More than half of the world’s population live in rural areas, nearly 90% of them – some 2.8 billion – in the developing countries. The vast majority of these people are dependent on traditional fuels of wood, dung and crop residue, often using primitive and inefficient technologies. India, with a population of slightly more than one billion uses a variety of energy sources, both commercial and non-commercial, of which 625 million do not have access to modern cooking fuels and 296 million people do not have access to electricity (Census 2001), which invariably affects the women and the child. Far from easing rural energy and poverty, there is an increasing competition for rural energy supplies. Strategies and innovations are needed that promote energy as an engine for equitable economic growth and sustainable development. SES proposes to encourage energy strategies based on increasing the use of energy carriers other than biomass, or on using biomass in clean and efficient ways, focus on poverty alleviation and development based on universal access to energy services that are affordable, reliable, and of good quality. The areas of services are:
Setting up sustainable models of Pico hydro for enhanced rural energy services and village based micro enterprise development
Pico hydro feasibility in North-east India Providing access to clean sustainable energy services in rural…