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the flow

NEPAL CASE STUDY: TARA KHOLA MINI HYDRO PROJECT

2/19/2023

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Social Enterprise for Optimal Outcomes

Drawing on 40+ years of experiential hindsight from practitioners in the Asia Pacific, HPNET has identified a linkage between enterprise-based approaches and hydro mini-grid sustainability.  Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is HPNET’s approach for community-scale hydro implementation that integrates key factors for optimizing sustainability and community empowerment beyond electricity – centering local social enterprise in the pathway to mini-grid sustainability.  

Supported by Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) in Nepal, the Tara Khola Mini Hydro Project provides an example of an enterprise-based approach that has enabled a financially viable energy system, unlocking benefits for local livelihoods, economic development, grid interconnection, and more. 


Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL)

RERL is a joint project of Government of Nepal (GoN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project has been operational since 2011 after the closure of Rural Energy Development Programme (REDP) with the main objective of supporting AEPC to scaleup RE project implementation. Since 2019, RERL has also been providing TA support to AEPC to implement South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) to install 4.3MW mini hydropower projects and 0.5MW solar/solar wind hybrid mini grids in off-grid areas of Nepal. Since March 2022, RERL is also implementing Japan-UNDP Support for Transition Effort to Decarbonization (JUSTED).  

The following case study on the Tara Khola Mini Hydro project is posted with permission from RERL's Quarterly Update July - Sept. 2022.​


A Case Study of Tara Khola Jalbidyut Company Ltd., Baglung
The 380kW Tara Khola Mini Hydropower Project (TKMHP) was completed in October 2019
and provides quality electricity services to 1800 households (HHs) and over 50 productive
energy uses (PEU) . The project was developed with subsidy from Alternative Energy
Promotion Center (AEPC) and community equity and loan and technical support of
Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL). The project was initially promoted by a Users’
Group with 9 executive members who were responsible for equity collection, coordination
with the contractor and concerned stakeholders for construction of the project. However, in spite
of endless efforts of the executive members, they were not able to collect the required equity
amount and take out a loan to achieve financial closure. The beneficiaries then decided to develop the project through a public limited company with all of them as shareholders and registered Tara Khola Jalbidyut Company Limited for construction and operation and management. The company has authorized capital of NPR 100 Million and paid up capital of NPR 3 Million.

​After the company took over the operations, the local people’s perception towards their project completely changed as the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors, staff and shareholders were clearly defined, all financial transactions were well recorded and could be observed by the ordinary shareholders. As a result, the company was able to collect equity of NPR 6 million from 1700 shareholders and a loan of NPR 14,853,822 from CYC and Jana Ekata Multipurpose Cooperative Limited, Baglung.
As of 2021, the plant is providing regular electricity to 1700 households, 45 slate industries, 4 carpentry businesses and 12 sawmills. These productive uses have generated employment opportunities for over 300 women and men locally. Moreover, the slate industries are vital actors in the slate value chain in the market. Furthermore, the plant is providing electricity to a number of productive energy uses such as poultry farming, a beauty parlor, fresh house/butcher shop, eateries, etc.
Tara Khola MHP Monthly Tariff Rates
  • Slate industries: NPR 1500 and NPR 50 per kWh
  • Other end uses: NPR 500 and NPR 12 per kWh
  • Residential: NPR 100 and NPR 12 per kWh
Tarakhola Jalbidyut Company Limited signed a Net Metering Agreement with Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in 2021 and has been continuously selling electricity to the national grid. The total income of the company in the same year was NPR 15,000,000 from both local consumption and sales to NEA, whereas its expenses during the same period was NPR 6,594,040 and made a net profit of NPR 8,405,960. 

In order to operate and manage the project, the company has hired 3 operators, a linesman and a manager who were all trained by AEPC/RERL to enhance their skills for proper handling of the machinery and management of the project. Furthermore, AEPC/RERL also provided orientation to Directors on management of a public limited company, particularly legal aspects.
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E-LEARNING & EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITY: LOCAL MANUFACTURING OF TURGO TURBINES

6/2/2022

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We are very pleased to announce a new E-Learning opportunity: Local Manufacturing of Turgo Turbines.  The course will be held from June 22-29, 2022 as part of our SEEED Accelerator E-Learning series, in partnership with the University of Bristol (UoB), People Energy and Environment Development Association (PEEDA), Nepal Yantra Shala Energy (NYSE), Kathmandu University Turbine Testing Lab (TTL/KU), and Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET), with support from Energize Nepal Project (ENEP) and WISIONS.  Offered at no cost, the 1-week, virtual course aims to advance local manufacturers in the global South who have experience in designing and fabricating small-scale (<1 MW) hydropower turbines.  Time commitment and pre-qualifications are explained below.

At the core of the course curriculum is an open source Turgo turbine design package, developed by PEEDA in collaboration with the UoB, TTL/KU and NYSE.  Participants will have access to engineering drawings, a design spreadsheet and a 3D CAD file, within a practical training experience that includes opportunity for live interface with instructors.  In turn, discussion and exchange will facilitate feedback to aid further refinement of the design package, particularly to enhance its application in different contexts.  Thus, participants will benefit from a practical skill-building opportunity, while contributing to the upscaling of Turgo turbine deployment across the global South. 
Format:  E-learning, 1-week self-paced, with two live sessions (course kickoff and Q&A)

Duration:  June 22 - 29, 2022

Core Topics:  Turgo Turbine - Open Source Design
  • An introduction to the Turgo turbine, including pros and cons
  • Manufacturing method
  • Walk-through of design spreadsheet
  • Overview of manufacturing drawings 

​​Resource Provided:  
  • Access to relevant SEEED modules
  • Design spreadsheet*​
  • Manufacturing drawings* 
​*Drawings and design spreadsheet will be provided to those who attend the live Kick-off Session on June 22.  This is because the instructor would like to convey important information regarding the design, and receive feedback from participants.  

Pre-Qualifications:  All local manufacturers based in Asia, Africa, or Latin America, who submit the Application Form by June 15, 2022, will be accepted.  Those based in other regions can contact the instructor at joe.butchers@bristol.ac.uk.

