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Final Report: Sustainable Energy Systems Design for a Tribal Village in India

EPA Grant Number: SU831883
Title: Sustainable Energy Systems Design for a Tribal Village in India
Investigators: Ramaswami, Anu , Bliley, Stephen , Coder, Jason , Dellaport, John , Erdene, Bagi , Hetherington, Christine , Janes, Craig , Kocman, Shauna , Krug, Ryan , McGregor, Brian , Olsen, Tim , Padron, Luis , Pitterle, Mark , Rex, Andrew , Sturtyvant, Paul , Tagg, Randy , Thongplew, Natapol , Werther, Rachel , Whitaker, Mike , Willson, Bryan
Institution: University of Colorado at Denver
EPA Project Officer: Nolt-Helms, Cynthia
Project Period: October 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet (2004)
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Description:

Objective:

A. Description:

We are working to sustainably meet the energy needs of more than 1000 villagers in the Narmada River Valley in Maharashtra. India, where a series of large dams are displacing more than one million indigenous people from their homes and land. The energy needs identified for the communities include:

The self-identified needs of the villagers in the valley are by no means extravagant. They represent the simplicity of their lifestyle and their desire to improve specific aspects.

B. The overarching goal of this project is to develop an innovative, integrate energy system for villagers that meets their energy needs while also satisfying the following criteria:

  1. Meets performance and safety goals (technical criteria),
  2. Uses renewable resources, promoting ecosystem sustainability,
  3. Minimizes the release of harmful/toxic chemicals (environmental sustainability)
  4. Uses local materials and skills to develop low cost, replicable engineering solutions that are economically sustainable in the local area, and,
  5. Applies collaborative design methods to ensure locally- and culturally-appropriate solutions that will promote social sustainability of the project.

Thus this project applies in the field several of the principles of green engineering that have been articulated recently. An important educational goal of this project is to foster creativity in engineering design instruction, and, to promote learning about key issues in sustainable development across cultural and disciplinary boundaries.

C. Scope and Objectives:

The specific engineering objectives of our project are to:

Our overall project is conducted in two integrated Phases, as described next.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

Based on the priorities expressed by the villagers, Phase I focused on:

Results from Phase I Project Activities yielded several successes:

  1. Our site visit provided unique opportunities for learning about villagers’ simple lifestyles, and their extremely democratic and participatory societal decision-making process.
  2. We have built upon our site assessment experience to formalize the concept of collaborative engineering design with communities and engineers in US and in India. We hope that the process of collaborative design is further refined and then disseminated in the sustainability community as an important outcome of our work.
  3. We applied innovative ideas for cost-effective design of two types of low-cost LED lighting systems, that consumed 1.5W and provided illumination comparable (800o less in diffused lighting) or superior (200% more in task-lighting) to 7W Compact Florescent lamps (CFLs). The initial cost estimates were $1 5-$20 (US) and approximately $10 (India), in equivalent monetary units. These costs and designs are being further refined in a collaborative-design workshop.
  4. We constructed innovative wind turbines of different types and materials suitable for various spatial scales of organization a village-scale horizontal Axis wind turbine (700W); a hamlet-scale (100W) Multifunctional Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT); and a home-scale VAWT and novel Universal Axis Helical Turbine (UAHT) capable of generating lOW and supporting home lighting by the LED designs. As a first step, we have tested these turbines by drive tests on trucks, recognizing that field testing over 6-9 months will provide more accurate estimates of the energy produced over a period of time in the field. Initial (First-prototype) Indian and US cost estimates have also been obtained, with the Indian costs being less than 40% of the US costs.
  5. We identified multiple criteria to enable the villagers to choose the most sustainable wind energy system design based on their preferences, spatial organization, as well as safety, performance, and life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle environmental assessment (LCA) criteria. In the first application of its type, we will be applying environmental LCA to enable villagers to choose the energy system that best meets their needs in a sustainable manner for the specific scale of their organization.
  6. We have demonstrated proof-of-concept for a unique zeolite adsorption refrigerator, that does not require electricity — the initial costs are in excess of $500 for a small unit; the design is being refined.

Leverage of EPA funds: We have been successful in obtaining additional funds for this project from Western Union Foundation ($15,000) in support of humanitarian activities, and a Kalpana Chawla Student Scholarship Award from TiE-Rockies to support student travel. Partial funds from Western Union were applied as cost share in Phase 1; the remaining reserved for Phase 2

The impact of this P3 project on education was evaluated through student surveys which indicated that projects of this nature encourage creativity, multi-disciplinarity and hands-on learning, and provide cross-cultural learning and awareness of sustainability issues worldwide. Students from CSU will be joining the 10+ students from CU Denver in Phase 2 work, so that the use of P3 as an educational tool can further be explored in this synergistic multi-institution, cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary learning experience.

Conclusions:

Quantitatively, more than 1000 people are expected to be immediately impacted by this project, with transfer of methods to surrounding villages with upto 1 million persons displaced by an ongoing mega dam project. Measurable improvements in people’s well-being/prosperity and women’s respiratory health, particularly, are expected as kerosene lamps are replaced by LEDs. Energy availability for commerce activities like grain grinding may also have economic impact. These changes may also adversely impact the villagers’ lifestyle and must only be implemented with full participation of the community. The impact on the planet is primarily in quantifying the degree to which renewable wind resources are harnessed in the region, versus fossil fuels/kerosene use. Finally, although this project is being implemented in a developing/transition nation, it has revealed important concepts relevant for sustainable development in developed/industrialized nations.

Outreach to the Developed World: Our team felt the community participatory process we observed in the tribal village was a model that would well be disseminated and used in Western developed nations where not enough debate occurs on the role of technology on people (Pacey 1983). The philosophy of the villagers in terms of seeking to meet basic needs, but not much beyond, is also a beacon for sustainable development. We have begun some of this outreach by presenting our project at local area high schools. In addition, as our campus facilities office assisted us in testing various wind systems on trucks, a campus commitment to use renewables has emerged and solidified as a direct impact of this project locally in the US.

Proposed Phase 2 Objectives and Strategies:

Based on the above results from Phase 1, Phase 2 activities will consist of:

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