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the flow

CAMBODIA DIALOGUE: TOWARD A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION IN ASEAN

2/9/2023

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From October 3-4, 2022 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a regional multi-stakeholder dialogue “Toward Just Energy Transition in ASEAN”, was organized by Oxfam Cambodia, Australian Aid, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia and Energy Lab Cambodia.  The event aimed to facilitate dialogue on ensuring justice and equity for vulnerable communities within the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in the region.  The dialogue furthermore sought to solicit input for and finalize a policy brief to promote equity and justice within ASEAN energy policy development, ahead of the 2022 ASEAN Summit.  

Mr. Tarek Ketelsen, Director General of the Australia Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources and Energy Systems (AMPERES) and a member of HPNET, supported the design of the event.  The HPNET Secretariat was invited to take part and facilitated the participation of HPNET members Ms. Nalori Chakma, Advocacy Officer at the Right Energy Partnership (REP) and Ms. Jade Angngalao, Area Coordinator at the Department of Social Welfare and Development through PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA), who has supported micro hydro efforts in her community and other Kalinga communities in the Philippines.

During the two-day dialogue, speakers shared various perspectives and insights regarding the regional context of the energy transition, its challenges, and potential opportunities, with an emphasis on social justice and inclusion.   
Policy Objectives

Civil society and academic stakeholders from across the ASEAN region provided inputs during the workshop which contributed to the development of a policy brief intended to inform policy development relating to ASEAN’s commitment to net zero emissions. Chiefly, the policy brief presents a path forward to ensure the achievement of a socially equitable energy transition in the ASEAN region. The policy brief was subsequently presented by an Oxfam member during the ASEAN Summit which took place in Phnom Penh in November, and will be disseminated at other ASEAN gatherings and events where different government leaders and stakeholders are present.

A Spotlight on Social Equity for a Just Transition

In an insightful op-ed published by Oxfam Cambodia following the regional dialogue, the author emphasizes that, “with its principle of cooperation and mutual benefit, ASEAN could become a global leader by promoting a just energy transition that does not compound existing inequalities and leaves no one behind”.
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This risk of compounding existing inequalities was addressed by several participants at the regional dialogue, including Ms. Chakma of REP, who flagged a threat around land grabbing that has been linked to mining for lithium-ion batteries for solar PV electricity in parts of India and the United States.  As governments ramp up production of lithium to meet clean energy goals, REP emphasizes the need to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as elevate alternative clean energy technologies like small-scale hydropower, which has been increasingly sidelined as solar PV has taken centre stage.   

In addition, a key element of the dialogue was the potential – and ethical imperative – to dovetail the rollout of clean energy infrastructure with rural electrification through an approach that empowers marginalized communities.  Ms. Angangalo highlighted that Indigenous and local communities have long been leaders in this field, leveraging renewable energy within community-based efforts to facilitate energy access.  It is critical that ‘last mile’ communities are centered in the ASEAN clean energy transition, and SDG 7 is prioritized within pathways to ‘net zero’.

The dialogue thus underscored the opportunity to elevate decentralized renewable energy (DRE) as a key component of a just transition.  Participants brought forth a number of policy solutions to advance this aim.  For instance, Ms. Chakma of REP suggested subsidies and soft loans to communities, and support directed to productive-end-use to help sustain DRE systems.  She and others, including Mr. Ketelsen of AMPERES, also noted that as countries develop policies to support grid interconnection of DRE, a key part of a just transition is ensuring that communities in ASEAN have the opportunity to generate income from selling electricity to the grid. (To learn more on this topic, see HPNET’s Grid Interconnection Work Stream).  
Community Hydropower as a Uniquely Appropriate Technology
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Community-scale hydropower became a focal point of several discussions, largely thanks to presentations and inputs by the HPNET members.  During the Roundtable discussions, participants discussed several ways in which community hydro is uniquely well positioned for advancing a just, clean energy transition in the region.  

  • Ms. Angngalao delivered a presentation on community-based renewable energy systems andIndigenous Peoples in the Philippines and introduced HPNET’s knowledge exchange and advocacy initiatives.  The presentation highlighted how community hydro is collectively built and operated, and generates a wide range of socio-economic and ecological benefits.  For instance, micro hydro can support motorized loads for agro-processing and incentivizes  sustainable watershed stewardship aligned with Indigenous governance traditions. 
  • Given said connections with environmental conservation, Ms. Chakma or REP also noted the opportunity for micro hydro communities to leverage conservation finance and carbon credits for forest management.
  • Ms. Chakma also highlighted that community-scale hydropower sidesteps the human rights and land grabbing issues arising in connection with lithium-ion batteries used for solar PV systems. (Notably, a clear distinction was drawn between small-scale (< 1MW) versus large scale hydropower dams, the latter of which have long been associated with land grabbing and ecological harm, though sometimes promoted as “clean energy”.) 
  • Mr. Ketelsen of AMPERES imparted some of the best practices and opportunities observed in Myanmar, a country with a long-established, locally-rooted DRE sector where over 6,000 small-scale hydropower systems have been installed by local developers, largely without donor support or foreign technology.  Mr. Ketelsen observed that that micro hydro is a particularly well-suited technology for enabling more inclusive, community-owned and -distributed systems, due to unique governance and scale aspects.

