025 Pico-hydropower innovation and capacity building program (pilot)
An estimated 60.000 low-head pico-hydropower units provide electricity for about 90.000 households, making it the most important renewable energy technology in the country. Yet, there are challenges of using this technology, such as coping with low quality hardware, risks of electrocution and breaking of electronic devices and light bulbs. Many problems have been overcome by innovation of actors in the supply chain of pico-hydro: users, village technicians, shopkeepers, traders and producers. The market is currently focused on individual users. However, there are opportunities for 1) scaling up and improving 2) the quality and safety and 3) efficiency and reliability of pico hydro technology through existing and potential new market channels.
Read more...Annual plan 2009
The third annual plan of the EASE program has been finalized in November 2008. The program has funding available for innovation projects and capacity building in the fields of:
Access: development of sustainable rural energy market channels;
Control: design rural energy markets based on the realities, needs and power of the end-user and the local market players;
Sharing: [...]