A process for implementing sustainable renewable energy systems in developing communities
The methodology proposed consists of a step-by-step design process which should ultimately serve the purpose of increasing the sustainability of energy-for-development projects. This is achieved by considering the community, their development goals and renewable energy systems holistically. Additionally, the methodology addresses challenges in accurately designing these systems and considerations to the implementation of the system.
The methodology has been formulated through the study of both successful and failed energy-for-development projects. Additionally, authors conducted their own design of a renewable energy project with a case study community in Nepal and codified the findings. This community was chosen due to the existing link between Strathclyde and Nepal. Often communities are selected for energy for development projects due to historical links, but sometimes a market assessment can be carried out, investigating where poverty levels are high among populations and where there is renewable energy resource.
The methodology follows four main steps: Project Definition, Data Collection, Energy System Design and Sustainability Analysis. To address energy-for-development knowledge gaps which designers may have using this methodology, challenges and considerations are listed for each step.
Project Definition ascertains the community, their development goals, and assesses which technologies should be considered to address these goals. Data Collection then looks to find the inputs required to design a renewable energy system based upon the technologies being considered. Energy System Design uses the collected data to produce a range of technically viable systems that can match demand with supply as per the development goals. Finally, Sustainability Analysis acts as a filter to these systems, taking into account social, economic and environmental factors and system implementation to determine the optimal system for the community.
In the future, there are opportunities to develop this methodology further, with an eventual view to testing the methodology on fully-implemented energy-for-development projects.
The main steps are outlined below, click each step to find out more.