Main activities

Implementation of the project

Dates: Jan to Dec 2009 The year of dissemination and communication for RENDEV

At the grassroots level, through 80 training sessions in each country the project will train 5,000 households on how to install, use and maintain their solar home system. They will be further sensitized to the need to practice good environmental activities in their daily life and to the health risks they are exposed to through traditional energy sources. At the global level, RENDEV will disseminate the project’s results and lessons learned in order to reinforce the role of microfinance in supporting the uptake of green technologies for the poor.

The project culminates in an International Conference, planned for late 2009 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in which success stories and lessons learned will be highlighted and the way forward will be mapped.

Dates: Jan to Dec 2008

PlaNet Finance and its partners IT Power and Transenergie have organized a comprehensive series of workshops that bring together policy makers, renewable energy specialists and MFIs in order to develop new policies and approaches.

During the two last workshops organized by RENDEV's partner Grameen Shakti in Bangladesh on 15 May 2008 and YBUL in Indonesia on 18 June 2008, the discussions were very productive and innovative ideas prompted policy makers to implement solutions. The RENDEV team will build on these proposals to shape tools promoting Renewable Energies Solutions for low income people. In fact, the cost energy increase is a fantastic opportunity for renewable energy promoters to show the accuracy of small energy solutions to answer to people basic needs at a reasonable cost.

A second series of awareness raising activities will focus on SHS installation and maintenance demonstrations for the target populations in both countries, starting in 2009. 80 training sessions are scheduled in each country, potentially reaching more than 5000 people who currently lack access to any form of electricity. The first of these was organized in Oehala village in the interior of the island of Timor in Indonesia on 4 and 5 December. The first such workshop in Bangladesh is scheduled for 29-31 January, 2009.

Dates: Jan to Dec 2007

A successful programme must be based on the wishes and needs of the people who will use it, and must be driven by their demand for services (light, water pumping, etc), rather than simply focusing on providing energy technologies.

This first activity will analyze the current situation in terms of rural electrification in Bangladesh & Indonesia. The studies will provide information on the solar energy (SE) market, the microfinance sector, the rural consumers and their requirements in the context of solar rural electrification.

Outcomes:

•    Report on barriers, opportunities, best practices to develop solar energy projects in Indonesia & Bangladesh
•    Policy Review
•    State of the art on solar energy applications
•    Needs assessment analysis & market feasibility