Nice Conversation re:Xt/micro-hydro @ Sustainablog
by Catherine LaineJanuary 11th, 2007
Jeff at Sustainablog is helping us spread the word about XelaTeco’s recent success.
There is a good back and forth conversation going on in the comments section about the merits of microhydropower and why it ended up being such a good choice for the Comunidad Nueva Alianza.
Here is a reply that Pete put out in response to the concerns of one of Sustainablog’s readers, Bobby B.
“In response I would say that ultimately grid extension is the best option for the economic and social development of the village. To prepare for this, the CNA transmission system that Xelateco installed exceeds current Guatemalan standards for a local high tension transmission ( http://www.aidg.org/gallery.htm?g2_itemId=1432). In truth grid extension is certainly logistically possible, but it is a long ways off due to political and corruption issues. Unfortunately this is the case for many villages in Guatemala and throughout the world. If done in an environmentally sensitive fashion with good local providers, both micro an pico power schemes can provide opportunities for economic and social development to villages while they are waiting for grid extension. Micro is useful for the village scale, but it takes a village to afford a micro hydro scheme, so sometimes social, geographic, or economic factors require pico hydro installations for families.
In the US we get the importance of electricity as a basic utility. Electricity is not just straight power but socially enabling power. The ability to run lights to extend studying hours for children, run tools, charge cell phones for communications, provide entertainment at the end of hard days of manual labor. All of these things significantly increase both quality of life and economic productivity. Fewer children leave villages for cities when there is electricity in a village.
A home removed from the grid in the US will not simply wait for the utilities to extend out to where they are. The home owner will most often find an affordable contractor for solar, wind or hydro to get them a running system as soon as possible. We are trying to give rural villages in Guatemala the same option by training a local affordable contractor and manufacturer (unfortunately most hydro components are priced for the US and Europe and are way outside the price range for folks making 2-4 dollars a day, so you need local manufacture).
Our mission compels us to train in a way that is more rigorous and environmentally focused than existing standards of work in the region. Even though proper environmental impact statements are not required for systems under 5 MW in Guatemala we have Xelateco take into consideration these guidelines for systems as small as 250 watts. Xelateco does run of the river hydro schemes. They don’t dam, and they don’t take all the water available in the river. Indeed in this case, free water flow of the river/stream is vital to the economic development of the CNA, which capitalizes with ecotours to a waterfall just downstream of the intake weir. At that location the runoff from the hydro system returns to the original source in the abutting property.
Since it will be a long time until the grid makes it to much of Xelateco’s service area, the question comes down to which has a lower environmental impact, continuous diesel transport with a pretty high spill rate, batteries getting moved by truck to daily to huts by battery charging services, and then discarded in midden and burn piles (yes people burn batteries, they burn everything, though here is a great battery recycling industry in the cities), or relatively sensitively installed micro-hydro systems? Also just for reference, Xelateco is starting to do assessments to repair or update systems from the 30s and 40s that have/had kept villages lit during the Guatemalan Civil War. This conflict coincidentally destroyed or led to the decay of much of the country’s internal industry and infrastructure. Imagine if those people had just waited for the grid to extend to them these past 60 years.
-Pete Haas “
January 12th, 2007 at 5:49 am
MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R6
In order to insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country, the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy sources must change.
“Energy drives our entire economy.” We must protect it. “Let’s face it, without energy the whole economy and economic society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have control over such an important resource that you need for your society and your economy.” The American way of life is not negotiable.
Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will lead to catastrophic consequences.
The federal, state and local government should implement a mandatory renewable energy installation program for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling projects with the use of energy efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting, etc. The source of energy must by renewable energy such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels, etc. including utilizing water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption.
The implementation of mandatory renewable energy could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by renewable energy.
In addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer), including the promotion of research and production of “renewable energy technology” with various long term incentives and grants. The various foundations in existence should be used to contribute to this cause.
A mandatory time table should also be established for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task.
This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth. (This will also create a substantial amount of new jobs). It will take maximum effort and a relentless pursuit of the private, commercial and industrial government sectors commitment to renewable energy – energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, energy storage (fuel cells, advance batteries), energy infrastructure (management, transmission) and energy efficiency (lighting, sensors, automation, conservation) in order to achieve our energy independence.
Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA. 91325
1-11-2007
P.S. I have a very deep belief in America’s capabilities. Within the next 10 years we can accomplish our energy independence, if we as a nation truly set our goals to accomplish this.
I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis–the one in 1942–President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000 [50,000] military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached 125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.
The American people resilience and determination to retain the way of life is unconquerable and we as a nation will succeed in this endeavor of Energy Independence.
Solar energy is the source of all energy on the earth (excepting volcanic geothermal). Wind, wave and fossil fuels all get their energy from the sun. Fossil fuels are only a battery which will eventually run out. The sooner we can exploit all forms of Solar energy (cost effectively or not against dubiously cheap FFs) the better off we will all be. If the battery runs out first, the survivors will all be living like in the 18th century again.
Every new home built should come with a solar package. A 1.5 kW per bedroom is a good rule of thumb. The formula 1.5 X’s 5 hrs per day X’s 30 days will produce about 225 kWh per bedroom monthly. This peak production period will offset 17 to 24 cents per kWh with a potential of $160 per month or about $60,000 over the 30-year mortgage period for a three-bedroom home. It is economically feasible at the current energy price and the interest portion of the loan is deductible. Why not?
Title 24 has been mandated forcing developers to build energy efficient homes. Their bull-headedness put them in that position and now they see that Title 24 works with little added cost. Solar should also be mandated and if the developer designs a home that solar is impossible to do then they should pay an equivalent mitigation fee allowing others to put solar on in place of their negligence.
Installing renewable energy system on your home or business increases the value of the property and provides a marketing advantage.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Interesting post!! Will definitely visit soon-