Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9710311621.A3672-0100000@lan.vita.org> Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 16:00:53 -0500 From: Dania Granados <mailto:granados@LAN.VITA.ORG> Subject: November Isue of DevelopNet News To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
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November 1997 Volume 6, No. 11
IN THIS ISSUE
FOCUS ON SOLAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Global Trends Driving Solar and Renewables at Record Levels in Developing
Country Markets
LITERATURE REVIEWS
The Link between Environment and Economics
ORGANIZATIONS
Solar Energy Industries Association
U.S. Export Council on Renewable Energy
VITA PROJECTS
Technet - WorldBank's Electronic Conferences
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Changes in Timber Industry
Pesticides Use in Developing Countries
* * *
DevelopNet News is published monthly by Volunteers in
Technical Assistance (VITA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA. For
additional information, please see the end of this newsletter.
* * *
F o c u s O n S o l a r & R e n e w a b l e E n e r g y
GLOBAL TRENDS DRIVING SOLAR AND RENEWABLES AT RECORD LEVELS IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRY MARKETS
Three years ago, sales of photovoltaics and solar thermal systems to
developing countries in South Asia, Latin America and Africa barely
topped one billion dollars (US) and by year-end 1997, sales should reach
nearly $3 billion. Why such a huge increase in such a short time?
The answers are multifaceted and fascinating. First, more countries have
developed democracies than at any time in history, which means these
governments are more concerned to provide services to the rural poor.
Over two billion people -- one third of the earth's population -- no not
have electricity and another billion has electricity for less than ten
hours per day.
Second, a global trend towards privatization of energy services has been
a prime mover of sales. The international lending institutions such as
the World Bank traditionally funded central station power projects
whether they were economical or not - no longer! Nearly $1.5 billion (US)
is slated for solar and renewable energy rural electrification programs
by the World Bank Group and the Regional Development Banks over the next
few years.
In addition, developing countries are moving away from centralized,
government-sanctioned monopolies to more competitive frameworks. Either
utilities are shedding rural power services to the private sector, or
governments are looking towards more competitive solutions. In fact,
where there are no existing electric lines, photovoltaics, biomass power,
small wind, and microhydropower are absolutely the most cost-effective
vis-…-vis electric line extension or diesel engines. In areas where there
are power lines but power is unreliable or increasingly high, most
renewable energy technologies are absolutely cost competitive.
Third, environmental awareness is becoming more common place. Most
countries realize that the extraction, conversion and utilization of
energy is the single largest cause of air and water pollution as well as
emissions causing the change in our global climate. Obviously, the solar
energy and other renewable energy and energy efficiency options save
money, provide energy reliability, save fuel imports, and dramatically
reduce pollution.
Fourth, solar and renewable energy technologies are maturing, manufac-
turing is being automated, distribution systems are evolving, and
therefore the technology is becoming lower in cost and more reliable.
Photovoltaic panels now have twenty year warranties, sealed gel-cell
batteries have ten year warranties, and in general most renewable energy
components and systems are certified, rated, and warranted.
As the international markets mature, the use of solar and renewable
energy technologies is becoming more intrinsic throughout the world. A
summary of market niches below is not mean to be all-inclusive but rather
give a broad-based view of the breadth of market penetration.
* Telecommunications: Photovoltaics already are common place in conven-
tional communications systems as back-up systems for line switches,
transmitters, microwave repeater stations, and so on. With the advent of
cellular phone (communications beyond the wire), photovoltaics are the
basic energy source since it typifies electricity beyond the wire.
Indonesia represents one of the largest markets using wireless com-
munications by photovoltaics in more than 2000 islands.
* Irrigation, water pumping, water purification and ice-making: Moving
and treating water represents the single largest use of energy in rural
areas in developing countries and one of the greatest per capita expenses
in rural areas as well. Solar and wind water pumping is less expensive
and more reliable than diesel-powered pumps. Mexico sponsored the world's
largest solar water pumping program to meet the needs of its rural poor.
* Lighting: Home lighting as well as roadway (sign) lighting represents
the largest market in the short term. Most countries want to provide this
basic service and virtually every photovoltaic company has developed some
version of a home lighting systems that powers lanterns, or one-to-five
lights, or lights plus a radio, television or mini refrigerator.
Sri Lanka, Bolivia and over twenty other countries have active solar home
lighting programs.