The great value-add of community hydro was well-noted by other participants who expressed interest in intra-regional exposure visits to share knowledge and build awareness of micro hydro amongst ASEAN energy access practitioners and proponents – in line with HPNET’s approach to peer-to-peer exchange and knowledge exchange.

This article was developed by Ms. Lara Powell (HPNET Secretariat) with inputs from Ms. Jade Angangalo (PAMANA), Ms. Nalori Chakma (REP), Mr. Tarek Ketelsen (AMPERES), Ms. Kaneka Keo (Oxfam), and Dipti Vaghela (HPNET Secretariat).
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WATCH:  HPNET PRESENTATIONS AT global symposium on sustainable water and energy solutions

8/15/2022

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HPNET members presented at the Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions in Brazil and Paraguay, convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, hosted by ITAIPI Binancional, in partnership with Sustainable Water & Energy Solutions Network, June 13-15, 2022.

If you missed joining the event virtually, their presentations and others are now available at the links below!


Mr. Satish Gautam, National Programme Manager of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods initiative of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and the UNDP in Nepal, presented the drivers that led to the scaled dissemination of micro hydro in Nepal.  Watch here (Apologies, the event organizer's link to this presentation no longer works).

Mr. Sherzad Ali Khan, Regional Coordinator of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan presented cases of community-driven enterprise solutions for micro and mini hydro sustainability.  Watch here 

Ms. Jade Angngalao, Indigenous People's Energy Access Specialist in the Philippines presented on the role of Indigenous Knowledge and governance traditions in climate resilient solutions for hydro mini-grids.  Watch here
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GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS

6/1/2022

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Sustainable water and energy solutions go hand and hand, as key cross-cutting factors that intersect with multiple Sustainable Development Goals.  From June 13-15, 2022, the Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions will be held in Brazil and Paraguay, convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, hosted by ITAIPI Binancional, in partnership with Sustainable Water & Energy Solutions Network. The main objective of the symposium is “to enhance the capacities of relevant stakeholders including governmental institutions to effectively manage the water-energy nexus and interlinkages with other SDGs covering the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development”. 
 
Three HPNET members will be presenting at the symposium:  Satish Gautam, National Programme Manager of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL), a joint project of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) and UNDP in Nepal; Sherzad Ali Khan, Regional Coordinator of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan; and Jade Angngalao, Indigenous People's Energy Access Specialist for HPNET’s efforts in the Philippines. Satish Gautam will present in Session 2: Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions & Energy Case Studies.  Sherzad Ali Khan and Jade Angngalao will both present in Session 7: Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions - Economic Interlinkages.

More information about this event is available at the website of the Global Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network at this link. 
 
The event will be offered in a hybrid format.  To join virtually, register in advance at this link.
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INDIGENOUS-LED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AT 2ND ASIA PARKS CONGRESS

5/30/2022

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Indigenous peoples have a wealth of knowledge and long-proven environmental governance systems that support healthy watershed ecosystems. In turn, Indigenous-led watershed conservation can contribute toward biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and climate resilient hydro mini-grids. 

HPNET Board Member, Hon. Adrian Banie Lasimbang, recently brought this important message to the 2nd Asia Parks Congress, which was held at the Sabah International Convention Centre from May 24-29, 2022.  Hon. Lasimbang is an Advisor for TONIBUNG and JOAS and a Board Member for the Right Energy Partnership (REP).  At the congress, Adrian presented a paper on the ways in which Indigenous-led watershed conservation contributes to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, highlighting the role of the Tagal system in watershed management, through a case study in Ulu Papar, Sabah.  Tagal refers to the watershed stewardship system/protocols of the Orang Asal Indigenous communities of Sabah. 
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Hon. Adrian Banie Lasimbang presenting at the 2nd Asia Parks Confress. Source: B. Lasimbang.
Read More:
  • Kickoff Session: Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids – Featuring Hon. Adrian Banie Lasimbang sharing perspectives on climate resilience, the water-energy-food-forests-livelihoods nexus, and Indigenous rights, traditional knowledge and stewardship protocols.
  • Earth Voices Blog: Featuring Kampung Buayan, Ulu Papar
  • TONIBUNG (friends for village development) - HPNET Member Organization
  • Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) - The Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia
  • Right Energy Partnership
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HPNET MEMBERS & PARTNERS AT SEFORALL FORUM 2022

5/23/2022

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From May 17-19, 2022, several HPNET members and partners attended and presented at the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.  The forum brought together stakeholders from around the world to take stock of progress, address challenges and spur investment towards the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) to end energy poverty and advance a just energy transition globally.

