![]() ![]() ![]() One of these communities was Playa Potes, an unelectrified coastal fishing community, comprised of around 30 households, where UTCH has installed a hybrid solar-wind system (2kW/ 7.5kW) in the local primary school. The questionnaires aimed to understand community energy and other needs, in order to establish a baseline and to identify energy priorities. Together with colleagues at the UTCH – Maycol Mena, Yenny Toro, Hector Agudelo and Yemilson Espidio – we carried out questionnaires and interviews in four communities in Bahía Solano, as well as a number of interviews with expert stakeholders. The community of Playa Potes, Chocó (c) Julia Tomei This is perhaps not surprising as these communities are located along remote beaches accessible only by boat or through dense cloud forest, and transmission lines are regularly brought down by falling trees and adverse weather conditions. While Ciudad Mutis has full and reliable electricity supply, those located further away experience only intermittent supply or have no electricity access at all. Bahía Solano is comprised of the municipal capital, Ciudad Mutis, and a number of smaller communities which are dotted along the coastline. As a result, electricity is currently being supplied by a diesel generator and the repairs to the hydroelectric plant are expected to take around six months. In October 2016, Bahía Solano was devastated by heavy rains, which had led to flooding in many areas and had damages to the plant. Instead, electricity is supplied by a hydroelectric plant with an installed capacity of 1,875 kW. Its relative isolation means that the municipality is not connected to the national grid. Located on Chocó’s Pacific coast, Bahía Solano is only accessible by plane or by boat there are no roads that connect the municipality to the rest of the department. Between October and November, I worked with the team at UTCH to develop a methodology to assess the energy needs of rural fishing communities in the municipality of Bahía Solano, Chocó. The project runs from May 2016 to April 2018, and is funded by the British Council through the Newton Fund. Together with colleagues at the UCL Energy Institute, Dr Gabrial Anandarajah and Pablo Carvajal, I have been working with the Technological University of Chocó (UTCH), Imperial College London, the University of Jorge Tadeo, and the National University in Medellín to strengthen institutional links between UK and Colombian universities. The Centre for Research on Renewable Energy at the Technological University of Chocó (UTCH) focuses on demonstrating how small-scale renewable energy technologies can work in rural communities in the Chocó. With both Caribbean and Pacific Coasts, it is also one of the wettest places on the planet and has an average rainfall of between 8,000 – 13,000 mm per year. Known for its Afro-Colombian culture, the region is densely forested, rich in deposits of gold and platinum, and highly biodiverse. ![]() Located in the northwest of Colombia, Chocó is one of the country’s most underdeveloped regions and faces pressing social, environmental and economic issues. Colombia has an electrification rate of 97%, which means that 1.4 million people remain without access to electricity – most of whom live in the Amazon and the departments of Chocó and La Guajira. A key challenge in meeting this target will be the provision of electricity to remote rural communities, particularly where it is difficult or expensive to extend the electricity grid. Sustainable Development Goal 7 aims to achieve universal access to modern energy services by 2030. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |