Basic Energy for Remote Villages

Recent studies have examined the economic and technological aspects of energy availability and use in remote villages where rural economy prevails. These studies have shown the presence of three different groups of the population: (i) those who have access to the electricity grid, (ii) those who, not connected to the electricity grid, can afford fuel engines and photovoltaic system; (iii) those who have no access to any energy source. This third group can be further divided into those who own draft animals for transportation and cultivation of the land and those who can only rely on their manual work. Several organizations have proposed solutions to bridge the energy gap between these different population groups. Some of them have focused on the possibility of using the power of draft animals to generate electricity. Recent studies have assessed the technological and economic feasibility of this solution. This paper is based on the elaboration of experimental results obtained in a study, conducted in Italy, on electricity generation using draft animals in remote villages. Electricity can be used for essential functions in the village such as water lifting, milling, threshing or grain selection. The paper also provides a cost-benefit comparison for electricity generation using draft animals, photovoltaic systems and fuel engines based on the socio-economic context of remote villages.