Estimated Time Commitment:  Live sessions and self-work modules

Live Sessions starting at 8pm Philippines (find your local time here):
  • Kick off session:  June 22, 8 - 9:30pm Philippines: 1.5 hours*
    *Mandatory to attend live session for receiving design spreadsheet and engineering drawings.
  • Q&A Session: June 29, 8 - 9pm Philippines: 1 hour**
    **If not possible to attend, viewing the recording is strongly recommended.​

Self-work via the SEEED E-Learning platform: 
  • Module D, Water Resource Assessment: 2.5 hours (optional)
  • Module E, Terrain Assessment & Basics of Design: 4 hours (optional)
  • Module F,  Power Output & Turbine Selection: 2 hours (optional)
  • Module K, Turgo Turbine - Open Source Design: 2 hours (mandatory*)
                    *Module K is mandatory for receiving a course completion certificate.

Application Form:  Apply no later than June 15, 2022 at the link below.

REGISTER HERE
Why Turgo?
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As a medium head turbine, the Turgo offers a viable option for sites where head and flow characteristics make the choice between Pelton and Cross-flow turbines difficult.  Based on hindsight from Nepal, for sites where this choice is difficult, the Turgo presents a beneficial option both in terms of performance and cost.  Other benefits include that the Turgo deals well with silt and that it operates at a higher speed than the Pelton which enables direct drive transmission at much lower heads.  Thus, the Turgo may require fewer parts, improving its reliability. 

The engineering drawings that will be provided in the course are for a direct drive Turgo turbine design that can be used for heads between approximately 45and 90m and flow rates from 100 to 150 L/s.  Currently, the design has used a direct drive transmission, however, the design could be adapted for use with a  belt drive transmission.  In the near future, the design team plans to develop Turgo design packages for various heads and flow rates. 
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The different flow passages for the Pelton and Turgo turbines. Reference: P.N. Wilson, A high-speed impulse turbine, Water Power (1967).
Background
​

This E-Learning opportunity has stemmed from a 2-year project of PEEDA, UoB, KU and NYSE: Upscaling Locally Manufactured Turgo Turbine: Dissemination and Demonstration.  Focused on the Nepal context, the primary aim of the project is to improve the technology readiness level of the Turgo turbine through capacity building, knowledge transfer and the development of an open source repository for Turgo turbine system design.  Following multiple stages of design improvement using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an improved blade design was then 3D-printed in Kathmandu, providing a mold for casting.  All other components were also designed such that all components could be manufactured in Nepal.  

The turbine has now been built and installed at a pilot site in the Taplejung District of Eastern Nepal.  The system is rated at 32 kW and is now running and awaiting testing by the KU Turbine Testing Lab.  Site-based testing equipment has been procured, including an ultrasonic flow meter and digital pressure transducer, which will be used for testing efficiency. 
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Pilot Site. Credit: Energize Nepal, School of Engineering, Kathmandu University.
Through this project, an in-person workshop was also held in Kathmandu in April 2022 to introduce the Turgo to other manufacturing companies in Nepal and begin to elicit feedback on the design and resources that had been developed.  Feedback was largely positive with some useful suggestions for improving ease of use, which will be integrated into the materials provided in the SEEED E-Learning course.  The upcoming course will provide further opportunity to extend and improve upon the design and resources provided, based on feedback from practitioners based in different contexts. 

Looking Forward

Currently, the open source design package is for a direct drive Turgo turbine designed for heads between approximately 45 and 90m and flow rates from 100 to 150 L/s.  A longer-term objective is to develop design packages for various runner sizes with corresponding blade designs, such that a manufacturer could utilize the open source tools for any head and flow rate where Turgo is possible.  That is, they would be directed to the appropriate blade size and pitch-to-center diameter (PCD) with corresponding engineering drawings for other components.  Another longer-term aim is to develop a knowledge transfer process and approach that can potentially be replicated for different turbine types, across different country contexts.  The upcoming course will be an important step in the development and improvement of said process.

Learn More
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To learn more about the Turgo turbine and the project that led to the open source design package, check out the project description and this blog post by course instructor, Dr. Joe Butchers, Teaching Associate in Engineering Design  at the University of Bristol.  For further background on HPNET’s SEEED Accelerator and previous E-Learning courses, see here.
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SEEED E-LEARNING: THREE COURSES & MORE TO COME

5/31/2022

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February 2022 marked the launch of our SEEED E-Learning series, made possible with support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.  Hosted on our new SEEED E-Learning platform, the series was launched as part of our SEEED Accelerator, an initiative to unlock the full potential of hydro mini-grid practitioners and communities in the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.  

Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is HPNET’s approach for community-scale hydro implementation, based on the core elements needed to optimize hydro mini-grid sustainability, local socio-economic benefits, and climate resilience.  The core elements of SEEED are shown below. 

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The SEEED Accelerator focuses on knowledge exchange and advocacy to generate impact, facilitating local practitioners to transition to sustainable hydro mini-grids rooted in the SEEED approach.  The SEEED E-Learning series offers courses focused on the core elements of SEEED, shown above.  The first three courses hosted thus far were:
  1. Fundamentals of Community-Scale Hydro Mini-Grids
  2. Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids
  3. Agroecological Benefits of Hydro Mini-Grids
Course 1: Fundamentals of Community-Scale Hydro Mini-Grids

The first course was hosted over 6 weeks during February and March, 2022, and focused on technical and local enterprise aspects of community hydro systems.  The course began with a live Kick-off Session overviewing HPNET’s SEEED Initiative and introducing the course instructors, modules and e-learning platform.  The curriculum provided participants with a solid introduction – and, for some, some a useful refresher – on the fundamental elements of sustainable community-scale hydropower implementation.  