We provide a brief snapshot of HPNET’s member and partner presence below.


Presenters
  • Madhusudhan Adhikari, Executive Director of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Nepal, took part in high level dialogues and also presented.
  • Ayu Abdullah, Co-Executive Director at Energy Action Partners, spoke on the panel organized by the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), “Certification Approaches for Decentralized Renewable Energy Practitioners."
  • Ranisha Basnet, Project Manager at Energypedia, spoke at the Humanitarian Energy Conference held as a side event to the Forum. (Read More)

Attendees
  • WISIONS
  • People, Energy & Environment Development Association (PEEDA)
  • Green Empowerment    
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WATCH:  EXCHANGE EVENT VIDEOS

10/18/2021

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As part of the SEEED Accelerator, HPNET launched the SEEED cohort for the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween River Basins, in partnership with International Rivers, to advance community-scale hydropower in the region. 

​With support from TROSA and funding from the Government of Sweden and WISIONS, the SEEED cohort engaged in capacity building, multi-actor dialogue and peer-to-peer exchange, including through a two-day virtual exchange event. 

​You can find video recordings, session summaries, presentation slides, and other event resources at this link!
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DAY 1 AGENDA - EXCHANGE EVENT:  ADVANCING COMMUNITY-SCALE HYDROPOWER FOR CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCE

9/10/2021

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Join us for a virtual exchange event to advance small-scale hydropower (< 1MW) for climate and economic resilience! ​
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DAY 1:  PRACTITIONER EXCHANGE
DATE:  TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
TIME*:  12:30 - 5:00 PM INDIA STANDARD TIME (IST) / 7:00-11:30 AM (UTC)
REGISTER HERE
*You can use this time conversion table to convert from IST to your time.

HPNET is excited to host a virtual exchange event from 21-22 September, 2021, in partnership with International Rivers, supported by TROSA, funded by the Government of Sweden and WISIONS.  Read more about our partnership with International Rivers here.

Day 1 provides an opportunity to hear from locally-rooted practitioners who work directly with micro hydro communities across the Asia Pacific.  As shown in the agenda below, the half-day event is divided into two parts, each consisting of two parallel sessions.  Each session will include a 20-30 minute Q&A period, during which participants are encouraged to ask questions.  Our flexible platform will enable participants to move between parallel sessions, should they choose to do so.  If you haven't already registered, be sure to do so at the link above.

​The following agenda details the timing, topics, panelists and moderators for Day 1.

Opening Session, 12:30 - 1 PM India Standard Time (IST)
Welcome & Overview

The half-day event will commence with opening remarks and an agenda overview.
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  • Welcome, Nalori Chakma, International Rivers
  • Key Note, Augustus Suting, Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and Meghalaya State Council of Science & Technology (MSCST)
  • SEEED Accelerator and Event Overview, Dipti Vaghela, Hydro Empowerment Network

Session 1:  Panel A, 1 - 2:30 PM IST
Technical Reliability & Capacity Building
Moderator:  Joe Butchers
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In this panel we will hear from practitioners who have long established local manufacturing and capacity building centers.  We will learn about their latest developments and dialogue on technical standards and job creation.
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  • Malaysia:  Alice Jipius, CREATE
  • Philippines:  Benazir Bacala, CREATech
  • India:  Yanger Imchen, NEPeD
  • Indonesia:  Gerhard Fischer, HYCOM ​
​Session 1:  Panel B, 1 - 2:30 PM IST
​​Utilization (PEU, eCook, Interconnection)
Moderator:  Vishwa Bhushan Amatya

In this panel, moderated by an expert with over 35 years of experience in community hydropower, practitioners versed in utilization will summarize their insight on productive end uses (PEU), electric cooking, and grid interconnection.​​
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  • Nepal:  Manjari Shrestha, Practical Action Nepal
  • Indonesia:  Pradygdha Jati, IBEKA
  • Nepal:  Biraj Gautam, PEEDA
  • Nepal:  Jiwan Kumar Mallik, AEPC RERL​

Break for Informal Networking, 2:30 - 3:00 PM IST​

Session 2:  Panel A, 3:00 - 4:30 PM IST
Social and Environmental Approaches
​Moderator:  Nalori Chakma

