Low-cost biodigesters are more than biogas producers – they hold tremendous untapped potential for wastewater treatment. Jaime Martí Herrero reflects on a project that took him from a metropolitan slaughterhouse in Ecuador to Indigenous communities in the Amazon.
What happens to small-scale renewable energy projects after their implementation?
To find out what happens after the project implementation period ends, we recently completed a follow-up survey of 23 projects that have been supported by the Sustainable Energy Project Support (SEPS) scheme since 2004.
The projects in the follow-up survey encompassed a wide range of technologies such as biomass, solar, wind, hydroelectric power and efficient lighting. Our research revealed that most projects had a positive impact on factors such as energy, access, energy costs, employment, health, communications and/or information, meaning that they have improved the quality of life in individual households or communities and have contributed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. However, we also discovered that most of the projects focused on meeting the basic energy needs of the poor did not offer corresponding concrete business development opportunities. Check back here for more details soon on the impacts of small-scale renewable energy projects and the challenges facing these projects!