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Course modules included:
  • Orientation to Hydro Mini-Grids
  • Social Enterprise Models for Mini-Grids
  • Demand Assessment
  • Water Resource Assessment
  • Terrain Assessment
  • Power Output Design

In addition to independent learning, weekly live sessions provided opportunity for peer-to-peer dialogue and engagement with instructors.  Participants joined from a range of backgrounds and the organizing team in turn learned a lot from participants who shared their experiences during the live sessions. In total, 211 people registered representing 43 countries and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are very pleased by the turnout and response for our first course of the E-Learning series!
Course 2: Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids 

Sustainable watersheds are the foundational element of SEEED because hydro mini-grid sustainability relies on healthy forested watersheds; in turn, hydro mini-grids incentivize watershed restoration and stewardship.  In the context of the global climate crisis, ecosystem health is all the more important for ensuring climate resilient hydro mini-grids and communities.  

With this in mind, the second SEEED E-course focused on solutions for enabling climate resilient hydro mini-grids.  The course oriented participants to the important role of traditional ecological knowledge and environmental governance systems of Indigenous and local communities.  It then introduced the key phases of watershed management for hydro mini-grids and practical examples of watershed treatment, such as reforestation, agriculture-related solutions, and built structures for managing flooding and erosion. 

The course modules included:
  • Orientation to Community-Scale Hydropower
  • Climate Resilient Watersheds of Hydro Mini-Grids
  • Phases of Watershed Management for Hydro Mini-Grids
  • Watershed Treatment for Hydro Mini-Grids

​To kick off the course, we were privileged to have Hon. Adrian Banie Lasimbang join us as a speaker, who is an Advisor for TONIBUNG and JOAS and serves on the boards of the Right Energy Partnership (REP) and HPNET.  Watch the recording for insights on the role of Indigenous communities in the water-energy-food-forests-livelihoods nexus.

 
PictureOwner of rice mill powered by a cooperative-owned micro hydro system in Shan State. Credit: D. Vaghela.
Course 3: Agroecological Benefits to Hydro Mini-Grids

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agroecology is “a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems.”  Agroecology presents an integrative approach that generates multiple benefits for people and nature.  The latest course of the series introduces the integration of community-scale hydropower with agroecology for mutual benefits.  Alongside refresher modules from Course 1 and 2, the key module is “Impact of Community Hydro on Agroecology”, which covers:
  • Agroecology and Climate Resilient Livelihoods
  • Integrating Community Hydro with Agroecology
  • Food Forests for Community Hydro Catchment Areas


Field-Based Training
In conjunction with Courses 2 and 3, a field-based workshop was conducted in Sitio Gawaan Proper, Kalinga Province, Philippines, to build the capacity of local practitioners and community members to develop climate resilient hydro mini-grids and leverage benefits at the nexus of water, energy, food, forests and livelihoods. Read more here.

Upcoming SEEED E-Learning Courses
Registration is now open for the next SEEED E-Learning course, Local Manufacturing of Turgo Turbines. The course will take place over 5 days in late June, 2022, and is designed for experienced manufacturers of hydro mini-grids. Click here to learn more.

To stay in-the-loop on SEEED E-Learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter!

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INTRODUCING THE SEEED E-LEARNING PLATFORM

5/31/2022

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We are thrilled to announce the launch of our SEEED E-Learning platform!  The all-new platform is designed to facilitate online learning and capacity building on key topics for hydro mini-grid sustainability and social-ecological impact.  The E-Learning platform provides an interactive, user-friendly interface that hosts our SEEED E-Learning series, which we launched earlier this year with support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.  

The SEEED Approach
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Our E-Learning initiative is embedded in the SEEED Accelerator.  Collating 40-years of experiential hindsight in the Asia Pacific, HPNET established the Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) approach for community-scale hydro implementation.  Ultimately, SEEED aims to facilitate sustainable hydro mini-grids that support community empowerment beyond electricity generation.

​The SEEED approach integrates key factors for optimizing hydro mini-grid sustainability, local socio-economic benefits, and climate resilience.  The core elements of SEEED are shown below.  The foundational elements of sustainable watersheds and technical reliability focus on functionality.  Once they are established and the system is functioning consistently, productive end use and inclusive enterprise aspects can be achieved, bringing value-add to local livelihoods.  

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SEEED Accelerator

The approach is embedded into an accelerator program aimed to unlock the full potential of hydro mini-grid practitioners and communities.  The Accelerator incorporates knowledge exchange and strategic advocacy to advance context-responsive solutions in line with proven approaches.  The SEEED Accelerator utilizes a 4-step strategy to generate impact from knowledge exchange and advocacy activities, as shown below. 
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SEEED E-Learning Series

The SEEED E-Learning platform is designed to support practitioners to learn about the core elements of SEEED, through self-paced, interactive learning.  So far, the platform has hosted three E-courses: 
  1. Fundamentals of Community-Scale Hydro Mini-Grids
  2. Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids
  3. Agroecological Benefits of Hydro Mini-Grids

The independent learning portion of each course consisted of a series of modules designed around video-based learning, supplementary reading and self-assessment quizzes.  Participants also engaged in live sessions to connect with experts and peers on the topics addressed in the modules.  To read more about the above courses, click here.   
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We look forward to hosting more E-Learning opportunities soon, including the 5-day course, Local Manufacturing of Turgo Turbines, in June, 2022.

To stay up to date on SEEED E-Learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.
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FIELD-BASED WORKSHOP IN KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

4/25/2022

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We recently launched the SEEED Accelerator to unlock the full potential of hydro mini-grid practitioners and communities.  The knowledge exchange aspect of the Accelerator incorporates E-Learning and impact-driven, customized capacity building to facilitate hydro mini-grid sustainability and optimal socio-economic benefits.  To this end, we launched the SEEED E-Learning series with support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.  So far we’ve hosted three virtual courses (with more to come) focused on community hydro fundamentals, climate resilient solutions, and agroecological benefits.  In conjunction with the virtual E-Learning courses, iwe recently supported local experts to conduct a field-based workshop in Sitio Gawaan Proper, Kalinga Province, Philippines.  ​
The workshop was designed to build the capacity of micro hydro communities to strengthen the long-term viability of their systems, while building resilience to the impacts of climate change and leveraging benefits at the nexus of water, energy, food, forests and livelihoods.  

