Talks and Workshops

This short presentation/exhibit offers a glimpse at the role renewable energy plays in a developing country. I especially want to contrast the appropriate versus the inappropriate, the sustainable versus the unsustainable, or the well-planned versus the ill-planned. Call it what you like, the way that technology is applied, not just the inherent value of the technology, frequently determines the impact it can make. Real life examples, and in many cases failures, have much to teach us if we take the time to listen. Sometimes those failures are repeated over and over and over again, delaying for years or even decades the benefits otherwise attainable. Fortunately, there are glimmers of light amidst the darkness -- light powered by the sun or the water or the wind or the earth. As renewable energy technologies and their practitioners mature, more and more of their promised benefits are being realized. Many shining examples offer lessons on the right way to proceed, but more importantly, they offer hope and inspiration to those still struggling to make a difference.

From October 2002 through May 2003 I was fortunate to have the chance to live in Nepal with the support of a Benjamin Brown grant I was awarded by the University of Colorado. I took this time to explore the vast array of renewable energy technologies that have been put to the test in the field. Some have taken root and led to self-sustaining industries – others have simply flopped. I have provided brief snapshots of both from the short time I spent in Nepal. My hope is that these examples send a dual message of caution and motivation -- that the right path is there if you are willing to spend the time looking for it. The one thing people in a developing country appreciate more than anything else is the donation of your time. This has more value than any technology will ever have.


Sustainable . . .

ß PV powered water treatment
ß Biogas from cow dung for cooking and lighting
ß Water-powered mills with improved metal turbines
ß Locally built wind turbines
ß Locally built PV tracking systems and LED lights
ß PV solar home systems

Not so sustainable. . .

ß Wind turbines that collapsed after 4 months in Kagbeni
ß Donated RE equipment sitting idle in school labs for 8 years
ß Micro-hydro power plant with broken belt, unbalanced rotor, bad bearing and nobody to fix it
ß Dead batteries with no place to go
ß Solar hot waters heaters that produce only cold water