Village energy window (VEW)

Source of energy need to be decentralized as heavy consumption of energy at all level has created various socio economic imbalances. In order to decentralize energy sourcing three tasks are imperative at community level. Present and future status of consumption, available sources and service availability at door level.
Review of community energy scenario reveals that there has been community dependence on three sources biomass for cooking and heating, water power for agro processing and solar for drying. All these sources were used by community as per available knowledge. Although the uses were initially inefficient but local innovation constantly upgraded them within local circumstances.
The traditionally adopted mechanisms of energy consumption throw major guide line for future community energy management. The efficient and new version of energy resource uses are grossly absent in villages. The energy utility patterns and sources of energy have not much changed at rural level. All such needs can be met-out largely from within villages with a single window system.
The two energy factors i.e. sources and consumption can be catered by a single provision of decentralized available knowledge and service at rural level. Our past experience reveals that much renewable energy option were adopted by community especially when technology services were ensured. There is emergent need of debate on Rural Energy Delivery within available local resources. This motivates villagers to maintain energy sources too. Since it is a need also besides global interest response from the community will be inevitable. The different employment generation at different steps will bring sustainability. All energy services sourced from different institutes or agency can be availed to community through one window. Rural based agency emerged from within community can be the model agency, for such delivery. Equipped with knowledge, technology and services, the agency can be most decentrated community energy delivery approach.
An experiment/ demonstration can be conducted to measure strength of such approach.



The energy needs of the community can be met out by different mechanism largely based on the following factors.

Ø Available energy resource.
Ø Utility of energy preferable for income generation throw local agri-horti produce.
Ø Local service availability both pre-post installations.
Another issue that can be considered is to identify special energy zone based on available resources of energy. Based on this, energy zone can be demarcated. These, thus may be solar, water biomass or wind energy zones.
Such zone can be given back up services, accordingly. Morever, other energy services will also be available but zone identity will be throw the dominating sources.

Some experiment can be conducted on the above line through cluster approach of ten villages each in one cluster. A survey will be conducted to explore.

Ø Energy mapping of available resources.
Ø Potential of energy from different sources and their sustainability.
Ø Energy availability and local resource utility.
Ø Possibility of service centers-human skill and other resources.
The above factors will decide prevalent energy flow mechanism and entry points for the cluster. Since it is proposed for mountain areas initially, two major zone can be identified where different resources are prevalent that is water and solar. These zones will also be served with other services so that other energy options can also be utilized.