* Battery charging: Millions of people in the developing world now use
car batteries to provide limited electricity for basic living. Most of
these batteries are charged by diesel engines, have short useful lives,
and provide extreme environmental hazards because they are not recycled
properly. Solar charging batters are becoming more commonplace not only
because they are more reliable, but also the deep cycles sealed batters
last longer and are recycled. The largest project was recently financed
in Brazil where the existing entrepreneurs who charge batteries via
diesel engines will now have financing for solar battery systems.
* Tourism (Hotel/Motel): The tourism industries are the first line of
foreign exchange for most developing countries and they represent a set
of enterprises that must have electric power and hot water at all times.
Solar has built an impressive marketshare in this sector not only because
of cost and reliability, but also because of no noise or air pollution,
which makes it even more attractive. The Caribbean Hotel Motel As-
sociation is working closely with the solar industry in more quickly
integrating these technologies into ongoing rehabilitation work.
* Premium Power: Other industries that must have power at all times or
business losses run high are moving toward solar and other renewables,
such as an business with computers, refrigeration, transmitters, or
slurry-based manufacturing where in all cases power outages represent
severe financial loss.
Many solar systems pay for themselves in less than one year if these
losses of productivity and profits are taken into account. Premium power,
where batteries or diesel engines alone are used as back-up systems,
represents the highest value mid-growth market for solar and other
small-scale renewable energy technologies. In fact, the biggest markets
tend to be in the industrialized countries where corporations are trying
to save costs to be more competitive such as in the United States, Japan,
South Korea, Israel, Greece, Germany, Canada, and Australia.
* Emergency Preparedness: Natural disasters require mobile and reliable
power technology for lighting, water purification, water pumping,
sterilization, refrigeration, water heating, and so on. Virtually every
national disaster from hurricanes and typhoons, floods, and earthquakes
in the United States, Japan, Mexico, Bangladesh has used mobile solar
energy units. Cold chain (refrigeration) and healthcare (emergency
lighting, sterilization and water purification) among other uses are
increasingly using solar energy. In Brazil and the Philippines, solar is
being used in rural health clinics including communications.
* Rural Village Power and Urban Power: The biggest long-term market
penetration will be larger-scale power systems for rural and urban uses.
Village power systems are the growing market such as in the Dominican
Republic where a revolving loan fund has successfully been operating for
over seven years in providing solar systems.
In urban areas, on-site power generation from primarily solar and biomass
is becoming more evident when traditional power sources are not reliable
or very high in cost such as in South Korea.
The solar market will grow as phenomenally as cellular phones and laptop
computers. People are ready for more personalized technology, energy
markets are moving towards more modular, flexible technology, and
economies of scale of solar technologies are increasing. All in all, the
market picture looks very bright for a solar energy future.
By: Scott Sklar, Executive Director of Solar Energy Industries As-
sociation & National Bioenergy Industries Association, USA - Oct 24, 1997
* * *
L i t e r a t u r e R e v i e w s
Lester Brown, "The Agricultural Link: How Environmental Deterioration
Could Disrupt Economic Progress", Worldwatch Paper 136, Worldwatch
Institute, August 1997
This small but information-filled study is based on several questions.
How seriously has environmental deterioration affected food production?
Can food production keep pace with the growing population, especially
since agricultural technology seems to have nothing new to offer? How
does increasing water scarcity affect food production? How does family
planning affect food production? And, how do all these questions affect
the economy of the world? Mr. Brown suggests that one can learn the
answers to these questions by checking the grain prices. Rising grain
prices may signal a serious economic problem.
As usual, Mr. Brown documents his sources well, and the booklet is filled
with graphs and figures that illustrate the crisis. The purpose of this
study is to motivate political leaders to take action.
* * *
O r g a n i z a t i o n s
SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
The Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association
of solar equipment manufacturers, contractors and professionals in solar
energy technologies and related areas. As the major representative of the
solar energy industry in the United States, SEIA's main focus is to
provide support for the solar energy industry and inform and educate the
general public about solar energy technologies. An annual conference and
trade show, SOLTECH, is held in the first quarter of each year. The
official publication of SEIA is the Solar Industry Journal. Included with
the first quarterly issue is the membership director and directory of
solar technologies.
For more information, please check: www.seia.org.
U.S. EXPORT COUNCIL FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
The U.S. Export Council for Renewable Energy (US/ECRE) was founded in
1982 to foster the advancement of U.S. renewable energy and energy
efficiency technologies in appropriate applications worldwide. Through
its seven member trade associations, US/ECRE represents more than 1,000
of the major companies operating in the U.S. that provide renewable
energy technologies.
