by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
In the developed world, we perceive renewable energy technologies as the means of moving us away from pollution-spewing sources of electricity generation. In many parts of the developing world, though, renewables often provide the most efficient means of producing power in places that have never had it. In the Comunidad Nueva Alianza, a small village in El Palmar, Guatemala, the recent installation of a micro-hydro system now provides electricity to 40 households for the first time ever.
The project was completed by XelaTeco, a business incubated in 2005 by
the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group. AIDG points to XelaTeco as their first success in supporting the creation of a business in
the developing world that "...[provides] the rural poor with renewable
energy and clean technologies that meet their basic needs." According
to AIDG's press release,
Before the existence of XelaTeco, ... an isolated village
like the Comunidad Nueva Alianza (CNA) had few options for getting
electricity, let alone renewable energy. Due to their remoteness, an
electric grid extension was years if not decades away. The high and
volatile cost of diesel in Guatemala made reliance on electric
generators impractical. The concrete shell of an old
micro-hydroelectric system existed at the community. Unfortunately, no
providers could completely rebuild it at a price that CNA could afford.
When it burst onto the scene in August 2005, XelaTeco filled a
much-needed niche. It was a new breed of business in Guatemala that
manufactures, installs and repairs green technologies for people living
between $2-4 a day, development agencies and institutions. Because
XelaTeco could locally manufacture many essential, yet very complex
components for much less than their purchase price in U.S. or European
markets, it became the CNA's leading choice of contractor.
The organization's annual report for 2006
(in PDF) provides a detailed timeline of the year-and-a-half project,
and notes that Xelo Teco can do much more than micro hydro: the small
company also produces biodigesters, windmills, high efficiency stoves,
pumps, water filters, and solar LED lighting systems.
XelaTeco demonstrates that a combination of NGO funding,
appropriate technology and entrepreneurialism can make a real
difference to developing communities. Sustainable development is often
presented as an expensive luxury by skeptics: the residents of the CNA
would probably respond that, in this case, green thinking provided an
affordable alternative for improving their quality of life. ::XelaTeco and the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group
Photo source: AIDG
The original blog post is available at:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/xelo_teco_green.php
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