Across the Philippines, communities are increasingly affected by stronger and more frequent typhoons and volatile weather due to climate change.  Micro hydro communities in Kalinga Province and elsewhere have seen their mini-grid infrastructure damaged by destructive storms and the reliability of their electricity source threatened by fluctuating stream flow.  The people of Kalinga Province are very keen to build climate resilient energy access through nature-based solutions, building upon long-proven Indigenous knowledge and governance systems.  As one participant noted, “our watersheds are truly connected to the life of the community hydro system, as we have seen and experienced before”.  

The workshops addressed the need for ecosystem restoration and strategies for building for climate resilience, while also building capacity to ensure long-term financial viability and agroecological benefits.  The approach of the workshop and connected E-Learning courses emphasized the need to develop integrative solutions addressing the water-energy-food-forests-livelihoods nexus.
Next Steps

Next steps include working with community leaders and appropriate local and regional experts to facilitate steps towards resolving challenges expressed by workshop participants, including:
  • Continue to unite against the development of mega dams repeatedly proposed to be built on indigneous territory but benefitting external populations
  • Demonstrate the viability of Indigenous-governed micro hydro against the sporadic and expensive central grid
  • Alleviate common pitfalls of community-scale hydropower by integrating methods for greater climate resilience and agroecological benefits.

​More broadly, the successful workshop in Kalinga has led us to reflect on possibilities for future HPNET workshops.  While E-Learning has enabled us to reach practitioners in over 40 countries this year, overcoming pandemic-related challenges, we were thrilled to also resume support for field-based capacity building with the workshop in Kalinga Province.  We see much potential for further hybrid formats going forward. 


Learn More

To learn more about community hydro in Kalinga, check out StreamSide Chats Edition 4, in which we take a virtual tour of the Balbalasang micro hydro project and discuss the Indigenous governance systems that support its success. 

You can also check out the SEEED E-Learning platform to explore course offerings and read more about the SEEED Approach.
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KICK-OFF SESSION: CLIMATE RESILIENT SOLUTIONS TO HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

4/1/2022

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How can watershed stewardship enable climate resilient hydro mini-grids?  How can traditional ecological knowledge be leveraged for sustainable energy access?  

Building onto our Earth Voices series, which featured case studies of Indigenous communities who have developed resilient hydro mini-grids through watershed stewardship, we now go further to understand how rural energy systems can benefit from Indigenous values and methods for climate resilience.  We aim to do this by facilitating dialogue with Indigenous leaders and organizations seeking to integrate traditional knowledge and values into energy access solutions.

As a start, in the kick-off of our recent SEEED E-Learning course, “Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids”, we were privileged to be joined by Hon. Adrian Banie Lasimbang, Advisor for TONIBUNG and JOAS and Board Member for the Right Energy Partnership (REP) and HPNET.  Watch the recording for a deep dive discussion on climate resilience, the water-energy-food-forests-livelihoods nexus, and Indigenous rights, traditional knowledge and stewardship protocols.

The course was the second in our E-Learning series, offered as part of the SEEED Accelerator, with support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.
Learn More
  • To learn more about the ways in which Indigenous knowledge and environmental governance supports healthy watersheds and sustainable hydro mini-grids, check out our Earth Voices blog series. 
  • To stay in-the-know regarding future E-Learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.
  • To learn more about Right Energy Partnership, visit their website.
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E-LEARNING: CLIMATE RESILIENT SOLUTIONS + AGROECOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

3/6/2022

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Beyond electricity access, community-scale hydro can have far-reaching socio-economic and ecological benefits. When managed with sustainability in mind, hydro mini-grids can support climate resilient watersheds, sustainable food production and thriving rural economies.  To support practitioners and communities to unlock these possibilities, we are offering two new E-learning courses:
  1. Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids (March 21-25, 2022)
  2. Agroecological Benefits of Hydro Mini-Grids (March 28-31, 2022)

Offered at no cost, each course consists of a live kick-off session followed by independent learning on our SEEED E-learning platform with a live Q&A session and peer-to-peer dialogue. Build your knowledge through interactive content, real-world examples and expert insight. The courses are aimed at community hydro practitioners who wish to leverage climate resilient solutions and agroecological benefits; however the content is also beneficial for those not well acquainted with hydro mini-grids, who wish to learn more about nature-based solutions for development. A technical background is not required. 

Register your interest for one or both courses no later than March 18, 2022 at the link below.
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REGISTER HERE
Curugmuncar Micro Hydro Village, Pekalongan Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.  Credit:  Asosiasi Hidro Bandung

A household rice mill powered by a hydro mini-grid in Shan State, Myanmar.  Credit:  D. Vaghela
Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro ​Mini-Grids
​From March 21-25, 2022, we are pleased to offer a 5-day course on climate resilient solutions to hydro mini-grids. Sign up to learn how watershed management can build resilience to climate change and sustainable energy access in rural communities.

Key topics include:
  • Watersheds, climate adaptation and the water-energy-food nexus
  • Governance and environmental stewardship in Indigenous and local communities
  • Watershed management from baseline assessment to maintenance and monitoring
  • How to integrate watershed management with hydro mini-grid planning and implementation
​
Estimated time commitment:
  • March 21 Kickoff Session: 1.5 hour (Optional)
  • March 25 Live Q&A and peer-to-peer dialogue: 1.5 hour (Optional)  
  • Self-work: 5-7 hours (Required)
Agroecological Benefits of Hydro Mini-Grids
​

The next course will take place from March 29-31, 2022 and will focus on agroecological benefits of hydro mini-grids.  Learn how community hydro electricity and watersheds can support sustainable food production and exchange ideas in an interactive 4-day course.

Key topics include the following, as they relate to hydro mini-grids:
  • Elements of agroecology
  • Water-energy-food nexus
  • Food forests as a regenerative solution
  • Agri-processing end uses of electricity
​
Estimated time commitment:
  • March 28 Kickoff Session: 1.5 hour (Optional)
  • March 31 Live Q&A and peer-to-peer dialogue: 1.5 hours (Optional)  
  • Self-work: 5-7 hours (Required)
​
SEEED E-Learning Series

The current course offerings are part of an E-learning series that we launched earlier this year, with support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.  Hosted on our all-new SEEED E-learning platform, the first course took place over 6 weeks, focusing on the fundamentals of community-scale (<1 MW) hydro mini-grids. 

The SEEED E-learning series is part of our Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) Accelerator, an initiative to unlock the full potential of hydro mini-grid practitioners and communities in the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.  The SEEED Accelerator utilizes a 4-step strategy to generate impact from knowledge exchange and advocacy activities, as shown below. 
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The SEEED approach focuses on hydro mini-grid sustainability to enable climate resilience and community empowerment beyond kilowatts.  Alongside reliable technology, sustainable watersheds are a foundational element of SEEED – because without healthy forested watersheds, reliable electricity generation is not possible, nor is sustainable community empowerment. 

Sign up for our upcoming E-learning courses to learn more about the full social-environmental potential of hydro mini-grids and best practices for getting there! 
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SAVE-THE-DATE:  TRAINING ON FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNITY-SCALE HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

12/21/2021

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Have you wondered what hydro mini-grids are, and how they differ from other renewables?  
Have you come across a stream and asked how much electricity it could produce?  
Do you know the range of ways mini-grid communities can co-create social enterprises?   

Are you familiar with community hydro and would like a refresher on the fundamentals?   
If so, consider taking advantage of an upcoming virtual training opportunity on the fundamentals of community-scale (<1 MW) hydro implementation! ​
​As part of our SEEED Accelerator, HPNET is offering a 6-week training focused on technical and local enterprise aspects of community hydro systems, made possible through support from Skat Foundation, DGRV, GIZ, and WISIONS.  ​The interactive, self-paced, virtual training will take place from February 7 to March 18, 2022, and is offered at no cost.
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The online portal will feature videos, articles, quizzes, discussion forums, and other engagement opportunities, ultimately leaving you well-versed on key implementation topics.
What is the SEEED Accelerator?

Building on 40-years of experiential hindsight on hydro mini-grid sustainability and impact, HPNET developed an initiative called Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED). Earlier this year, we launched the SEEED Accelerator to support practitioners and communities to customize proven sustainability mechanisms to local contexts, enabling climate resilience and socio-economic co-benefits through community-scale hydro. 

The first cohort of the SEEED Accelerator kicked off in August through a partnership with International Rivers.  We are excited to continue advancing the SEEED Accelerator in 2022 with support from Skat Foundation, beginning with the Fundamentals of Community Hydro training. 


What topics will the training cover?

​The Fundamentals of Community-Scale Hydro Mini-Grids training will provide participants with a solid introduction, which can also be useful as a refresher course, on the foundational elements of sustainable community-scale hydropower implementation.  While technical in focus, the training emphasizes climate resilience and other socio-environmental co-benefits.  An engineering or science background can be beneficial but not required.  The modules are as follows:
  • Orientation to Hydro Mini-Grids
  • Social Enterprise Models for Mini-Grids
  • Demand Assessment
  • Water Resource Assessment
  • Terrain Assessment
  • Power Output Design

What time commitment is required?

The training is flexible in design to accommodate your busy schedule.  Participants are encouraged to attend a live kick-off session on February 7, as well as weekly live sessions for Q&A and discussion for each module of the 6-week program.  In between the live sessions participants will be expected to do self-paced learning using the SEEED learning management system. Although optional, the live synchronous sessions will provide a valuable opportunity to connect with experts and peers. They will be planned for morning Sub-Saharan Africa and afternoon/evening Asia Pacific time zones.
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The time commitment for each of the 6 training modules is estimated as follows:
  • Kickoff session: 1 hour (Optional)
  • Live Q&A and peer-to-peer dialogue: 1 to 2 hours./week (Optional)  
  • Self-work: 1 to 2 hours/week (Required)

Registration

Registration is now open! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER no later than February 1, 2021.  All interested individuals are welcome to apply to join the training.  

Other opportunities to look out for

Stay tuned for additional training opportunities coming up in 2022!  We will soon announce registration for two subsequent trainings, taking place in March:

Climate Resilient Solutions to Hydro Mini-Grids: March 21 - 25
We are excited to conduct a 4-day training on leveraging watershed management and Indigenous governance values and ecological knowledge to enable climate resilience of community hydro systems. 

Agroecological Benefits of Hydro Mini-grids: March 28 - 31
How can community hydro electricity and watersheds support sustainable food production?  Learn how and exchange ideas in this 5-day training on agroecological benefits of hydro mini-grids.

​Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know and feel free to direct any questions to  secretariat@hpnet.org.


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SEEED:  PRODUCTIVE END USE AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

12/30/2020

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Our initiative Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) supports community-scale hydro practitioners and communities to achieve long-term technical, environmental, institutional, and financial sustainability of their hydro mini-grids -- towards lasting community empowerment and increased climate resilience. 

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Central to the SEEED approach is the transition of community-based hydro mini-grids that have limited operation and barely surviving financially (e.g. limited to being a social asset only), into becoming self-sustained social enterprises that earn from well-managed, nature-based electricity generation and distribution for household, social, and enterprise use.  The difference between the social asset only and the social enterprise outcomes are illustrated in the two figures below.
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The transition to successful social enterprise requires a number of core elements (as shown below).  The foundational elements focus on functionality, namely quality of technical design and installation, as well as the condition of the catchment area that dictates the seasonal and long-term consistency of the water flow.  These have been discussed in previous posts, discussing the need for technical standards and watershed strengthening.
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This quarter we spotlight the SEEED elements that can be achieved once reliability is established,  namely productive end use and inclusive enterprise aspects that bring value-add to local livelihoods.   
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Since the formation of our Productive End Use (PEU) Work Stream in 2015, we have been collating and ground truthing end uses of hydro mini-grids.  We will soon be updating our PEU knowledge portal to include a compilation of community hydro end uses for cooking, healthcare, economic recovery, and climate resilience.