This panel will feature path breaking practitioners who have innovated community governance, nature-based solutions, integration with indigenous practices, and/or women-centric approaches -- all critical aspects of sustainable community hydropower. ​
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  • Philippines:  Jun Porferio Jabla, Yamog
  • Philippines:  Jade Angngalao, SIBAT
  • India:  Anuraj Sharma, Gram Vikas
  • Malaysia:  Ayu Abdullah, Energy Action Partners
Session 2:  Panel B, 3:00 - 4:30 PM IST
Enterprise, Finance, & Integrated Planning
​Moderator:  Dipti Vaghela
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This panel will overview social enterprise models, such as asset-only models, community utilities and cooperatives.  The dialogue will provide insight on local and national planning, as well a private sector view on access to finance.​
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  • Nepal:  Satish Gautam, AEPC RERL
  • Pakistan:  Sherzad Ali Khan, AKDN & AKRSP​
  • Indonesia:  Sentanu Hindrakusuma, AHB
  • Nepal:  Suman Pradhan, NYSE

Closing Session, 4:30 - 5 PM IST
Summary and Ways Forward

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To conclude the day, event organizers will summarize the day's events and highlight points of interest.  Participants will be advised of relevant, upcoming events and activities to stay tuned for. 


​IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Event Summary & Recordings

Missed the event?  You can find video recordings, session summaries, presentation slides, and other event resources at this link!
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ADVANCING PICO / MICRO HYDROPOWER IN THE GANGA, MEGHNA, BRAHMAPUTRA, AND SALWEEN RIVER BASINS

9/8/2021

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The river basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween (GBMS) Rivers are endowed with rich natural resources, exceptional biodiversity, and vibrant indigenous cultures.  Yet social and environmental well-being continue to be undermined by large hydro development, as decision makers seek economic prosperity and economic recovery, in the stark context of a global pandemic. 

However, community-scale hydropower offers an alternative path that provides modern energy services, while strengthening the local social, economic, and ecological resources of this unique region.  The region is fortunate to have experienced local practitioners who have been advancing pico hydropower as a nature-based, community-centric solution for clean and sustainable energy access.
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Pico hydro manufacturing training participant in Meghalaya, India. Credit: Rams Vaidhyanathan
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Htan Hla Pin Community Micro Hydro, Shan State, Myanmar. Credit: Loïs Sevestre
​HPNET has engaged with local practitioners in the region since 2013, in partnership with International Rivers, Nagaland Empowerment of People thru Energy Development (NEPeD), and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), and the Meghalaya State Council for Science and Technology for different activities.   We have mapped stakeholders, visited sites, and held dialogues on opportunities, challenges, and regional best practices, based on a 4-step approach to knowledge exchange.   Since 2019 the approach has been refined into a knowledge-to-impact initiative called Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED).  SEEED is based on 40-years of experiential hindsight in the global South on what makes community hydro systems sustainable and deliver optimal results.  The SEEED Accelerator was launched this quarter, enabling practitioners to customize proven sustainability mechanisms to local contexts, unlocking their potential to generate climate resilient socio-economic co-benefits.
​A key component of the SEEED Accelerator is to establish peer-to-peer and multi-stakeholder cohorts, targeting different geographic regions.  We’re excited to launch the first SEEED cohort -- focusing on the basin regions of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween Rivers (GBMS) in partnership with International Rivers, supported by TROSA and the WISIONS initiative at the Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy.  The partnership offers three learning opportunities for field-based practitioners in the GBMS basins -- namely  group capacity building, individual customized coaching, and peer-to-peer exchange.  Read on to learn more!
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Map showing Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Salween river basins: Program basins of Oxfam’s Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) program. Credit: Oxfam in Asia

Cohort Capacity Building
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The GBMS SEEED cohort kicked off earlier this month with a 3-day virtual capacity building event, offering technical capacity building for small-scale hydro practitioners working directly with communities in the GBMS regions (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal or Thailand).  The course was conducted by Mr. Ramasubramanian (a.k.a Rams) Vaidhyanathan, focusing on site assessment and the basics of system design for systems < 10 kW.  Days 1 and 3 were conducted online, and Day 2 included optional field assessment work.  The group of 20+ participants are continuing to solidify their understanding of key topics while also learning about each other’s work through group emails facilitated by Rams.  Remaining committed to field-based practitioners, the HPNET Secretariat will continue to facilitate learning exchange among the cohort beyond the HPNET - Intl Rivers partnership period.
Customized Individual Coaching
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All participants who completed the 3-day group training have been invited to receive follow-up, customized capacity building.  This allows helping to resolve each participant’s specific technical issues in their ongoing initiatives and to improve their technical processes to prevent issues.   This type of support is important for both advanced practitioners (e.g. NE India practitioners scaling up their work to hundreds of implementations this year), as well as beginning level practitioners (e.g. civil society organizations in Myanmar who are conducting their very first feasibility studies).  It is also an opportunity for the HPNET Secretariat to continue refining its approach to the SEEED Accelerator, better responding to and strategizing context-specific needs for future cohorts.
​Peer-to-Peer Exchange Event

