The role of community organizations and NGOs in
the energy sector
Asoka Abeygunawardana
Treasurer, Bio Energy Association of Sri LankaProgram Coordinator, Energy Forum
The NGOs and the Community Based organizations (CBOs) play a vital role in the energy sector in Sri Lanka
For incorporating social and environmental concerns in electricity generation planning
For providing energy services to the off-grid communities
Conduct protest campaigns against certain energy sector development projects
Grid Electricity
GENERATION FORECASTGENERATION FORECAST 20012001 - 2021 - 2021
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The fate of the first coal power plant in Sri Lanka
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Frist Coal Power plant
Is it destructive?
Indirectly contributing to create more opportunities to renewables
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As there is no adequate opportunity to present their views some parties act against the proper implementation of an energy plan.
Energy planning should integrate financial, social and environment concerns believing that least-cost energy production and protecting environmental and community social systems is in the country’s best interest.
Role played by the BEASL: Studies, Lobbying process; Pilot projects
BEASL estimated targetsIn the year 2010 dendro could: Generate 5752.5 GWH of electrical energy (50% of the total Sri Lanka energy requirement)Generate an additional annual income of Rs. 90,000 each, for 60,000 farming familiesSave Rs. 46 Billion of foreign currency Grow an additional forest/tree cover of 176,630 Ha for Sri Lanka
Role played by the Energy Forum:
Study on Incorporating Social and Environmental concerns in Long term electricity generation expansion planning
Feasibility Study of an out grower system
Capacity Building for providing micro financing to get grid connections
Role played by the Energy Forum:
Study on Incorporating Social and Environmental concerns in Long term electricity generation expansion planning
WASP 3+ is the software currently being used by the Ceylon Electricity Board for electricity generation expansion planning. WASP3+, as a part of ELECTRIC module of ENPEP (Energy and Power Evaluation Programme), is not a tool to quantify environmental impacts of LTEGP or cost them.
There are several other software tools available (in addition to WASP 3+) to fulfill different tasks in studying environmental impacts of electricity production, as well as energy production in general.
Feasibility Study for an out grower system for a dendro power plant
Badulla District; Meegahakivula and Soranatota DS Divisions
Land extent of the average farmer is 1 ha
The average number of trees currently available per farmer family is 2000 trees
If there is an established market for sticks then the farmers are willing of growing at least 3,000 more trees in the same land area.
The income of 70% of the farmers was below Rs. 24,000 per annum.
A farmer having a 1 ha land can expect an average income of Rs. 16,000 to 24,000 annually from his existing Gliricidia trees
He can increase his income to Rs. 40,000 - 60,000 if he plants additional 3,000 plants in the same land area.
Farmers who have over 10 acres of land are reluctant to establish energy plantations due to prevailing high labour costs.
Feasibility Study for an out grower system
Badulla District; Meegahakivula and Soranatota DS Divisions
Findings
A 2 MW Dendro power plant in the Meegahakivula DS Division with the existing Gliricidia trees.
Currently available trees in both DS Divisions can supply fuel wood to run a 3 MW Dendro power plant.
With the introduction of proper energy plantations to the selected area - power plant up to 11 MW.
The potential land area in the Rideemaliyadda DS is roughly 4 times that of Meegahakivula.
Community agro forestry
LocationDistrict: Badulla; DS Division: Soranatota; GN Division: BoliyaddaLand Extent to be cultivated : 50 HaNumber of Farmers involved : 100Land extent per block of a farmer : 0.5 HaNumber of timber plants provided by the forest department for a block: 500Timber species selected for the plantation : TeakTotal number of timber plants provided for the forestry project : 50,000Proposed number of Gliricidia trees per block : 3,000Total number Gliricidia trees required for the forestry project : 300,000
Plantation patternSpace between two Teak plant rows : 5mSpace between two Teak plants : 2mNumber of Gliricidia rows between two Teak rows : 3Space between a Gliricidia row and a Teak row : 1.5mSpace between two Gliricidia rows : 1mSpace between two Gliricidia trees : 1m
The Energy Situation in Sri Lanka
Still 1.5 - 2 million households will not have access to grid electricity
A study conducted by the Energy Forum reveals that
- having electricity for domestic lighting during 7.00 pm - 10.00 pm and for viewing a TV is a principal requirement
- there is no direct relationship between energy supply and poverty reduction.