Our initial assessment of hydro mini-grids in the Asia Pacific have identified sub-elements that differentiate various models of inclusive enterprise, including the following:​
  • Inclusive ownership models
  • Cost-recovery models
  • Revenue generation models (i.e. connection fees and tariff)
  • Effective management processes
  • Access to credit and smart subsidy​
We will soon collaborate with partners to further analyze best practices within each of these sub-elements. The following examples of enterprise-based hydro mini-grids continue to inspire and refine our approach to the SEEED initiative, in terms of management, ownership, productive end use, and livelihoods enhancement aspects.

Asia Pacific 
  • Winrock Nepal economically revived five micro hydro projects in Nepal, using a peer-to-peer approach, supported by WISIONS.  Read more here.
  • The association Hydropower for Community Empowerment in Myanmar (HyCEM) is transitioning to cooperative-based models for hydro mini-grids.  Read more here.
  • Hydropower Concern Ltd., under the leadership of Bir Bahadur Ghale in Nepal, uses a developer-owned approach that has led to high productive end use and economic resilience.  Read more here.
  • The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) has established community-owned mini-hydropower utilities that are electrifying entire valleys, while nurturing women-led enterprise.  Read more here.

Africa 
  • Energising Development (EnDev) Ethiopia is initiating a process to revive micro hydro projects, in order to instill optimization in end use and long-term sustainability using an enterprise-based approach. ​ Read more here.
  • ​The Association des Ingénieurs pour le Développement des Energies Renouvelables (AIDER) installs and operates micro hydro systems in Madagascar.  Read more here. 

Latin America 
  • Association of Rural Development Workers—Benjamin Linder (ATDER-BL) has interconnected multiple hydro mini-grids with each other, providing electricity to a sub-region in northern Nicaragua.  Read more here.

As a part of our knowledge exchange process (below), we continue to look for additional examples for peer-to-peer exchange, in order to collectively advance community-scale hydropower.  If you would like to share about your approach to sustainable hydro mini-grids, please let us know here!
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ETHIOPIA:  REVIVING AND OPTIMIZING HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

12/28/2020

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In addition to Asia Pacific examples that inspire our SEEED initiative, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) through Energising Development (EnDev) Ethiopia is initiating a process to revive micro hydro projects, in order to instill optimization in end use and long-term sustainability using an enterprise-based approach. 

The team leader for the project is HPNET member Bart Jan van Beuzekom, who previously led the formation of EnDeV Nepal’s Micro Hydro Debt Fund, a rare credit line made available to community-based micro hydro.  
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Read on to learn more about EnDev Ethiopia’s efforts to review and optimize hydro mini-grids.

A study developed by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the World Resources Institute, the World Bank and others estimates Ethiopia’s untapped mini hydro potential (< 1MW) to be 267.5 MW.  Tapping this potential can help to address the 67% of Ethiopia’s rural population that is unelectrified.  Towards providing energy access to the 60 million people that remain unelectrified across the country, EnDev Ethiopia has been actively advancing small-scale hydropower through project implementation and capacity building, in partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE) and the GIZ Green People’s Energy for Africa (GPE) initiative.

EnDev Ethiopia supported the development of five micro hydro projects (MHPs) from 2013 - 2016, with the aim to enhance rural livelihoods through productive end use.  Two of these sites are operating at limited capacity, while three have stopped operating.  Implemented on a cost-sharing basis with local partners to pilot MHP management by cooperatives, EnDev Ethiopia is committed to reviving and optimizing all of the projects. The five MHP sites are located in the regions of SNNPR and Oromia, as shown on the map below.
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MHP Site Locations in SNNPR and Oromia, Ethiopia. Credit: Google Earth.

​The five MHP mini-grids feature the following key data:
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Credit: GIZ.
The initial phase of the effort involved field visits to understand the social, technical, and management issues faced by each of the projects.  The next phase, as detailed in the released ToR, focuses on structured data collection to assess reviving and optimizing the project focusing on the following assessments for each project.
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​Technical assessment.  The condition, functionality, operation records, safety, flow data, and electricity generation, units sold, and costs will be assessed, along with assessment of whether extending the distribution to nearby villages is feasible.

Management assessment.  The details of the MHP management roles and responsibilities; tariff collection; business model strengths and weaknesses; disputes; and the management aspects of the cooperative.

Productive end use assessment. Skillset for enterprise management, productive end use opportunities, regional best practices, catalog of end uses optimal for each cooperative, business plan for increasing load factors and revenue generation, appropriate micro finance institutions, and opportunities for scale up.

Social assessment.  Impact of electricity access on gender aspects, equitable decision making, and social service institutions.
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EnDev Ethiopia’s initiative to rehabilitate and optimize micro hydro projects for economical and technical resilience are commendable and will lead to in-depth best practices for new project implementation and rehabilitating existing mini-grids.  We look forward to following up with an update on the outcomes!
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WHY WATERSHEDS MATTER

9/22/2020

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Our initiative Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) aims to support local practitioners and communities to transition to a sustainable approach to micro hydro.  It aims to unlock the potential for hydro mini-grids to bring long term environmental and socioeconomic benefits — to support empowerment that goes well beyond kilowatts.
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As we continue to develop this initiative, we want to facilitate a closer look at the core thematic elements that constitute SEEED.  Last quarter we shared about the foundational aspect of reliability, and the role of manufacturing standards to ensure technical reliability.  Today we share about an equally important aspect to micro hydro reliability and also sustainability -- healthy watersheds.  The article is developed by HPNET member and watershed expert, Ms. Koto Kishida.

PictureCredit: Gram Vikas
​​Watersheds and Climate Resilience

​There are a number of accounts of negative impacts of climate change in rural communities where our members work. Many of the communities have known the importance of healthy watersheds, as they are the source of drinking and irrigation water, as well as timber and non-timber products that provide food and livelihood. 
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Those communities have traditional rules to sustainably manage their natural resources. HPNET members who work on local community-based hydropower also understand that building resilient watersheds is key for the communities to sustain and regulate stream flow, secure clean drinking and sanitation water, as well as forest resources that could support sustainable rural development.  Gram Vikas’ work in Odisha, India is one such example.

