WEEK ONE POSTINGS ON 'MICROHYDRO'

(Note: These were not posted to the MF-Asia e-discussion list for various reasons, but chiefly because they reached us after week 1 was effectively over. If you still have anything to say on the topic, please send it to <apmn@mtnforum.org> and we will publish it on this page. Thank you!)

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30. From: "vs" <vs@VS3969.spb.edu >
Subject: [RETs] Week 1: Re: On the Relation between Rural Electrification and Fuel-Wood Consumption
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 1 08:25:56 +0300

Dear MF,

Let me trouble you with one of the problems you have discussed: the interrelation between rural electrification and the fuel-wood consumption

I was about to refuse to take part in the MF e-mail Conference because of one reason:  our powerlessness to change situation for the better, to  manage  mountain forests better.  But your exclusively interesting e-mail forced me to change my intention, as it gives possibility to consider the problem from new position.

I am a biologist from Saint Petersburg University. I have been working in   Central  Asia's  mountains for close to 40 field seasons (in the South Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).  My work entailed studying mountain Junipers,  their preservation, conservation and restoration.

These unique forests are disappearing with growing speed from year to year in all Asian countries. I was naturally interested in the ideas and experiences regarding the potentials of micro hydro power generation in remote mountain habitats.

My own observations coincide with those expressed in this forum.  I was sure (at the beginning of my work in 1961) that micro hydro power generation (in particular) would  lower fuelwood consumption leading to less deforestation!  I was mistaken.

I do not have the figures,  but during all decades of my work I have seen one and the same picture: electrification of mountain villages was growing (during the Soviet rule, especially), and so was deforestation.  Both processes were moving  "hand in hand".

Why?

Let me try to explain.

1. The widespread use of electric ovens or heaters is not a technical  problem, nor problem of culture, but first of all - ethnical and historical.  The problem of overcoming secular,  lasting for ages traditions. To crash them (these traditions) necessary to do all marginal, mountain peoples rich! It will take a lot of money from the rich countries (they spend it  in one way or the other, as far as we know). Not occasionally:  "...some wealthy and influential people use electrical cooking and heating,  but the majority of households still rely on fuelwood for heating during the long and cold winters"..,  as  you  have written. You are quite right!

2. Nobody can say that introduction of electric lights etc. does not have any positive significance (may be some mad persons only). But it is out of possibility to find enough real evidence of less use of firewood, in many Central Asian mountain regions where people have enough electricity.  Yes,  as you have written we have to deal with the "opposite effect". You're thinking of the phenomenon -  that mountain people are staying up late and are heating their houses for longer times. I am sure that you have attracted attention to the one of the deepest  traditions of some nomads.  Often, people stay in mountains for the whole of winter.

3. The most important,  from my point of view,  your data demonstrates that the so-called 'Juniper  Problem' is more complex than we thought. Formerly it seemed to us that it was enough to supply  mountain  peoples with the alternative source of energy and all things would be okay. But in some regions it isn't so at all.

4. Moutain afforestation - one of the most important tasks of mountain politics in Central Asia and we are not even there yet.

Best regards,

Valery G. Shevchenko
Head of the Research Group of Plant Archaeology
Biological Res. Institute of Saint Petersburg
State University, President of Kyrgyzstan Commission of SPb Association of Scientists and Scholars

31. From: Anil Raut <anilkraut@yahoo.com>
Subject: [RETs] Week 1: Promotion of Micro Hydro in Nepal (VAT and Custom Duty on Its Components)
Date: Friday, November 23, 2001 2:39 PM

