon emissions at the household level in China: A distribution dynamics approach

Since household carbon emissions (HCEs) have become a new growing source and a significant contributor to global emissions, the reduction of HCEs is crucial. To formulate targeted and effective emission mitigation policies, we need to fully understand the characteristics of the distribution and evolution of per capita HCEs and their urban-rural and regional heterogeneity. This paper explores the transitional dynamics of per capita HCEs in China by employing the distribution dynamics approach with panel data compiled at the household level. We find that the overall per capita HCEs are unimodal distribution in the long run and the distribution dynamics of the per capita HCEs between the urban and rural areas or among the regional subgroups are quite different. However, the speed of convergence has accelerated over time. Moreover, our findings indicate that the per capita HCEs in the urban areas will achieve convergence to an emission level much higher than that of the rural areas. Meantime the per capita HCEs in Northeast China will converge to an emission level much higher than those of the other three regions. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in implementing differentiated environmental policies for different regions and between urban and rural households in China.     

Rural electrification in an imperfect world: A case study from Mozambique

Electricity is universally recognized as a necessary, although not sufficient, requirement for social and economic development. However, increasing access to electricity in developing countries has proven to be difficult and expensive, particularly in rural areas. In this article, we analyze the dynamics of the relationship between electricity and socio-economic development by means of a cost–benefit analysis of a typical rural electrification project in Mozambique, assessing the impact of electricity on households, education, agro-business, commerce, and the public sector. We show that rural electrification can be commercially viable and cause structural transformation in rural areas within a short period of time. Finally, illustrated by the actual policy practice in Mozambique, we argue that low institutional quality is a key barrier to promote increased access to electricity for the poor.     

Hybrid application of biogas and solar resources to fulfill household energy needs: A potentially viable option in rural areas of developing countries

The absence of clean cooking facilities and electricity means billions of rural people are deprived of much needed socioeconomic development. Livestock residues (dung) and solar radiation are two renewable energy resources that are abundantly available in rural areas of developing countries. Although it is not feasible for these two resources separately to meet both thermal (cooking) and electricity demands, hybrid applications have not been given due attention. To facilitate integrating these two resources in rural energy planning, and to promote their dissemination through hybrid applications, it is necessary to evaluate their economic merits, and assess their ability to deal with the demands. In this paper, we examine the techno-economic performance of hybrid applications of these two resources by applying a simulation technique using the HOMER tool, and by giving derived cost-saving equations. We also quantify the monetary savings from replacing traditional fuels, and perform a sensitivity analysis on a number of variables (e.g. dung cost, fuelwood cost) to see how they affect the performance of different energy supply alternatives. Furthermore, we examine the practical applicability of the biogas system in the households through a structured survey of 72 ongoing household biogas plants. This study finds that households that have between three and six cattle can potentially meet their cooking and electricity loads through a hybrid implementation of biogas and solar PV (Photovoltaic) system. By replacing conventional fuels households can achieve savings that are more than the total annualized costs incurred for installing new services.