PictureU Zaw Min, an MHP practitioner in Myanmar, maps a watershed. Credit: D. Vaghela
Watersheds and Micro Hydro
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In addition, healthy watersheds are the foundation to sustainable community-based hydropower that is also highly beneficial socio-economically.  

Hydropower requires a consistent water supply to generate electricity year-round. Seasonal fluctuations in stream-flow, as well as topography and changes in forest cover all impact a system’s energy output, making some systems more vulnerable. When the forest above hydropower intake is logged, the retention capacity of the soil and stream-flow is altered.  This could result in greater variability between wet and dry season flow rates, and increase the risk of flood and landslides that could damage hydropower structures.  Increased siltation can also clog intakes and wear down turbine runners, incurring additional maintenance costs.
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Maintaining and establishing mature forest cover alleviates the impacts of seasonal variability in flow, reduces landslide risks, and can help build resilience against the impacts of climate change. The potential for the communities to access stable sources of electricity provides communities with hydropower an added incentive to protect their watersheds.  Community-scale hydropower reinforces environmental traditions by incentivizing watershed strengthening, which, in turn, enables reliable and sustainable power supply. (Examples of this can be found in our feature series, Earth Voices)

Watersheds and Reforestation
A plantation site supported by Gram Vikas in Kalahandi in early 2000s before getting the watershed treatment. Credit: Gram Vikas
A plantation site supported by Gram Vikas in Kalahandi after getting watershed treatment in 2018. Credit: Gram Vikas
The key to thriving watersheds are forests. Establishing and maintaining mature forest conditions as a way to mitigate and adapt to climate change could be achieved through conservation and restoration of watersheds informed by local knowledge and best practices. Thriving watersheds with forest cover could significantly mitigate the negative impacts of climate change by offsetting carbon emissions and build resilience against severe weather events and other climate change impacts. Forest conservation in community-based hydropower watersheds could be valuable for climate mitigation because the watersheds tend to be in the upper basins where forests provide the cleanest water and provide habitat for diverse flora and fauna. 

Many rural communities in the global south have traditional rules around resource management. Competing land use pressures such as farming, logging, and development by community members as well as external entities make observing such rules challenging. The communities can keep each other accountable by negotiating a plan to prioritize land uses and conservation goals. If all parties commit to implement the plan as a management guide, it could facilitate data collection, fundraising efforts, evaluation of the impact of the plan, and opportunities to adjust management strategies for more impact. Depending on the scale and land ownership of the hydropower watersheds, community would be easier with support from a CSO or a project manager. 


Community Micro Hydro + Reforestation

Integrating community-based hydro with reforestation will have dual benefits for rural communities.  In addition to the reasons provided above, access to electricity supports income generation of rural households and communities -- the lack of which can exacerbate deforestation.

Due to the inherent nature of community-scale and community-based hydropower, rural communities accessing hydropower are often already organized with active committees for management of the system as well as its load. The committee members often include those with in-depth knowledge of watersheds who could contribute local knowledge to forest conservation and enhancement efforts. 
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There are cases of reforestation activities affiliated with community hydro projects as well as the communities pledging to conserve watersheds in a form of contracts between funding organizations and the communities.




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WHY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS MATTER

7/20/2020

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Have you heard about our SEEED initiative?  Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is about supporting local practitioners and communities to transition to a sustainable approach to micro hydro, rooted in social enterprise.  It’s about unlocking the potential for hydro mini-grids to bring long term environmental and socioeconomic benefits — to support empowerment that goes well beyond kilowatts.  
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As we continue to develop this initiative, we want to facilitate a closer look at the core elements that are needed to make SEEED happen.  Firstly, reliable mini-grid technology is at the very heart of the solution.  High-quality technical components provide the basis for long-lived, high-impact systems.  This starts at the very first stage of the project: the quality of design, manufacturing, and installation.  Appropriate standards for these steps can play a significant role in increasing technical reliability.

In this regard, HPNET has developed the MHP Standards Tool, in collaboration with Tonibung, Green Empowerment, with support from the WISIONS SEPS, which compiles standards and best practices from different countries.  It can be accessed here.  We are working to add more standards to the Tool and welcome your inputs.  

​For certain technical aspects -- such as manufacturing -- standards do not yet exist.  In this article, HPNET member Joe Butchers sheds light on the “why” and the “how” of manufacturing standards for micro hydro quality verification, drawing on experiences from Nepal.

What is a standard?
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A standard is a document that regulates expectations for a process, service, or product [1]. If a company is able to demonstrate that they have followed a particular standard, it shows that they have achieved an acceptable level of quality and are compliant with the regulations. For a product, they might indicate the expected dimensions, tolerances, and materials. Engineers use them as guidance when producing engineering drawings or writing technical documents. They guide the decisions made by designers when producing engineering drawings that are used by machinists, fabricators, and technicians. 

How are standards used in micro/mini hydro?

Within mini/micro-hydropower, the use of standards can ensure equipment performs as required and that there is similarity between equipment produced by different manufacturers. As mini/micro-power sites are often located in remote regions, adherence to standards helps to reduce downtime. When engineers travel to a site for maintenance, they are aware of the type of equipment that they will find, increasing the possibility that they can repair the equipment quickly. If a part requires replacement, it can be ordered to site with confidence that it will be fit for purpose. 
What are consequences of not enforcing manufacturing standards?