An exchange event will be held on 21-22 September, 2021.  Building upon exchanges conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2019,  this 2-day virtual event aims to provide opportunities for South-South, peer-to-peer exchange and multi-stakeholder dialogue.  Day 1 will focus on sharing from field-based practitioners from across the Asia Pacific, while Day 2 will focus on multi-stakeholder dialogue on country and state specific challenges and opportunities in the GBMS regions.  See here for details on how to participate!  
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HPNET AT UN HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE ON ENERGY 2021

3/10/2021

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This month UN-Energy launched the substantive preparations for the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, a summit-level event in September 2021 to accelerate SDG 7 achievements and promote climate action ahead of the COP26 by planning and implementing energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The Dialogue is historic being the first of its kind since 1981.
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Credit: UN Energy
HPNET has been invited to contribute to the initiative as a member in one of the Dialogue’s five Technical Working Groups,  Enabling SDGs through Inclusive, Just Energy Transitions.  This UN Working Group is especially relevant for HPNET members because community-scale hydropower is a multi-thematic intervention that strengthens the water-energy-land nexus for greater climate resilience in marginalized rural communities -- which ultimately advances multiple SDGs in parallel. 
The UN Working Group’s focus on inclusion is also a critical theme for HPNET members:

  • ​Rural communities often bear the brunt of the climate crisis but have the smallest carbon footprint.  In fact, many indigenous communities have practices that sustain forests, mitigating emissions.  It is vital to enable both sustainable development and multi-benefit climate adaptation mechanisms, i.e. watershed strengthening for climate resilient access to electricity, potable water, sanitation, and irrigation.  The best way to do that is to bring the voices of communities to policy-making and funding decisions.  
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  • Women-centric approaches to hydro mini-grids lead to optimal sustainability and socio-economic benefits from the project.  Critical to the implementation of women-centric approaches are women energy practitioners, who are a few in number, often not acknowledged for their immense contributions, and not typically in leadership positions.

  • ​Donors and governments often inaccurately see mini-grids as being synonymous to solar-battery mini-grids, and discount the energy access progress made in the last forty years by community hydro and biomass solutions, which to date continue electrifying last mile communities.  Although lower cost and more apt for mechanized productive end use, these technologies and the local experts who have advanced them are often sidelined in mainstream funding and policy mechanisms.​ ​
Leveraging  four decades of hindsight from the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, our initiative Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) provides capacity building for practitioners and community to achieve long-term technical, environmental, institutional, and financial sustainability of their hydro mini-grids.  The SEEED approach results in the triple benefits of energy access, climate resilient watersheds, and socio-economic recovery. 

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Using results from SEEED’s evidence-based analyses and peer-to-peer exchanges, done in collaboration with local practitioners, we look forward to contributing to the UN Energy High-Level Dialogue. Below are further details collated from content provided by UN Energy.

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Htan Hla Pin Community Micro Hydro, Shan State, Myanmar. Credit: Loïs Sevestre

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Credit: UN Energy
​OBJECTIVE
The Technical Working Group III will focus on developing a Theme Report on Enabling SDGs through Inclusive, Just Energy Transitions that presents a set of recommendations towards an action-oriented global roadmap for the achievement of SDG 7 by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. The report should be made in a succinct manner and can be widely consumed by a non-technical audience.

This group will focus on maximizing the positive impacts of inclusive and just energy transitions on the achievement of the SDGS, including gender equality, job creation, youth empowerment, agriculture and food systems, health, education, water, and sustainable production and consumption, through coordinated multi-sectoral interventions. The focus is to move away from ideas of ‘separation and competition’ to one of ‘interdependence and collective action.’
SUMMIT LEVEL DIALOGUE
The summit level Dialogue on Energy will be convened by the UN Secretary-General in New York in September 2021, setting a global roadmap to achieve clean, accessible energy for all by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, and mobilizing the voluntary commitments and actions urgently needed.

WATCH: Virtual Launch of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021
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INDONESIA - PHILIPPINES EXCHANGE

11/25/2019

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HPNET members in Indonesia and the Philippines are joining forces to provide high quality micro hydro equipment to community-based projects in Mindanao.

