DEMONSTRATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PICO HYDRO TECHNOLOGY FOR OFF-GRID RURAL POWER GENERATION

摘要

There are still about 2 billion rural people who do not have access to grid electricity. Renewable energy, bynature a dispersed resource, is ideal for such consumers. Very small scale hydropower can be affordableeven by some of the poorest communities and market forces can therefore play a part in the dissemination ofthis technology.A strategy has been developed for implementing village scale “Pico hydro” through a programme ofmanufacturer training and demonstration schemes. It highlights some of the lessons learnt from thedissemination of this technology into remote rural areas in Kenya, Nepal and Peru. Comparisons have beenmade with published information regarding the installation of alternative renewable technologies, such assolar home systems.