In Nepal, a reference micro-hydropower standard was first published in 2005 [2]. The standard provides a comprehensive overview of turbine selection, materials, dimensions, and design for electro-mechanical and civil components. Nowadays, the standard is not widely used by manufacturers nor applied during quality verification. This has resulted in a number of outcomes: 
  • variation in installed equipment and its quality; 
  • low quotation prices from unproven companies; 
  • long downtimes as typically the original manufacturer is expected to carry out repairs. 
How can the type of funding support impact quality?
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In Nepal, where the vast majority of projects depend upon a subsidy, there is a significant opportunity to incorporate quality verification that considers adherence to the manufacturing standard. As recommended by the World Bank, a multi-stage inspection would ensure that there was quality in manufacture, construction, and installation [3]. Whilst expensive to integrate, the reduction in project failure and frequent repairs will save money in the long terms. In addition, the introduction of such checks forces manufacturers to improve the quality of constructed parts.  The cost to manufacturers of not achieving a required standard would swiftly lead to changes in approach. 

In locations where the subsidy driven model is less common, hydropower standards remain important. Where projects are private or donor funded, a required standard can be demanded from a manufacturer and agreed contractually. The project developer can conduct a quality check themselves or employ someone to do so, ensuring that the equipment meets the standard. HPNET has collected available standards online, these documents capture the experience of practitioners working across the world. To improve the status of micro/mini-hydro in relation to other electrification alternatives, ensuring quality is essential. By meeting the requirements of standards, manufacturers can ensure that hydro-mechanical systems deliver their expected power throughout their lifetime. 

References
  1. https://fractory.com/5-iso-standards-manufacturers/
  2. AEPC. Reference micro-hydro standard. 2005. 
  3. World Bank. Mini and micro-hydropower applications. 2015. 

Guest blog written by HPNET member Joe Butchers, a PhD Researcher at the University of Bristol, Electrical Energy Management Group.
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EXCHANGE VISIT TO advance micro hydro in NORTHEAST INDIA

12/17/2019

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PictureRams in route to NEPeD site. Credit: NEPeD
Nagaland is one of the "seven sisters of India," the seven northeastern states of India, endowed with a multitude of indigenous communities, rich biodiversity and extensive hilly forests.

Earlier this month in Nagaland with support from WISIONS, HPNET organized a knowledge exchange visit for Ramasubramanian Vaidhyanathan, the Board of Representative Member for India also known as "Rams", to share his micro hydro expertise with practitioners at Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD).

NEPeD has a well established approach and direction to do sustainable micro hydro projects. Moreover, due to NEPeD's work doing in-house manufacturing at their CERES facility, it is well positioned to support local practitioners and advance the sector throughout Northeast India. This visit aimed to support NEPeD in building on its considerable achievements

Through decades of work on micro hydropower initiatives in Eastern Ghats of India and elsewhere globally, Rams has earned the title of "micro hydro guru" within the network. He supports training, design and manufacturing of Pelton, crossflow, and pump-as-turbines, along with system-wide implementation aspects.

​The exchange visit endeavoured to synergize NEPeD's committed efforts to Rams' several decades of expertise, in order to advance sustainable micro hydro sector in northeast India. More specifically, the purpose of the visit was to:
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  • Assess casting facilities and raw material availability;
  • Assess the fabrication workshop and team at Centre for Excellence for Renewable Energy Studies (CERES);
  • Assess what other turbines could be fabricated with the present infrastructure
  • Visit one or two sites to assess the implementation issues, ownership model, revenue generation, etc.

Rams gave a positive assessment of the casting facilities and availability of raw material. He has reported back that the CERES has a well equipped fabrication workshop with CNC operated lathe and milling machines, an arc welding machine, angle grinder and cutting machine. Casting fabrication is outsourced to the neighbouring institution, the Nagaland Tool and Training Centre. The aluminum castings for the runner buckets and the PMG cores are sourced from Guwahati foundries.

As for his assessment of the CERES fabrication workshop and team, Rams shared that the workshop is well positioned to fabricate turbines of up to 50 kW, and that the team is highly motivated and experienced in the installation of turbines. Moreover, in addition to the fabrication centre, there is a test rig available to test turbines, ram pumps and electric load controllers (ELCs). 

Rams found that with the existing infrastructure, Pelton turbines and cross-flow turbines can easily be fabricated at CERES up to a capacity of 50 kW. He advised that larger units can be taken up once the team gets hands-on experience on the 50 kW scale.

In addition, communities supported by NEPeD do horticulture that can have significantly greater local economic benefits with electricity-based processing.  Enabling this requires the NEPeD pico hydro systems to be upgraded to micro hydro capacities that can generate enough electricity for horticulture livelihoods. HPNET's facilitation of multi-stakeholders to move forward in this direction is a part of our initiative Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED).

Based on the outcomes of the visit, we foresee NEPeD upscaling its capacities as well as playing an important role as a regional practitioner advancing the micro hydro sector in northeast India.

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Rams at NEPeD hydroger site. Credit: NEPeD
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WATCH:  WEBINAR ON HYDRO MINI-GRID SUSTAINABILITY

9/20/2019

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Did you miss our third quarterly webinar, Mini-Grid Sustainability: Transitioning to Social Enterprise for Energy and Economic Development?  You can now watch it below!
Over the last year, HPNET has shed light on the key factors for sustaining hydro mini-grids over the long-term. This webinar addressed the importance of social enterprise for ensuring mini-grid sustainability, featuring practitioners who are leading the transition from grant-dependent to enterprise-based hydro mini-grids. The speakers highlighted the potential for local social enterprise to support revenue-driven and equitable hydro mini-grids. 

The webinar presented:
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  • The linkage between enterprise-based approaches and long-lived hydro mini-grids;
  • Best practices to transition from grant-dependent to local social enterprise models, based on micro hydro experience in Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia;
  • Solutions to scale their efforts to more micro hydro communities, including how to make better use of funding resources that currently go toward grant-dependent projects.

Introducing SEEED

The webinar also introduced our new HPNET initiative: Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological, and Economic Development (SEEED). SEEED aims to support local practitioners and micro hydro communities in the transition to enterprise-based approaches.

The webinar supported an initial objective of SEEED, by identifying and highlighting the work of practitioners who are already paving the path toward long-lived mini-grids anchored in local social enterprise.
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Stay tuned for more information on SEEED, to be released in coming weeks!

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