Webinar Series: Sustainable Energy in Humanitarian Settings
Knowledge and solutions from and for the field
Today, over 130 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to conflict, natural disasters, and other complex global challenges. For many of these people, access to energy sources is critical for survival, and how they access it impacts their health, livelihoods, safety, and well-being.
Energy access for displaced people is not prioritized in the global humanitarian system. Current energy practices in situations of displacement are often inefficient, polluting, unsafe for users, and harmful to the surrounding environment. Moreover, institutional humanitarian operations such as water pumping, community lighting, and health clinics rely heavily on unsustainable fossil fuels, costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Given the complex nature of humanitarian response and the challenges of integrating sustainable energy solutions into the humanitarian program cycle, there is not just one solution but a need for systemic actions to mobilise resources, build capacity and use the opportunity for sustainable energy solutions to enhance impact in sectors such as health, protection, food security, and WASH.
Against this background, key actors involved in displacement settings developed in 2018 the Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Situations of Displacement (GPA). It’s mission is to equip stakeholders with the capacity to mainstream sustainable energy solutions into programming, with the goal of delivering improved protection, dignity, and energy-related social, environmental, and economic benefits to displaced people.
As part of the outreach and capacity building activities of this movement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) together with the Steering Group of the GPA and other partners are conducting a series of webinars on humanitarian energy issues to raise awareness and spread knowledge about different technologies, best practices and impacts.
1st Webinar
Mini-Grid Reliability: The Role of Training Centers for Micro/Mini Hydropower
Thursday, 28 March 2019 at 11:00 am CET.
Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7030849491434085121;
Micro and mini hydropower (MHP) implementation involves technical expertise in hydrology, civil works, electro-mechanical, electrical, and electronics. Thanks to the pioneers of knowledge transfer for small-scale hydropower, e.g. the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), Skat Foundation, HydroNet, and others, comprehensive and frequent training was made available in the 1990s to practitioners in the global south. While such training is rare in the present-day scenario, the earlier efforts led to the creation of local experts who have since established local training centers. The Southeast Asia region particularly benefits from micro hydropower training centers. This webinar – the 1st in a series of four webinars – will feature the following training centers that provide local capacity building for the development, operation, and maintenance of community-based micro hydro projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
- Tonibung Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology (CREATE), Malaysia
- ASEAN Hydropower Competence Centre (HYCOM), Indonesia
- SIBAT Center for RE and Appropriate Technology (CREATech), Philippines
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We will hear from the founders or coordinators of the centers, presenting the motivation, concept, and evolution of the centers. They will explain the training facilities, types of training, the center’s sustainability, and the impact the centers have had on the reliability of micro hydropower projects.
Presentations will be followed by a Question/Answer session open to all participants.
