Earlier this month, Hivos together with HPNET member Hydropower for Community Empowerment in Myanmar (HyCEM), and local civil socieity organizations conducted an event in Shan State, Myanmar on "Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) Field-Based Capacity Building for CSOs and Community Leaders".
The event followed up on an action plan activity laid out in July 2019 at the Multi-Actor Meeting to Advance Community-Centric Hydropower for Rural Livelihoods and Reforestation, organized by Hivos, HyCEM and HPNET member the Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM). Workshop attendees had identified a need to facilitate a field-based exposure, capacity-building and solution-finding workshop to bring together non-state actors, namely local DRE entrepreneurs, local civil society and village electrification committees, for collaborative learning and exchange.
The objectives of the event were three-fold:
On December 12th, participants gathered for sessions on Energy Demand and Resources and DRE Solutions and Technologies. The workshop opened with a participatory mapping activity followed by presentations and interactive discussions for each sub region.
The event followed up on an action plan activity laid out in July 2019 at the Multi-Actor Meeting to Advance Community-Centric Hydropower for Rural Livelihoods and Reforestation, organized by Hivos, HyCEM and HPNET member the Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM). Workshop attendees had identified a need to facilitate a field-based exposure, capacity-building and solution-finding workshop to bring together non-state actors, namely local DRE entrepreneurs, local civil society and village electrification committees, for collaborative learning and exchange.
The objectives of the event were three-fold:
- Support Htan Hla Pin, Myaseti, and Myiang to increase energy access in their micro hydro systems
- Increase awareness of Mon, Kayin & Shan participants on mini-grid design & implementation
- Explore areas of collaboration between local CSOs, DRE entrepreneurs and DRE village communities
On December 12th, participants gathered for sessions on Energy Demand and Resources and DRE Solutions and Technologies. The workshop opened with a participatory mapping activity followed by presentations and interactive discussions for each sub region.
Later in the day, Energy Action Partners (ENACT) introduced a participatory energy planning tool, The Minigrid Game -- a software-based, cooperative simulation tool which enables communities and developers to co-design a renewable energy micro/mini grid. The multi-player game challenges participants to design a renewable energy micro grid to meet their household and community-wide energy needs, while staying within a monthly budget.
On the second day of the workshop, participants split up to attend site assessments, discussions and visits in different villages. One group was led by ENACT who ran Minigrid Game workshops in a nearby village to facilitate discussion and consensus-building for their community energy systems.
Overall, the workshop was effective in supporting collaborative dialogue among non-state actors -- an important outcome for advancing an inclusive DRE sector in Myanmar.
