Flooding and extreme weather are the norms in the Himalayas of Pakistan. Lives, however, are being changed as the glacier-fed rivers are being harnessed. Clothes that once had to be washed at the river for a full day can now be completed in a matter of hours according to Gulasim, who lives in Chitral Northern Pakistan.
Washing machines can be used thanks to micro hydropower plants and electricity is being produced meaning children can play during daylight then study with a lamp later on. Although there are 40 years of experience using hydropower plants to bring energy to these areas, it is only since 2014 that the Smart Village Initiative at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the Rural Support Network have worked together. Three million households cannot be connected to the grid, and it is for these families that microgrids are providing a solution.
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Central and South America, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia are home to the Smart Villages Initiative, and the aim is to bring energy to places the grid cannot reach. Villages work with scientists and regulators to ensure the best results. Businesses can run more efficiently, and life is improved for women as the workload decreases. The Ashden award has been received by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. These projects have succeeded while solar power schemes have failed. Balochistan has solar energy, but storage is a problem, a project is ongoing at Cambridge University to allow production of more efficient lithium-oxygen batteries.
For more info about Pakistan’s Energy Transform visit; technologyreview.pk