Dear Moderator and colleagues,

There is no doubt that now hydropower is the solution for current climate change and air pollution issues by reducing the dependency on the use of fossil fuel for energy generation in Nepal. These environment friendly technologies should be promoted leaving all options behind for the shake of future generation and the beautiful mother earth. In Nepal, some clean forms of energies are being promoted but it needs more attention and support. During an interaction program "Development and Challenges of Alternative Energy in Nepal" organized by SEJ-Nepal on June 1 2001, energy experts emphasized the need to promote alternative energy in Nepal. During the program Mr. Surendra Bhakta Mathema from Nepal Micro Hydro Development Association said that although Micro Hydro is the pioneer alternative energy source in Nepal, still it has to pay custom duty and VAT while importing its component. Such provision is making the technology costly. But at the same time, other alternative energy sources like Solar are getting the facility. Can these types of policy help to promote clean energy like Micro Hydro in Nepal? I think there is need to lobby for the exemption on custom duty and VAT for the Micro Hydro component to make it more cheaper for rural electrification, if the above condition applies (Said by Mr. Mathema).

Anil Kumar Raut

Research Assistant
Clean Energy Nepal

32. Forwarded by: Anupam Bhatia <anupam@icimod.org.np >
Subject: [RETs] Week 1: Remembering Chait Singh of Malari
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 10:31:48 +0530

In August, 2000, we were conducting a Livelihood Strategy Study in the Dhaukiganga Valley of the Trans-Himalayas. One of the villages chosen by us was Malari, a village that lies just 30 km from the Indo-Tibet Border. During discussions with village people, we were surprised to hear one of the village persons asking us if we could help them in constructing a Microhydel in their village. This was Chait Singh. Our surprise turned to shock and respect when we found that not only had Chait Singh drawn up a complete layout plan of the Microhydel scheme on a large chart, but he had also worked out detailed break-up of the costs of the various components of the scheme.

Thereafter, Chait Singh pursued us vigorously for funding, designing and implementing the Microhydel project in Malari. With the help of Chait Singh and other village people, we designed a community owned project that we think has many policy implications for Uttaranchal. Chait Singh was able to mobilise 8 lakhs from the village as against a contribution of 15 lakhs from SPWD. Almost 300 persons have worked for over two months to contribute labour for building the civil works of the project under Chait Singh's leadership.

Chait Singh had a way with people. He was able to identify the driving force of most individuals and establish friendly relationships with most people within minutes of knowing them. Over time, all of us also came to respect the technical acumen that Chait Singh exhibited, in spite of him being educated up to class 8th. His ability to grasp complex technical issues was evident in the fact that he had designed an electric wool spinning machine that would increase the rate of spinning wool by about 10 times.

Shri Saini, Proprietor of Gita Pumps, Saharanpur (who manufactured the 50 KW turbine that we will be installing at Malari) was amazed when Chait Singh asked him to make a change in flow control in the turbine that was simple yet very effective. Mr. Saini later told us that Chait Singh was equal in understanding to many engineers that he had met. Shri Deepak Sharma, our technical consultant for the project was amazed at the way Chait Singh discussed (and sometimes fought) with him the technical aspects of the project, complete with impromptu sketches he had prepared to drive home his point.

Our own favourite memory of him was of Nepal. When the hotel cook was not able to provide us our breakfast on time (as we had to leave early to the field), we suddenly found Chait Singh on the other side of the counter with a frying pan in his hand. He then proceeded to swiftly deliver toasts and omelettes to our team of 15-odd persons. As always, he was the worker in any situation.

In his last days, Chait Singh was obsessed with completing the Microhydel. He worked strenuously in compiling all the various components of the Microhydel. He brought the alternator from Agra, after learning to completely assemble, disassemble and troubleshoot the alternator. He mastered the manufacturing of the turbine, coaxed and cajoled the welders to complete welding the penstock pipes. He collected various tools and tackles required for transporting and assembling the plant.

On the 15th of September, 2001 Chait Singh died before the plant could be commissioned. A fully loaded bus fell on him near Malari and crushed his ribcage, sending him to instant death.

Chait Singh was a visionary who had many dreams for his village. The stunned silence in Malari following his death is deafening. Village people say that the only genuine homage we could pay him would be to install and run the Microhydel as per his dreams.

Amen.

