AVANI documents the entire process step by steps and will develop a photo story.The progress reports and case study will be the tools.
AVANI replicates the project activities with the support of Ministry of Renewable Energy and local panchayat. They also received USAID Millennium Alliance Award through which AVANI up scaled their interventions.
Capacity - Building Component
At Organization level, AVANI needs capacity for marketing the ideas and production into a wider spectrum. Since they are based in remote areas, that is challenge too. They are linked to FICCI and got fund from USAID Millennium Alliance which provided a larger platform for their organizational capacity building.It is understood that AVANI has strong visionary leadership.
At project level, local youth from the villages are trained and either employed or developed as micro-entrepreneurs to operate the decentralized power plants including co-ordination for local collection and storage of pine needles. Operators are also trained.
Planning non gef grant
At present Hans foundation, Doen Foundation, USAID Millennium Alliance are the key joint partner of AVANI for the particular interventions and the project is being upscaled.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
Awareness campaign organized on pine needle based renewable energy measures. The AVANI team uses video documentary, home visits and meeting with local government leaders. Local awareness raised about environmental benefits, restoration of forest ecosystem services, as well as the economic opportunities from gasification technology within impoverished communities in and around large pine forest tracts.
Gender Focus
Community mobilizers are employed by AVANI and equipped from the beginning to communicate effectively the benefits of participation. Community enthusiastically participates in the project, as pine needle collectors, plant operators, and households shifting to charcoal briquettes from fuel wood. More than 40 women entrepreneurs are emerged through the project. Pine needle collectors employed by the project are primarily women, who are provided with an attractive compensation of up to Rs 2/ kg, and given the flexibility to collect according to their own schedule. Local villagers are employed to collect pine needles during the dry summer months.
Linkages gef projects
N.A
Planning gef grant
N.A
Policy Influence
Since the project is at the pilot stage, it may some more time for visible policy influence. However, AVANI collaborates with State Energy Development Agency and Forest Department and developing replicable models for respective government departments.
Policy Impact
Since the project is its pilot stage, it may takes some more time bring policy level impacts. But the the experience of AVANI in this sectors is vast and the project is implemented with the support of the local panchayat and link the community to State Energy Development Agency and Forest Department.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The main aim of the project is to generate conservation based livelihood opportunities for the rural women by setting up small scale, pine needle based and grid connected power plant (28 kW). In 2017, pine needle collection has generated an average earning of over Rs 7,000 for around 80 collectors, of whom, 72 were women. This generates a substantial earning for these women from under privileged communities to support themselves. For this project, a total of 240 tones of pine needles collected in a year, earning a maximum income if Rs. 480,000 for the collectors during the season.
Project sustainability
The project has expressed support from national and state level institutions such as MNRE, UREDA, UERC, and the forest department.
Productive engagement of these entrepreneurs with their respective communities is expected to be self sustaining once the project duration is over.
Each unit in itself is profit generating and thus after the initial training period is over and operations have begun the entrepreneurs can self-sustain the operations, with support from Avani's core team
AVANI has small business unit through which the production marketing being taken place and continued through people's participation
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
The project villages are multi ethnic. However they speak Hindi. The project uses video documentary, leaflets etc to orient the community along with awareness campaign
Notable Community Participation
The youths engage in pine needle collection and other process to generate electricity out of the power plant. Youths and women from more than 100 families are connected and the project creates employment opportunity for the youths and women.
Project Results
75 local individuals mostly women as pine needles collectors. 4 local youth trained and employed as full time plant operators.
25 KW net output to grid can support power needs of approximately 20 local house holds i.e. 4.5 people per household = 90 beneficiaries.
At least 25 households benefits from affordable clean cooking fuel in form of pine charcoal briquettes and will be provided efficient cooking stoves.
The 28 KW pine needles gasification based renewable energy plant infrastructure set up for the benefit of the stakeholders.
From electricity generation 111 tonnes of CO2 emission is reduced per year and from avoiding forest fire 435 tons of CO2 emission reduced( expected figure) .
Replacing fuel wood with charcoal briquettes reducing 400 tons of CO2 emission.
