global grid, local villages, planet,
no electricity, long range projects, proposal, multiple
tracks, small developing villages, simple renewable
power station, multiple sources, water pumps, refrigerators,
vaccines, childhood diseases, developed world, survival,
underdeveloped world, standard of living, quality
of life, crop cycles, small business development,
power supply, cycle of improvement, total demand
increases
What's needed today in small developing villages
is a simple renewable power station utilizing multiple
sources (e.g. solar, wind, and/or small hydro),
allowing water to be pumped to the village center.
The other most important need is a simple refrigerator
for the vaccines for childhood diseases. Clean water
and refrigeration are taken for granted in the developed
world, and are a matter of daily survival in the
underdeveloped world today.
When these two services become available, they
raise the village's standard of living and improve
their quality of life. Next, electricity for irrigation
can improve crop yields, allowing people to feed
themselves year-round and sell any excess crops
for income. Electricity also allows the start of
numerous small businesses.
As the standard of living improves, the village
can improve its power supply and/or link with other
villages, and this cycle of improvement continues.
As links to other villages are extended, system
reliability is enhanced and total demand usually
increases.
The effect of grids on a local village is a long
term development process. As smaller grids of these
villages expand, the high-voltage network may ultimately
reach these remote mini-grids. This would allow
power to flow either into or be sold if excess power
was be generated.
The high-voltage tansmission system is not meant
to be an either/or strategy, rather its an and/both
proposition. We need to be working down multiple
tracks at the same time to bring energy services
to the 2 billion people today who have no electricity.