Pankaj Kumar
Yashpal Bisht
Society for the Promotion of Wastelands Development
Dehradun, Uttaranchal , India

33. From: "sudhirendar" <sudhirendar@vsnl.net>
Subject: [RETs] Week 1: Re: Moderator's Questions
Date sent: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 17:52:47 +0530

I do subscribe to the view that discussion on RET isn't as straightforward as it has been made to look like (first week's discussion). We do have interesting case studies which are relevant to a particular location. The tragedy is that we tend to scale up any successful intervention without counting on the socio-spiritual-cultural aspects. Consequently, the failure of the enlarged version subverts the small initiative as well. It is a mindset from which we have to come out. So the challenge would be put the same into a perspective such that the information is used to trigger change in mindset much before anything else on the ground!

If postings thus far are any indication, the conference seems to be technology-fixed - a dialogue of rationalisation between the micro-hydro professionals has just been over. If the trend is any indication, one can safely preempt the outcome of discussions on theme for the current week and so on. Moderator had raised some interesting questions which, to my mind, will hold relevance for other RETs as well. Such discussions always invariably presume that the mountain people are recipents and experts alone (and their technologies) know how to address their concerns. Neither has hi-tech been able to solve the energy crisis nor will RET be enough.

Clearly, we need something different - including fresh approaches and social processes. For instance, if we can bypass our obsession with technologies, we can get to see numerous innovations and approaches that people themselves have developed

I will expect the forum to do some radical thinking and bring out fresh thoughts on where RET has gone wrong and what corrective measures need to be taken. After all, not often we get a chance like this this to engage ourselves in an `intellectual discourse' on renewables, and not technologies alone.

Any takers (an inspiring innovation for your RET portfolio)?

Wastepaper fuels water-lifting pump

Tej Singh Goyal, 53, is neither a scientist nor a technologist. He does not hold any degree to back his claim as a technologist but by pursuing his passion he has earned the distinction of being an ' innovator. He has developed a device that can lift water to a height without any external source of power. A few kilograms of waste paper is all that is needed to lift water to the second floor of a house.

Tej Singh belongs to Mandi town in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh in northwest India. He studied upto high school. Although he sought admission in engineering courses, he failed, as he did not get the required percentage of marks to qualify. Recalls Tej, "Whatever little science I had studied was enough to tease my brain."

Soon, he was into his experiments. The family dismissed it as youthful exuberance. However, little did anyone realise that Tej would soon be inventing new techniques."Gas laws were my favourite," says Tej Singh," I always wondered why we could not use the natural feature of gas expansion under changing thermal conditions to our benefit."

Way back in 1972, he came up with his first notable invention. Taking two drums of equal volume, he filled one with water and kept the other empty. Both were attached through a pipe. He lit fire beneath the one that was empty. The gas inside the empty drum expanded and moved to the water-filled drum. Finding no space to escape, it lifted water instead. As a result, water was lifted up to some height. Tej Singh knew that the principle of gas expansion was at work.

With in no time, he enlarged the scope of his experiment by scaling the size of drums to 500 litres capacity. Most of his savings were spent on the experiment. But for the capital investment for procuring drums, the running cost for lifting water was bare minimal. He found the technology ideal for farmers who were looking for diesel pumps for lifting water or those who were aiming to reduce their electricity bills for water-lifting in urban areas.

His is a simple innovation. All that is needed are the two metal drums of 500 litres capacity each. These should be linked to each other by a pipe. There has to be a water outlet point too. There is a valve contraption in the water outlet so that the lifted water does not return to the tank. The entire investment including, pipefitting rarely exceeds Rs. 15,000. Recurring costs are low. Few old newspapers or waste material can help in running the system. Tej Singh is now trying to link it to a solar panel for heating.

The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) has shown some interest in promoting the system. On its request, a working model has been installed at the Government Polytechnic in Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh. Clearly, Tej Singh needs more support than such one-time favours.

Dr Sudhirendar Sharma

34. From: "Yuvaraj Nitya" <ynitya@hotmail.com>
Subject: [RETs]: Week 1: Need for simple and economical solutions for the Micro-hydel Programme
Date sent: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 05:35:52 +0000

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