Renewable energy and training project

Two U.S. contractors - a national laboratory and a minority 8A firm - will implement the project"s TA, information dissemination, and training activities. The contractors will: (1) review donor experience with RET"s and the problems encountered in establishing them; (2) assess country needs - focusing on countries which have the greatest energy constraints to development, appropriate RE resources, and adequate private sector capabilities - to identify energy solutions with high development impact and a high probability of successful financing and implementation; and (3) evaluate RET"s, support equipment tests and certification, identify viable RET"s and institutions worthy of A.I.D. support, and prepare projects for donor financing and private investment. The project will focus on RET"s likely to be of economic and market interest in the short- to medium-term future, such as: biomass power generation, household fuels and biomass briquetting, photovoltaics for remote power applications, water pumping for irrigation in Africa, solar thermal technology for refrigeration and for industrial process heat, ethanol production, producer-gas technology for use in agro-industry, commercial-scale biogass digesters, and small hydropower. The project will publish and make widely available to the development community an estimated 8 country investment portfolios, 8 major technology evaluation reports, 5 case studies, interim and final reports from A.I.D."s current RE Reassessment, proceedings of 5 regional workshops to promote LDC collaboration (and at which country needs assessments will be discussed), and training monographs. A comprehensive computerized RET data base, accessible by LDC"s through AID/W and linked to AID/W"s Development Information System will be established. The project will provide, on a regional or in-country basis, project-specific RET training for LDC management and technical personnel, as well as technical training/internships for LDC personnel at U.S. sites. The project will also partially support seminars and field trips for U.S. and LDC private firms.