Announcements and outputs
Video about the Solar Transitions research and study tour in the Sunderban Islands
Researchers and practitioners from three contintents went to the Sunderban Islands in West Bengal in India to study the decentralized solar power solutions in the area. This is a short film about the study tour and some of the related activities and results. The activities presented on the video were part of our large event Solar Learning, supported by the Research Council of Norway, described in the next section below, which was again a part of the larger Solar Transitions project. The film is produced by Ragnhild Vognild and Kirsten Ulsrud.
Solar Learning: Solar Transtions workshop and field excursion in Kolkata, India
The one day workshop presented below was part of a six days event organised by the University of Oslo, TERI and ACTS on behalf of the Solar Transitions research group. An extra grant had been given by the Research Council of Norway to organise a workshop and field excursion in relation to the Solar Transitions project. Several interested representatives from NGOs, businesses and government organisations in Kenya were invited to go to India and look at the solar power supply in the state of West-Bengal, and there were also guests from Norway and Brasil. People from four continents were gathered to study the Indian experiences and expertise on village scale solar power supply and to share insights and ideas for solar energy/renewable energy activities in their own countries. The group visited the solar modules manufacturer Webel Solar, they went for a two days visit to Sunderban Island and visited places with solar mini-grids and hybrid mini-grids there, and got information from involved stakeholders, especially the state agency WBREDA (West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency).
In the workshop on February 12, the Solar Transitions team and their guests got the chance to meet with reponsible actors for implementation and operation of the solar systems in the State of West Bengal as well as other Indian experts on solar power supply. Dir. Akanksha Chaurey from TERI was the moderator.
Here are the presentations from the workshop on February 12, 2010:
The Solar Transitions Project and the interest in the transfer of lessons from India. By Kirsten Ulsrud,the Solar Transition Project, The University of Oslo, Norway
Kenyan interests in implementation and use of Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems. By Henry Gichungi, Chief Engineer, Kenya Power and Lighting Company, Kenya
The Solar Development in Sunderban, West Bengal. By S P Gon Choudhuri, Managing Director, West Bengal Green Energy Corporation Ltd., India
Experience in implementing & maintaining power plants in remote rural areas. Part A. Part B. Part C. By S K Shukla, Director, Chattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency, India
TERI's experience in the implementation and use of solar photovoltaic systems – The Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign. By Debajit Palit, Fellow, TERI, India
PV Manufacturers/suppliers’ Perspective. Part A of the presentation. Part B of the presentation. By Webel SL Energy Systems Ltd, India
Workshop: Solar energy as an interdisciplinary and global theme: Linking technological and social aspects
Several of the research partners in the Solar Transitions project contributed in a workshop on solar energy in Oslo on Monday the 21th of September 2009. The aims of the workshop were twofold: first to explore the latest research frontiers on technology development and societal implementation of solar energy (solar photovoltaic systems); and second to encourage interdisciplinary research on this energy technology. The workshop was organized by MILEN, the University of Oslo’s interfacultary research area on environmental change and sustainable energy. For more information and published presentations, see the workshop website.