- to achieve poverty reduction, a special effort has to be made to integrate energy and economic development initiatives.
There are about 200 off-grid micro-hydro power plants in Sri Lanka supplying power
to over 6000 households
•One 3 MW Grid Connected Power Plant
• One 2.5 kW Off-grid Village Plant
20- 250 W Household Wind Turbines
There are about 65,000 Solar Home Systems in Sri Lanka
Off-grid Technologies Available
Over 1200 domestic units & Four community units generate bio-gas.
Two household level electricity generation units.
First community electricity generation project is under construction
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2 off-grid dendro power schemes
The approximate cost comparisonInstallation costs
Micro-hydro US$ 2000 per 1kW Dendro US$ 3500 per
1kW Bio-gas US$ 3500 per 1kW Wind US$ 6000 per 1kWSolar PV US$ 10,000 per 1kW
Micro-hydro
The Federation of Electricity Consumer Societies (FECS)
takes steps - to coordinate after sales services required for micro hydro schemes- to incorporate economic development
activities in stand-alone village hydro schemes and to develop appropriate
implementation mechanisms.
Off-grid dendro potential survey
off-grid dendro potential identified that almost all the dry-zone off-grid villages in Sri Lanka have enough sparsely used croplands that can be effectively used to establish energy plantations for supplying fuel-wood to generate electricity for the consumption of off-grid households.
For this analysis, EF used only scrubland, grassland, and chena.
Dendro Power
Project ParametersNo of householdsPlanned - 100 Currently connected - 58Total h/h requirements - 25 kWOperation hours per day - 6 hours (4.45 a.m. to 6.45 a.m. & 6.30 p.m. to10.30 p.m.) Fuel wood species - Gliricidia SepiumFuel wood requirement - 60kg/ hrFuel wood supplying area (Existing Plantations) - 2 km radius
Running Cost
Cost for the monthOperating hours - 6 hoursFuel wood - Rs. 16,875Diesel (3Lts / hr) - Rs. 4,000Wages - Operator & Helper - Rs. 15,625Maintenance fund - Rs. 5,000Society - Rs. 1,000Total - Rs. 42,500
Fuel wood
Monthly Electricity bill per household - Rs. 500Price of fuel wood at Farm gate - Rs. 200/ m3; Rs. 1/ kgPrice of fuel wood at Power house gate - Rs. 375/m3; Rs 1.88/kgMonthly payment for fuel wood transportation - Rs. 7,875Average income per household for supplying fuel wood - Rs. 106
Dendro Power
- A privately owned power plant and plantation- A cooperative type power plant, with fuel wood purchased from identified suppliers- An exchange system, where community members exchange fuel wood for electricity
The off-grid energy sector’s great leap forward during the recent years is mainly due to formidable partnerships among Private-Public-Civil Society institutions.
The strengths and contributions of each sector are:
The Private sector:
To provide technologyTo provide energy services for a feeTo provide after sale services for a fee (Service Companies)
The Public Institutions:
To develop a master plan incorporating grid extension and off-grid ET To link potential end users with civil society organisations and private sector To establish one stop shop for clearancesTo monitor the after sale services
The strengths and contributions of each sector are:
The Civil Society:
To provide micro-financingTo mobilise the community and organise the end users To conduct Research and DevelopmentTo monitor the after sale services Lobbing for better policy environment
ESDP and REREDP
Original proposal was to implement the project through the Government owned utility - Ceylon Electricity Board. With the interventions made by the EF it became a
private sector driven project There were certain developments made to get the
participation of the CSOs and Public institutions
ESDP and REREDP
The developments made to the original project include:
•Sarvodaya SEEDS qualifying as a Participatory Credit Institution (Civil Society Involvement)•Contributions from Provincial Councils (Public Sector Involvement)•NGO activists qualifying as Village Hydro Schemes developers (Civil Society Involvement)•Establishment of Federation of Electricity Consumer Societies (Civil Society Involvement)
The Renewable Energy for Rural Economic Development Project (RERED)
It is to provide off-grid Energy technologies to 100,000 households
However this will be providing electricity to only 7-10 % of the off-grid households