Access to renewable energy

Working with communities to develop appropriate energy solutions

Practical Action aims to increase poor people's access to energy, through improving the efficiency of stoves, and through small-scale, low cost, off-grid electricity supply. We work closely with communities to help them develop technical improvements, such as low cost cooking stoves to improve upon the traditional three-stone cooking fires, and to reduce indoor air pollution by developing smoke hoods.

Practical Action helps communities to develop and promote sustainable energy technologies - sustainable, not only because they use renewable energy sources, but also because the community can participate in designing, building and maintaining the project. The benefits to communities can be dramatic.

Improved cooking stoves Using one third of the amount of firewood as a traditional fire, these stoves also reduce household smoke levels, with benefits to families' health. Micro-hydro power Small-scale hydro-electric power can be used to mechanise tasks like grain milling, and to power small businesses, as well as to bring community and household light. Renewable energy village A demonstration project in Nepal shows how renewable energies - micro-hydro, solar and wind - can make an enormous benefit to income generation and local development.

Small scale wind energy Wind-powered generators can charge up the vehicle batteries which are used by hundreds of thousands of off-grid households to light their homes. Biogas plants Methane from farm animals can provide 75% of household cooking needs, run lights and heat up irons - with a by-product of enriched fertiliser for farmers' fields.