Stimulating the Picohydropower Market for Low-Income Households in Ecuador

Resumen

The main aim of this World Bank-ESMAP
\n project has been to pave the way for picohydro to become
\n accessible to low-income households in Ecuador, with the
\n view to replicating the process in the Andean region and
\n other developing countries. This has been done through five
\n main activities: (1) assessing the main experiences in
\n picohydro technology and market developments, looking
\n particularly at Vietnam and the Philippines1; (2) reviewing
\n the existing use of microhydro in five Andean countries2 and
\n assessing their potential picohydro market; (3) establishing
\n 31 pilot picohydro projects in two provinces of Ecuador with
\n full participation of the end users in local communities;
\n (4) encouraging a sustainable local infrastructure for
\n supporting picohydro technology in Ecuador through training
\n local technicians and bringing local dealers forward to
\n consider picohydro as a business venture; and (5) conducting
\n a rapid rural appraisal in the communities before and after
\n the installation of the picohydro pilots to consider the
\n technological and social impacts in the Ecuadoran situation.