Los Visionarios – Articles and Publications

Ecuador's natural resource attributes allows it to take special advantage of the entire spectrum of renewable energy technologies and resources: fuelwood, wind, hydro, solar, fuel alcohol, biogas, energy crops, geothermal, and others such as marine current generators. Today Ecuador is heavily dependent on petroleum exports for foreign exchange earnings, but shortly after the year 2000 Ecuador is expected to become a net importer of petroleum products. The application of renewable energy technologies and energy conservation measures is the only way to reverse this trend.

There is a tremendous emphasis being placed today on identifying sources and technologies for increased use of locally available renewable or alternative energy 77. The type of energy needs and technologies in every community will be very much contingent on the geography and types of activities carried on in the area 69. Energy sector cooperation among developing countries may be promoted on the grounds of similar energy resource endowments, and the use or need for similar energy technologies and know-how 68,77. "There have been many cases of such cooperation, at both the regional and international level 68."

"Commercial energy consumption has increased quite rapidly in developing countries during the last quarter century", with "developing countries remaining heavily dependent on petroleum sources 68." "A number of evaluations show that some renewable energy technologies can be more economic (and sometimes more reliable) than conventional technology options, even at crude oil prices below US $20 per barrel, if the right conditions are met 68." "Renewable energy sources, properly managed, can play a central role in accomplishing the economic and social objectives of energy self-sufficiency 69."

Many international cooperation projects have been carried out to develop and promote renewable energy technologies, but commercial adoption and widespread diffusion of these technologies has been limited 68. "The experience gained from existing pilot demonstration projects would aid in evaluating the viability of the technology. For some [renewable energy] technologies the application is well proven and no further demonstrations are necessary 69." Insufficient information on proven technologies, and the underutilization of the results gained from research and development, have limited wider diffusion of these technologies. Efforts made by individual countries and through international cooperation will determine the long term impact of renewable energy on developing countries. 68

Modest amounts of energy provided by some simple alternative energy technologies, can make a substantial contribution to raising the standard of living for the rural poor in developing countries.

THE PROBLEM OF FUEL WOOD

"Fuelwood and charcoal, together with agricultural residues and animal wastes, represent the largest share among renewable sources of energy in terms of physical energy input 68." Over 2 billion people in developing countries depend on biomass energy to meet basic energy needs, such as cooking and heating 68. Large amounts are also used for agriculture, electrical generation, and both large and small-scale industry 67,68.

Little work has been done to organize fuelwood production and consumption to take advantage of its potential sustainable utilization 69. "The majority of the population of the developing world lives in areas where fuelwood scarcity is acute 68." Scarcity of wood and charcoal is a problem throughout most of the Andean region 72. Consumption of biomass is greatly outstripping sustainable production.

Heavy reliance on fuelwood collection for energy has resulted in deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification. As forest are destroyed and fuelwood becomes scarce, agricultural residues and animal waste are increasingly utilized as substitute fuels. This leads to further environmental degradation and soil depletion, as these substances are not returned to the land to maintain fertility. 68

Due to the high level of dependence of many developing countries on fuelwood, proper management of existing forest resources is essential 69. "About 50 million hectares [123.5 million acres] of trees would need to be planted in the developing world by the end of the century in order to bring about a better balance between supply and demand of fuelwood. This would require a five-fold increase over 1982 planting levels world-wide, and a fifteen-fold increase in Africa 68." Other plant materials can also be grown for fuel. Many will outproduce wood, and some have superior combustion characteristics 73.

Up to 80 % of the basic energy needs of villagers in some developing countries is for cooking. "One half of the world's wood crop is burned as fuel, often in inefficient open fires or poorly designed stoves 69." "Despite the advances in efficiency [of wood stoves] that have been made in some countries, the use of open wood fires for cooking is still very common 69." "The inherent inefficiency of burning wood in this manner is cause of great concern 69." Improved stoves could save half of the wood normally used in open fires, theoretically putting natural growth ahead of the cutting rate. 71

Major successes in reducing fuelwood and charcoal usage have been achieved in small scale industries, such as pottery and brick firing, by replacing antiquated kilns and combustion chambers; by adopting correct methods of firing and cooling, based on scientifically correct data and procedures; and by implementing other improved production procedures that reduce product defects 70.

As an example in the transfer of technologies between regions with similar environmental features, by researching brick making technologies in regions having laterite soils, one would discover a new brick making technology developed in Guyana, using this type of soil, that produces unfired bricks exceeding U.S. building codes by five times 62.

The information on simple, low-cost, high efficiency wood stoves for space heating, that has been developed in North America, can be transferred to cool mountainous regions of the tropics. Some ancient designs of space heaters, such as the Japanese earthenware kamado, are also very efficient. 69

Biogas production and solar energy can also help resolve the fuelwood crisis.

BIOGAS

Biogas production is a simple and well proven technology at any scale, from home production to industrial units. Biogas technology produces both methane and fertilizer from human or animal waste. Vegetable matter may also be incorporated into the mixture. Methane is the principal constituent of natural gas, and may be used the same as natural gas, for cooking and home heating, to produce industrial heat, and to fuel automobiles. Biogas produces more energy than is produced by burning livestock manure for fuel, and the nutrient-rich sludge can be used to fertilize crops. A well managed biogas system offers an inexpensive, clean, efficient, and inexhaustible source of energy 67.

SOLAR ENERGY IN THE TROPICS

The sun is more intense in the tropics, because it shines directly overhead and doesn't filter through as much of the earth's atmosphere, as it does in higher latitudes. This effect is compounded substantially in tropical mountain highlands. Photovoltaic cells will thus generate more electricity in the tropics than in temperate latitudes. Other solar applications are also more effective in the tropics, and in cloudless arid regions. Other promising applications for solar energy in developing countries include agricultural dryers, solar food ovens, and solar water heaters. Solar technology as a source of industrial heat has a long history of use.

Running an electric grid to remote areas can cost more than the electric generating technology. For this reason photovoltaic technology may be cost-effective for supplying electricity to remote homes and villages, where electrical needs are modest 67.

Solar food ovens are surprisingly efficient, especially in the tropics, and even more so in arid regions where firewood scarcity is most acute. The use of solar ovens eliminates the need to gather fuel wood; a major time consuming task where shortages exist. Solar agricultural dryers and solar water heaters are other applications that can reduce the need for fuelwood or other fuels.

Due to the high efficiency in the tropics, and ability to provide a safe and renewable source of energy, solar applications can make a special contribution to the modernization of developing countries. The potential for the creation of new markets for solar technologies in these countries is enormous. This offers a highly desirable area for the creation of new manufacturing industries in developing countries, for the local marketing and export of solar technologies. 74

WATER POWER

Small-scale hydroelectric projects offer certain advantages "such as providing electricity in areas the electricity grid doesn't reach, and to implement the projects with locally available technical, industrial, and financial resources. They may, therefore, constitute a promising local energy development option for many developing countries." 68

Very small hydroelectric generators can be made from inexpensive automobile alternators or generators. One may also be built by modifying an electric water pump, and reversing the flow of water. These simple, homemade technologies can provide a viable means for producing small amounts of electricity for remote dwellings, farms, and small villages. These homemade generators would be suitable for basic energy needs such as lighting, educational radio and television, small scale grain grinding and agricultural processing, and other similar applications.

Traditional use of water power can be greatly improved upon with new design engineering, for mechanical water pumping, grain grinding, sugar processing, and numerous other mechanical operations.