Spotlight on a Brilliant Solution
India, Mexico, China and other countries are working to bring power to millions of homes. India alone has commited to bring power to 78 million households. Even in developed countries, numerous remote communities exist off-grid, either without electricity at all, or with high emissions and costly diesel generators.
Help is on the way, though. In later stages of testing are hybrid remote systems, like the one shown here from Xantrex Technology, Inc. in British Columbia. These solutions combine the use of solar, wind or other renewables with a battery and a diesel generator. They’ve been able to take the diesel generator from operating 24/7 to now being run one twice a day for very short periods of time. Some of these same systems are also being leveraged for other single off-grid and even grid-connected power needs—resorts, high-end homes located remotely, and other related opportunities.
To tap into the vast village power opportunities and grow this sector, regions should identify those communities within their borders that best resemble world opportunities in India, China and elsewhere and use demonstrations to prove the value of integrated solutions that leverage a variety of energy efficiency and energy/power innovations depending on the individual community. Often these countries are using the World Bank and other resources to fund enhancements to energy availability of their remote users, and therefore being able to show the value of a particular solution is key. By demonstrating the value of the systems used in these communities, the projects will give those participating solution providers a leg up when seeking funding from international sources.
And most important, these projects can bring numerous social and economic benefits to the communities receiving them, and they will lower the cost of service and open up new business opportunities for aboriginal groups and others who eventually own the systems. By lowering the use of the diesel generators, they will have a large impact on particulate, SO2 and NOx emissions as well as CO2 and methane.
Visit www.xantrex.com for more information.
Help is on the way, though. In later stages of testing are hybrid remote systems, like the one shown here from Xantrex Technology, Inc. in British Columbia. These solutions combine the use of solar, wind or other renewables with a battery and a diesel generator. They’ve been able to take the diesel generator from operating 24/7 to now being run one twice a day for very short periods of time. Some of these same systems are also being leveraged for other single off-grid and even grid-connected power needs—resorts, high-end homes located remotely, and other related opportunities.
To tap into the vast village power opportunities and grow this sector, regions should identify those communities within their borders that best resemble world opportunities in India, China and elsewhere and use demonstrations to prove the value of integrated solutions that leverage a variety of energy efficiency and energy/power innovations depending on the individual community. Often these countries are using the World Bank and other resources to fund enhancements to energy availability of their remote users, and therefore being able to show the value of a particular solution is key. By demonstrating the value of the systems used in these communities, the projects will give those participating solution providers a leg up when seeking funding from international sources.
And most important, these projects can bring numerous social and economic benefits to the communities receiving them, and they will lower the cost of service and open up new business opportunities for aboriginal groups and others who eventually own the systems. By lowering the use of the diesel generators, they will have a large impact on particulate, SO2 and NOx emissions as well as CO2 and methane.
Visit www.xantrex.com for more information.
