PLUGGING INTO A NEW LIFE THROUGH PV: SOME STUDIES IN INDIAN TRIBAL VILLAGES

摘要

Detailed studies and reasonable estimates indicate that in South Asian Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, the availability of solar radiation averages about 800 watt per square meter for an average duration of five hours in a day, and the skies remain sunny for about 300 days in a year. Thus, PV technology for electric power generation projected big potential to these countries. Consequently, the potential for the PV energy development is huge, not only for homes, hospitals, and other buildings, but also for generating electricity for providing backup to the conventional grid. Implementation of PV energy not only reduces poverty, but also helps in enhancing the human development index (HDI) by bringing energy security. Although PV technologies have been demonstrated successfully; however, few examples are available wherein the provision of alternative energy has directly resulted in tangible and measurable improvements in the income generation of the poor communities on any significant scale. Some of the apparent reasons for this are: i. High initial costs of technology, which the poor cannot afford; ii. Limited number of locally relevant productive applications suitable for alternative energy; iii. Poor communities' limited or no access to supply markets; iv. Absence of efficient technology service providers and of suitable projects in remote areas that could be bankable through financial institutions; and v. Lack of support from the public agencies, because their mandate is energy provision and not income generation for the poor. Studies conducted in an Indian tribal village to overcome the above constrains. Details of the studies are presented in following sections of the paper.