Turning the tide
A pioneering range of wood stoves and kilns in South India, which save at least 30% of fuel, have been crowned “2008 Energy Champion” at the annual Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.
The green energy ground breakers, from Technology Informatics Design Endeavour (TIDE) in South India, have transformed small businesses by improving conditions for 110,000 workers and are saving around 43,000 tonnes of wood each year. The first prize of £40,000 was awarded by Nobel laureate Dr Wangari Maathai at a ceremony in London, along with awards of £20,000 each to six other international schemes – from Brazil China, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania and Uganda – to promote expansion of their sustainable energy projects.
Many of South India’s small businesses rely on wood as their main source of fuel, which causes pollution and deforestation as well as uncomfortable and dangerous working conditions when boilers and stoves are badly-designed. Building on the track record of stove design at the renowned Indian Institute of Science, TIDE commercialises their designs to provide efficient tailor-made wood stoves and kilns cutting fuel by at least a third.
“There is a serious energy crisis in rural India,” said Svati Bhogle, accepting the award, “but access to energy and its efficient use, accompanied by well-conceived and well-implemented enabling mechanisms, has the potential to transform rural areas.”
The Ashden Awards Outstanding Achievement gong went to Grameen Shakti of Bangladesh, an organisation which has made a big contribution to the spread of sustainable energy solutions. So far it has installed 160,000 solar home systems and is adding around 8,000 more each month. Since winning an Ashden Award in 2006 it has diversified into the provision of fuel-efficient stoves, which improve living conditions and save fuel. It also produces domestic biogas systems which bring clean, sustainable energy to thousands more.
Dr Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace laureate, described the winners as “wonderful energy pioneers, who are responding to the needs of their communities. They have decided to take action in the face of huge challenges, displaying not just patience and persistence, but a sense of urgency and determination. We salute these sustainability champions and the Ashden Awards, who help to make their work better known so that they can continue to inspire others.”
The Ashden Awards are a UK-based charity working to increase the use of local sustainable energy worldwide. Now in their eighth year, they find, reward and publicise the work of leading sustainable energy programmes, working across the developing world and in the UK. Expressions of interest for the international Awards should be received by 21 October 2008.
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