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A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Community solar energy initiatives in India: A pathway for addressing energy poverty and sustainability?
Highlights Community-led solar energy projects in India are analyzed using the grassroots innovation literature. The status of community energy projects in the US, Europe and India and presented. Three case studies, namely DURGA, Barefoot College and Rampura solar project, are reviewed. Case studies are consistent with social justice concerns, such as participation, equitable distribution of benefits and recognition of marginal communities.
Abstract Sustainable technologies for social mobilization and community empowerment are contemporary phenomena of grassroots innovation movements. The origins of the grassroots innovations appear in the appropriate technology movement of the 1970s, the People's Science Movement of the 1980s, and more recently, the Social Movement Organization as seen in the cases of the Honey Bee Network in India and the Social Technology Network in Brazil. This paper articulates the community energy movement in India in the framework of ‘grassroots innovations for sustainability’. The paper presents three fine case studies of off-grid community energy initiatives namely, the Dungarpur Renewable Energy Technologies Private Limited, (DURGA), the Barefoot College and the Rampura Community Solar Power Plant (CSPP). The case studies represent three different kind of business models of community energy projects – a private limited company, a market-based model and a village energy committee (VEC) model. Therefore, they are representative of different grassroots innovations in off-grid energy projects. The case studies exemplify how off-grid community energy projects may manifest an embedded character of the grassroots innovations and address energy poverty and social justice concerns, such as community participation, equitable distribution of benefits, representation of marginalized communities. The case studies also demonstrate that the grassroots innovations in off-grid energy projects may enhance social mobilization, community empowerment and sustainability. To conclude, the findings of this research show that grassroots innovations in technology and sustainable development are consistent with each other.
Community solar energy initiatives in India: A pathway for addressing energy poverty and sustainability?
Highlights Community-led solar energy projects in India are analyzed using the grassroots innovation literature. The status of community energy projects in the US, Europe and India and presented. Three case studies, namely DURGA, Barefoot College and Rampura solar project, are reviewed. Case studies are consistent with social justice concerns, such as participation, equitable distribution of benefits and recognition of marginal communities.
Abstract Sustainable technologies for social mobilization and community empowerment are contemporary phenomena of grassroots innovation movements. The origins of the grassroots innovations appear in the appropriate technology movement of the 1970s, the People's Science Movement of the 1980s, and more recently, the Social Movement Organization as seen in the cases of the Honey Bee Network in India and the Social Technology Network in Brazil. This paper articulates the community energy movement in India in the framework of ‘grassroots innovations for sustainability’. The paper presents three fine case studies of off-grid community energy initiatives namely, the Dungarpur Renewable Energy Technologies Private Limited, (DURGA), the Barefoot College and the Rampura Community Solar Power Plant (CSPP). The case studies represent three different kind of business models of community energy projects – a private limited company, a market-based model and a village energy committee (VEC) model. Therefore, they are representative of different grassroots innovations in off-grid energy projects. The case studies exemplify how off-grid community energy projects may manifest an embedded character of the grassroots innovations and address energy poverty and social justice concerns, such as community participation, equitable distribution of benefits, representation of marginalized communities. The case studies also demonstrate that the grassroots innovations in off-grid energy projects may enhance social mobilization, community empowerment and sustainability. To conclude, the findings of this research show that grassroots innovations in technology and sustainable development are consistent with each other.
Community solar energy initiatives in India: A pathway for addressing energy poverty and sustainability?
Joshi, Gaurav (author) / Yenneti, Komali (author)
Energy and Buildings ; 210
2019-12-25
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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