The ASEAN Centre for Hydropower Competance (HYCOM) and Pt Entec Indonesia, both global experts for micro hydro technology transfer, are supporting the Yamog Renewable Energy Development Group, Inc., the pioneering NGO committed for nearly three decades to providing electricity to marginalized communities in Mindanao, to explore establishing local manufacturing of cross-flow turbines.  

After multiple online exchanges, in June 2019 HPNET Board members Gerhard Fischer and Ardi Nugraha visited Yamog in Davao City to gauge the local team's capacity for local manufacturing.  Then in October 2019, Yamog's technical leads visit Pt Entec and HYCOM in Bandung, Indonesia to better understand quality standards practiced in Indonesia.  The collaboration is gradually moving toward the goal of locally manufactured cross-flow turbines in Mindanao.

HPNET facilitated the start of collaboration between PT Entec and Yamog in 2018 and the network has benefited immensely from the ongoing contributions of both organizations. It is great to see continuous knowledge exchange (often self-initiated, as in this case) between these long-standing HPNET Members.
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HPNET AT SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY WEEK

11/1/2019

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This week HPNET Manager Dipti Vaghela and HPNET Member Kapila Subasinghe from DFCC Bank took part in the Deep Dive Energy Access Using Innovative Mini-grid Solutions. Asia Clean Energy Summit (ACES) at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).  Dipti presented on the panel "Challenges and Risks in Deploying Renewable energy Mini-Grid Technologies" and Kapila presented on the panel "Innovations in Finance."   Read more here.
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HPNET member Kapila Subasinghe on ACES-SIEW panel on Innovations in Finance. Credit: HPNET
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HPNET AT KIREC 2019

10/28/2019

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This past week, HPNET took part in several panel discussions at KIREC 2019, the 8th International Renewable Energy Conference. Thank you to REN21 and other organizers for an informative week, and for the opportunity to take part! We'd like to thank Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Alliance for Rural Electrification for inviting us to share on public-private partnerships for sustainable community-scale hydro. Our thanks also go to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for the opportunity to discuss socio-economic impacts of energy transformation.
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HPNET Manager, Dipti Vaghela, and HPNET Member Ayu Abudullah, at KIREC 2019. Credit: HPNET
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INDONESIA:  TRAININGS AND EXPOSURE VISITS HOSTED BY ASEAN HYDROPOWER COMPETANCE CENTRE (HYCOM)

10/8/2019

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Micro hydro development in Indonesia started around 1991 with the support of GIZ (German international cooperation). Later on, Energising Development (EnDev) Indonesia implemented many MHP projects until 2014, with Entec AG Swiss / PT Entec Indonesia as consultants. 

The ASEAN Hydro Competence Centre (HYCOM) was inaugurated in 2011 and is jointly operated and managed by PT Entec Indonesia and the Technical Education Development Centre Bandung (TEDC). In addition to PT Entec and TEDC, HYCOM was established with the support of:
  • ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE) and GIZ
  • Entec AG
  • Renewable Energy Platform Swiss (REPIC)
  • University FH Technik (Zurich)

HYCOM works to promote small-scale hydropower and disseminate know-how in the sector. Offering hands-on training and application oriented research, HYCOM endeavours to improve the implementation and operation of small-scale hydropower installations worldwide. To date, HYCOM has conducted about 40 trainings and workshops with 350 participants from 25 countries, and has hosted approximately 500 visitors from all over the world.

​This quarter HYCOM conducted three knowledge transfer activities, which are described below by guest bloggers and HPNET Board Members, Mr. Gerhard Fischer and Mr. Ardi Nugraha.

TRAINING FOR MICRO HYDRO OPERATORS

In the past 3 months, HYCOM conducted two trainings for micro hydro operators. The trainings focused on Operation and Maintenance concepts and procedures, economic consequences of neglected maintenance, safety issues, understanding turbine characteristics and other practical issues of operation from water hammer, cavitation, synchronizing, alignment, balancing issues and very important  environmental issues. The attending practitioners raised many practical issues from their experience, which will help us to improve our trainings with relevant subjects. 

Training 1: Operators of Indonesian small hydro plants (July 8 - 12, 2019)

