Electrifying the Amazon: the impacts of access to renewable energy in riverine communities

Objetivos

Objetivos

This project aims to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of two alternative configurations of solar photovoltaic systems in riverine communities and provide recommendations for expanding access to other communities in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Such communities typically rely on dieselgenerators for the provision of electricity, which can hinder development and generate negative environmental impacts. This collaboration builds upon two previous Newton Fund Institutional Links grants. The project focuses on communities enrolled in Programa Bolsa Floresta (PBF), a policy that aims to protect tropical forests and reduce poverty. Enacted by the State of Amazonas in 2007 and managed by the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), PBF has to date enrolled almost 600 poor,riverine communities that manage 16 million hectares of forest. To help meet the aims of PBF, the policy develops alternative livelihoods and sources of income that reduce pressure on forests, such as handicrafts, often dominated by women. Expanding access to and improving the quality of supply of electricity can help increase the scope and scale of these activities thus potentially improving incomes, enhancing the role of women in local economies, strengthening participation in environmental governance and encouraging more inclusive economic growth in Amazon communities. We will evaluate energy demand, incomes, gender implications and greenhouse gas emissions for two different configurations of solar photovoltaic systems: centralized and decentralized. The latter was installed in a previous Newton Fund project undertaken in riverine communities ('Sustainable and Replicable Off-grid Renewable Energy System for Riverside Communities in the Amazon, Brazil-STAR Energy'). The former is to be trialled in this project. Both will be evaluated using methodological tools developed in a second Newton Fund project ('Participatory Approaches to Natural Resource Conservation in the Brazilian Amazon').(projeto cancelado por causa da Pandemia de COVID-19 e da impossibilidade de acesso às comunidades ribeirinhas nos anos de 2020 e 2021).

Palavras-chave

Palavras-chave

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas - Outra