IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2013 - 71

is to ensure the smooth functioning
and maintenance of the complicated
technologies. To address this in Bysanivaripalle, NEDCAP took responsibility for training the farmers to repair
and maintain the RETs. Additionally,
more efficient systems were put in
place- i.e. parabolic solar cookers
were used instead of box type solar
cookers4 and fixed dome model biogas plants were installed rather than
floating drum model biogas plants.5
furthermore, in place of using only
cow dung as raw material in biogas
plants, the villagers started using
other organic wastes like waste food,
dry leaves, and crop residues, which
led to the production of better quality biogas with higher methane content. According to Appropriate Rural
Technology Institute (ARTI), a conventional biogas plant yields about
500 g of methane from 40 kg feedstock (cow dung) in approximately
40 days but using only 2 kg of waste
food as feedstock yields the same
amount of fuel in just 24 hours [11].
The example of Bysaniverapalli
exhibits that the challenges of implementing RETs in villages can be
overcome by using a combination
of motivation, training, planning and
execution. This has also drawn the
government's attention and driven
policymakers to rethink their rural
energy dissemination strategies. The
government has started releasing
funds for extending this idea to other
villages. NEDCAP has already identified 12 other villages in the same
district for conversion into smoke
free villages.

Scalability of RETs
in Rural Areas
In spite of the successful implementation of RETs in Bysanivaripalle, it would be premature to
conclude that this model is easily
4
Box type solar cooker typically reaches temperatures of 50-100 oC whereas parabolic solar cooker reaches temperatures as high as 300-350 oC,
hence making cooking much faster.
5
fixed dome model biogas plant has lower initial
cost, longer life span and greater durability compared to the floating dome model biogas plant.

25
Semera

Bysanivaripalle

20
15
10
5
0

Eye Irritation ENT Problems Chronic Back
Problems

Asthma

Fig. 5. Comparison between number of people facing health problems in
both villages.

scalable. Besides motivation and
teamwork, there were few other
reasons that helped the inhabitants of Bysanivaripalle. first,
the villagers here were relatively
more prosperous even before the
introduction of RETs because of
sericulture business. They were
quite exposed to opportunities and
hence, could execute novel ideas.
Second, the local governments
were cooperative with the villagers because they were self driven
and had initiated biogas technology implementation on their own.
Usually, governments prefer not to
invest in decentralised RET based
rural projects because most rural
people are not motivated enough
to cultivate and manage technical
projects. Hence, even if implemented, many projects discontinue
after sometime and fail to provide
a long term solution.
furthermore, implementing RETs
in other villagers is challenging
because of corruption. The funds
allocated for RET projects are often
not utilised legitimately and lack
of accountability makes the situation worse. Even in a perceptive village like Bysanivaripalle where few
families reside, completion of RET
implementation took over 10 years.
A majority of Indian villages lie in
backward areas stricken by indigence
and illiteracy. Under such circumstances, replicating the example set by

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

fALL 2013

Bysanivaripalle would be a difficult
task. However, through education and
community mobilisation, this can be
achieved in the coming years.

Role of Policy in Enabling
Efficient RET Implementation
The discussions above show that
policy intervention is inevitable
in order to implement sustainable cooking technologies in rural
areas. India is an ideal location
for disseminating RETs for cooking because it has a large rural
population with little or no access
to modern technologies and has
abundant renewable sources like
sunlight, and cattle. Moreover, the
economic, social and environmental benefits of renewable energy
present numerous opportunities for
growth and development.
But despite the clear benefits of
RETs, the lack of education and poverty continue to be major hurdles in
RETs' penetration. Because of their
lack of exposure, most rural people
are not motivated to experiment
with new ideas. They would rather
focus on their livelihoods and daily
bread than on implementing energy
efficient technologies. This implies
that RETs are driven by technology
push instead of demand pull. Thus,
the role of sound policy framework
becomes crucial. Government needs
to examine its renewable energy
policies and investigate ways to
|

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2013