In July, HYCOM facilitated a training for 12 participants by PLN (Indonesia's government-owned utility) and KfW (a German state-owned development bank) “Sustainable Hydro Power Program”. This program was hosted at PUSDIKLAT (a training centre of PLN) involving 3 trainers from Germany. The training involved activities at the HYCOM centre, which made use of the hydro laboratory equipment, as well as visits to hydropower sites near Bandung (750 kW, 2MW up to 1000 MW).
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Trainees on a field visit to a mini-hydro project, examining the electro-mechanical equipment. Credit: A. Nugraha
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Trainees at HYCOM centre in Bandung, Indonesia. Credit: A. Nugraha
Training 2: Operators of Sarawak, Malaysia mini hydro plant (Sept. 29 - Oct. 4, 2019)
A training event was held for 9 operators and engineers from the power utility of Sarawak, Malaysia. The training was conducted by PT Entec using the HYCOM laboratory equipment and visiting MHP equipment manufacturers, as well as visiting one hydropower plant near Bandung to study the maintenance system. (The plant, a 250 kW standalone MHP in a tea plantation, has been operational for 17 years using equipment made in Bandung.)
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Malaysia-Indonesia training and exchange event at HYCOM centre. Credit: A. Nugraha
EXPOSURE VISIT:  Ethiopia Practitioners (Aug. 30 - 31, 2019)
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As early as 2008, an exchange of MHP know-how and turbine manufacturer training was held in Indonesia, conducted by PT Entec Indonesia and financed by GIZ. Participants from Ethiopia and Indonesia came together to learn general MHP know-how, and they received a license training for the T15- 300 cross flow turbine used in hundreds of MHP projects worldwide.

The achievements of this training were that three T15 cross flow turbine sites and some propeller low head were installed in Ethiopia and local manufacturers had “new ideas“ to improve their low cost turbines up to 25 kW.
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Indonesia-Ethiopia Exchange Event, 2008. Credit: PT Entec Indonesia
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Indonesia-Ethiopia Exchange Event, 2008. Credit: PT Entec Indonesia
This past August, PT Entec conducted another exchange event with participants from Ethiopia. From August 30th to 31st 2019, a delegation of EnDev Ethiopia visited Indonesia for an exposure visit. GIZ is presently planning the implementation 9 micro hydro sites in the frame of the EnDev project. The delegation (consisting of 3 GIZ/EnDev staff and 3 government officials) visited the HYCOM training centre, which is established at P4TK-BMTI, a training institution for vocational teachers in Indonesia. P4TK-BMTI is presently taking care of renewable energy (hydro, PV, biomass, wind) on the vocational school level. The delegation expressed interest to cooperate with this institution for vocational training in future.

We see a good opportunity for HPNET to support a south-south technology transfer linking the experiences of the network with the African micro hydro market.

Interested in a video tour of HYCOM?  Check out the video below!

Guest blog post written by Mr. Gerhard Fischer (Director of PT Entec Indonesia and HYCOM, and HPNET Board of Advisors Member) and Mr. Ardi Nugraha (Senior Manager of PT Entec Indonesia and HYCOM, and HPNET Board of Representatives Member for Indonesia).

They can be reached at 
office@entec.co.id 
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IRENA'S BHUTAN RENEWABLES READINESS ASSESSMENT

7/8/2019

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Bhutan’s commitment to “Gross National Happiness” and thriving eco-systems is being advanced by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA), stemming from its renewable energy (RE) policy/jobs research AND from practitioners who have pushed for RE in Bhutan for decades. 

I was fortunate to take part in the Bhutan RRA Validation Workshop in Thimpu on July 2, organized by IRENA and the Royal Government of Bhutan.  I look forward to the outcomes of IRENA's multi-actor, research-to-action approach to bring forth climate resilient development and inspire other countries to do the same.


- Dipti Vaghela
HPNET Facilitator and Manager
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REGIONAL EXCHANGE TO ADVANCE COMMUNITY-SCALE HYDRO IN INDIA, MYANMAR, AND NEPAL

6/30/2019

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Our country-specific strategic advocacy efforts were merged into regional momentum this month, thanks to International Rivers and its partners taking the lead in organizing a multi-actor regional exchange, Advancing Community-scale Hydro:  Bridging India, Myanmar, and Nepal. The event, held in Shillong, India, focused on policy, enterprise, and institutional challenges, opportunities, and best practices.  HPNET Board members from the three countries were critical in the participant selection, agenda design, and presentation content. 

The event resulted in increased awareness among front-line civil society organizations and development partners in India,  Myanmar, and Nepal; utility actors from India and Nepal; and government officials from India, Myanmar, and Nepal.  The awareness has resulted in stronger momentum at the country level for multi-actors to work closer together in bringing practice-to-policy changes that have tangible benefits for marginalized rural communities.

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Participants of the regional exchange, Advancing Community Scale Hydro: Bridging India, Myanmar and Nepal. Credit: International Rivers.
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Regional nightlight map. Source: https://achimkemmerling.files.wordpress.com
The event was informed by the video below, developed by the local association Hydropower for Community Empowerment in Myanmar (HyCEM), with support from the Global Greengrants Fund, International Rivers, Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet), Green Rights Organization, and HPNET.
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ADB ACEF DEEP DIVE: COMMUNITY ENERGY SYSTEMS

6/20/2019

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The Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners, this year included a commendable focus community-based renewable energy solutions.  The  Energy for All initiative at the ADB organized a deep dive workshop called Community Energy Systems: Realizing the Potential of People’s Partnership in Achieving Energy Access.  Several HPNET members and partners were speakers in the two panels of the deep dive.

