Back to activities

Renewable Energy Technology

1 min Read

70% Complete

Access to sources of energy is still a major limiting factor to sustainable development in may part of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Large areas are still not electrified, and where there is electricity it is often unreliable or prohibitively expensive. Fossil fuels are often not easily available or are too expensive for daily use. Mountain people have always relied on renewable energies like wood, animal dung, and draught power for survival – be they for cooking food, keeping the house warm, milling grain, ploughing fields, or transporting goods; bu the traditional energy sources are no longer sufficient to meet people’s needs, and there is increasing concern about the negative impacts associated with their use. Wood is becoming scare increasing the time spent in collection; deforestation is leading to land degradation and loss of groundwater recharge amongst others; and indoor pollution from wood and dung smoke is a major cause of respiratory and other health problems.

However, mountain areas have vast untapped source of potential energy in the form of running water and long hours of sunshine. Recent development in technologies for renewable energy, offer possibilities for using this energy on a small-scale at low cost to reduce household drudgery, provide electricity for domestic use, and support and sustain income-generating activities. Overall, the potential for sustainable use of renewable energy resources in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) exceeds by far the total energy consumption in the region.

The activities at the Knowledge Park at Godavari focus on the demonstration of simple low-cost renewable energy technologies that can be used by farmers to support agricultural, domestic, or small-scale income generating activities. Most of the demonstrations are provided in partnership with different local NGOs. We welcome other groups to use this site for demonstration of appropriate technologies that complement the ongoing demonstration and training activities.

 

Effective microorganisms (EM) technology and EM composting

'Effective microorganisms technology' is a method developed by Professor T. Higa of Japan in which a mixed culture of beneficial ...

11 Dec 2019 Community outreach
Community outreach – off-site demonstrations and training and provision of materials

From the very beginning, we have focused on developing a variety of approaches for sharing the knowledge and ...

11 Dec 2019 Biodiversity
Biodiversity Conservation: Development of Swampy Wetland Area

Recently, ICIMOD embarked on a new project for biodiversity conservation and promotion: development of a useful ...

11 Dec 2019 Soil management
Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT)

Sloping agricultural land technology (SALT), otherwise known as contour hedgerow intercropping (agroforestry) technology (CHIAT), is a system in which dense ...

17 Oct 2020 Biodiversity
Camera traps

Our ICIMOD Knowledge Park in #Godavari is a treasure trove of flora and fauna and we’ve ...

19 Oct 2020 Soil management
Mulching with leaf-litters

The benefits of mulching? Mulch is a covering, using straw, compost, or plastic sheeting, spread on the ground around plants ...

11 Dec 2019 Income generation
Fruits, Nuts and Spices

A wide range of different fruit and nut trees and fruit vines have been planted at intervals since 1993, they ...

Herbal garden establishment

What is an herb garden? An herb garden is often a dedicated space in a garden, devoted to growing a specific ...