The member organizations are: American Wind Energy Association, National
Geothermal Association, National Association of Energy Service Companies,
National Hydropower Association, National Bioenergy Industries As-
sociation, Renewable Energy Fuels Association, and the Solar Energy
Industries Association.
US/ECRE maintains a database of international market information,
conducts trade missions, has programs in market conditioning, and
facilitates financing through the World Bank, Inter-American Development
Bank and other multilateral organizations. In the near term, the prin-
cipal focus of US/ECRE activities is enhancing ties with potential
customers and partners in Mexico and Latin America, and building upon
existing activities in Asia.
For further information about US/ECRE check: www.
Crest.org/renewables/usecre.
* * *
V I T A P r o j e c t s
TECHNET - THINK TANK ELECTRONIC CONFERENCES
The World Bank Group's program, TechNet, includes electronic mail
conferences that began early in 1996. During the past year and a half,
there have been more than 10 conferences on topics as diverse as the role
of foundations in science and technology of development; how developing
countries acquire and diffuse knowledge; the World Development Report;
science and technology in various aspects of development; the role of
information and communication in delivering education; assessing
knowledge as a factor in creating economic value; and NGOs in various
aspects of development. For information about these conferences, check
www.vita.org/technet.
A suite of four conferences dealing with issues of cooperation and
regulation of Latin American NGOs is currently closing. These conferences
were conducted in Spanish, and the panelists are based in Latin American
organizations. From July through August the "assessment of knowledge and
its use in economies" was the discussion topic. The conference drew
heavily on experiences in the Pacific region and engaged significant
participation in that area.
In the next few weeks the World Bank in conjunction with the European
Union and the Institut de la Mediteranee has organized a conference on
"accreditation for competencies in the Mediterranean countries."
The typical design for the conferences is to have a panel of experts
participate for two weeks. The discussion is made available to interested
members of the public, using e-mail (listserv) and web. After the
two-week period, the public is invited to provide reaction and discus-
sion, which may be incorporated into the remaining panelist discussion
phase. At the end of the conference, the material is drawn together into
a publicly available summary and the material is used to meet the
original goals of the organizers.
VITA provides the facilities for operating the conferences, as well as
administrative support. In addition, VITA staff has assumed roles as
moderators, and managed system issues and technical problems.
For more information, please contact Ron Epstein or Richard Muffley at
VITA: mailto:repstein@vita.org, or rmuffley@vita.org.
* * *
A n n o u n c e m e n t s
CHANGES IN TIMBER INDUSTRY
International Timber Conference '98 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 5-7,
1998. This conference is titled "Globalisation of the Timber Industry in
the Next Millennium." It will focus on global economic trends and
implications to the timber industry; the prospects and challenges in the
supply and demand of timber in the global market; market challenges and
opportunities for timber products in Pacific-Asia, Europe, North America,
and West Asia; and, new wood-based products and technology trends and in-
novations in wood processing. Conference materials will be available
soon. In the mean while, please check www.mtc.com.my/itc98/itc98.htm.
For more information contact: www.mtc.com.my/itc98/itc98.htm
PESTICIDE USE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
International Conference on Pesticides Use in Developing Countries:
Impact on Health and Environment. This conference is scheduled for Feb 22
- Feb 27. There will be workshops and courses following this conference
Feb 28 - Mar 1. The conference will take place at Hotel Herradura, San
Jose, Costa Rica. This conference is sponsored by SAREC, the Department
for Research Cooperation of the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency. SAREC has a long history of helping developing
countries increase their research capacity.
The central theme of this meeting is "pesticides," a major problem in the
developing world but also an important topic for developed countries. The
Conference will approach the issue not only from environmental and health
angles, but also from the perspectives of technology, economics, and
politics.
For further information: www.una.ac.cr/ambi/ppuna
* * *
HOW TO JOIN VITA'S ELECTRONIC FORUM
VITA's free, public, online discussion forum, DEVEL-L, provides
for the exchange of ideas and information on a wide range of
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Please do not send these messages to VITA or to DEVEL-L.
* * *
DevelopNet News is an electronic newsletter published monthly by
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Acting Editor: Joe Sedlak <mailto:jsedlak@vita.org>
VITA specializes in information dissemination and communications
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agriculture, food processing, renewable energy applications,
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