Here's some re-cap from @DivyamNagpal's tweets on his session:

"General agreement on the strong track record of community energy systems for energy access, with potential for even greater contribution to universal EA efforts. Important to understand the community ownership process and invest in not just hardware, but the social processes."

"A strong business case for distribution utilities to support and integrate community energy systems, while retaining com. ownership (thru on-grid net metering). Pilots in the Philippines show the benefits to reach un/under-served areas & improve tail-end supply."

"Emphasis on the imp. role of with local entities/NGOs, pre-emptively addressing the 'common action problem' through project design, providing incentives for productive use development, transitioning from grants -> debt, not pushing specific tech but look at community needs."
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HPNET-WISIONS DEEP DIVE AT THE ASIA CLEAN ENERGY FORUM:  SCALING INCLUSIVE ENTERPRISE MICRO HYDRO

6/19/2019

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HPNET and WISIONS hosted a Deep Dive Workshop at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2019, entitled Hydro Mini-Grids in the Asia-Pacific: Scaling Inclusive
Enterprise-Based Approaches.  Special thanks to the ACEF team, our speakers, and WISIONS for making the rich dialogue possible!

The agenda and speaker bios can be found here.  Watch the videos below!  Or listen to the audio here.

Part 1 - Examples and Opportunities for Enterprise-based Hydro Mini-Grids
Moderator:  Divyam Nagpal
Panelists:  Bir Bahadur Ghale, Hydro Concern Ltd., Nepal; Satish Gautam, UNDP Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods, Nepal; Sandra Winarsa, Hivos Southeast Asia; Meherban Khan, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) Pakistan, and Dipti Vaghela, Hydro Empowerment Network
Part 2 - National Programs to Scale-up Enterprise-based Approaches
Moderator:  Bikash Pandey, Winrock International
Panelists:  Ernesto 'Butch' Silvano, National Energy Administration, Philippines; Trimumpuni, IBEKA, Indonesia, Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang, Borneo; Sherzad Ali Khan, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN); U Aung Myint, Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM)
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CLEAN ENERGY COLLABORATION IN MALAYSIA

3/15/2019

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Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Pathways for Sarawak and Malaysia

HPNET Board member Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang and HPNET members Ayu Abdullah (EnAct Partners), Gabe Wynn (Green Empowerment), and Tri Mumpuni (IBEKA) contributed to the conference Clean Energy Collaboration for Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Pathways for Sarawak and Malaysia, organized by the Save Rivers Network in Malaysia.  Read more here.
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HPNET member Gabe Wynn, HPNET Board member Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang, and HPNET member Trimumpuni at the Clean Energy Collaboration. Credit: A. Lasimbang
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VIDEOS:  HPNET AT THE IRENA IOREC 2018

11/9/2018

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If you missed us at the 4th International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition (IOREC) in Singapore, Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, 2018, organized by the International Renewable Energy  Agency (IRENA), you can check out the videos below of our side-event!

The panel focused on 
Accelerating Financially Viable Hydro Mini-Grids:  A Closer Look at Small-Scale Hydropower in S/SE Asia, including case presentations from Nepal and Myanmar, and a multi-stakeholder panel discussion, with the most senior experts of the sector!
​


Part 1:  Nepal Case Study​, Barpak Micro Hydro Project, presented by Mr. Bir Bahadur Ghale, founder of ​Hydro Energy Concern Pvt. Ltd.  Mr. Ghale has been a pioneer of enterprise-based micro hydro development in Nepal.


Part 2:  Myanmar Case Study​, Mae Muk Waterfall Micro Hydro Project, presented by Ms. Dipti Vaghela, Network Facilitator and Manager of the Hydro Empowerment Network.  The project is an example of Myanmar's self-financed, locally manufactured, indigenous micro hydro projects. 


​Part 3:  Panel of Experts​, moderated by HPNET Board of Advisors member, Dr. Binu Parthan of Sustainable Energy Associates (SEA).  Panelists included Mr. Bikash Pandey of Winrock International, Mr. Kapila Subasinghe of DFCC Bank Sri Lanka, Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang of Malaysia, Ms. Tri Mumpuni of IBEKA, Ms. Rana Ghoneim of UNIDO, and Mr. Gerhard Fischer of the the ASEAN Hydropower Competence Centre -- each with decades of micro hydro experience!    Speaker bios can be found here.​

Thank you to IRENA, the panelists, and the HPNET Secretariat for making the side-event possible!
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