Strengthening financial innovations in energy supply projects for rural exploitations in developing countries

Sustainable energy supply models are needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations for 2015. On the other hand, sustainability of agricultural exploitations in rural areas is a pre-requisite to achieve the objective of halving the proportion of people that lives in poverty, and productivity of such exploitations is closely related to energy supply. This article analyses the results of a survey of experts, suggesting that there may be good chances to innovate in the financing of agricultural electrification projects in developing countries. The experts’ opinion suggests that new sources of financing could be mobilised and oriented towards the promotion of sustainable initiatives in developing countries. Financial mechanisms should be adapted to the characteristics of decentralised systems of energy production with renewable sources or with mixed technologies, in order to overcome the barriers derived from the high initial price of the applications, and to the specific conditions of the agricultural sector. The participation of funds from the beneficiaries and the incorporation of the beneficiaries in the initial phases of project organisation would allow for the development of productive solutions with a higher potential to generate resources and to articulate sustainable proposals. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Insuring a greener future: How green insurance drives investment in sustainable projects in developing countries?

Insurance companies are responding to the global challenge of climate change by introducing green insurance policies, which aim to promote sustainable projects across the globe. These policies offer financial protection and coverage for initiatives related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable endeavors. Moreover, they incentivize investment in these projects by providing lower premiums or other financial benefits. In order to assess the impact of green insurance policies on driving investment in sustainable projects in developing countries, this study employed a systematic and bibliometric approach to thoroughly analyze the various forms, instruments, and measurements of green insurance. The study used 490 documents extracted from different databases. The search strategy involved using specific keywords to query the Web of Science, Scopus, science direct, and google scholar databases. A purposive sampling technique was implemented for data inclusion and exclusion. The study's findings indicate that the success of green insurance in developing countries faces several challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited awareness and education among individuals and businesses, absence of supportive regulatory frameworks and policies, insufficient demand, political instability, corruption and security concerns. Furthermore, the study finding reveals a need for more research, specifically exploring the effects of green insurance on investment in sustainable development. Hence future studies can use this finding as a benchmark for further studies. The study's novelty lies in its comprehensive analysis of green insurance policies and their impact on driving investment in sustainable projects in developing countries. Based on the findings, the study recommends that insurance companies offer incentives to investors involved in sustainable projects, such as employing premium shifting strategies that minimize premiums for non-environmentally sustainable projects and redirect those funds toward sustainable initiatives

Integrating Planning Theory with Energy Planning in Developing Rural Areas: A Critical Assessment of the Energy Intervention Programs in Rural Hainan, China

Energy intervention programs have gained prominence in governmental policies and development agendas as a prevailing practice of improving rural livelihoods and protecting local environment and resources in developing rural areas since early 1970s. In spite of the increasing evidences of small-scale renewable energy systems being advantageous over traditional ones towards rural sustainability, the introduction and diffusion of the new energy systems in many developing rural areas has suffered program ineffectiveness in terms of slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. While there are substantial studies documenting the challenges of rural energy planning, few scholars have devoted to the processes and efficacy of the planning practice. Literature has obvious gaps between planning theory and rural energy planning practice as no prior academic efforts were uncovered to use planning theory to examine the rural energy planning practice and to provide directions to future practice. Meanwhile, literature suggests that the integration of efficacy-oriented and context-dependent principles of planning theory into the energy planning processes can contribute to the effectiveness of rural energy intervention programs. Vital to the integration is the conduct of a study that critically assesses the rural energy planning processes against the insights drawn from planning theory and then provides policy implications for bridging the gaps between theory and practice. A review of literature on energy, planning, and community development in relation to sustainability led to an evaluative framework containing 24 criteria which were aggregated into six groups of principles, i.e., equity, flexibility, efficiency, participation, continuity and reflectivity. The principles were coupled respectively focusing on the operationalization, implementation, and monitoring processes of rural energy planning. Employing a primary case study design, the researcher conducted the field study in southern China’s Hainan province to examine whether the aggregated criteria were upheld and performed in local practices. In the field research, the author collected relative information and data through interviews, surveys, secondary sources, and direct observation. The data were analyzed in a mix of inter-related qualitative and quantitative methods. Where possible, the author used triangulation to limit individual and methodological biases. Hainan’s rural energy intervention programs of introducing and diffusion renewable energy systems such as anaerobic digesters and solar heaters in developing rural areas were significant contents of the provincial eco-village program and eco-province strategy. Although the energy programs had satisfactory effectiveness sporadically in a few villages, the majority of the programs suffered from problems like slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. A number of challenges were recognized and mentioned by the administrative interviewees, including financial, technical, social, cultural, institutional and other constraints that support and conform to the discussions in literature. The study advances the understandings by identifying the gaps between planning theory and local rural energy planning practice in Hainan. Specifically, the equity principle was recognized but not totally fulfilled; the flexibility principle remained contentious and singularly executed; the efficiency principle was accepted but performed without enough scrutiny; the participation principle was emphasized but challenging; the continuity principle was aware of but not compulsorily executed; and the reflectivity principle was vague and overlooked. The author further analyzes that there will be barriers at the micro, meso, and macro levels to impede the integration of planning theory into rural energy planning practice. Extending the findings to a broader discussion on planning for development projects in developing rural areas, the author highlights a number of external and internal problems that harm the program effectiveness and calls for immediate and meaningful attention to ensuring program effectiveness. Several suggestions are provided for policy reconsideration and reorientation

Sustainable Initiatives in Developing Countries

Part IV: ICT and Emerging TechnologiesInternational audienceThe objective of this work is to present the Production Engineering main concepts that have been orienting the establishment of popular housing programs in Brazil, as a way of reducing its housing deficit and helping boost the social upgrading of the less favored classes. In this presentation are included the building processes presently used, which can guarantee the construction of social houses in less time, following the so called “fast construction” process and the new technologies that make it possible. The civil enterprises concepts on popular housing, most specifically those involving aspects of environmental and sociological sustainability, are also included

Sustainable Initiatives in Developing Countries

Part IV: ICT and Emerging TechnologiesInternational audienceThe objective of this work is to present the Production Engineering main concepts that have been orienting the establishment of popular housing programs in Brazil, as a way of reducing its housing deficit and helping boost the social upgrading of the less favored classes. In this presentation are included the building processes presently used, which can guarantee the construction of social houses in less time, following the so called “fast construction” process and the new technologies that make it possible. The civil enterprises concepts on popular housing, most specifically those involving aspects of environmental and sociological sustainability, are also included

Strengthening financial innovation in energy supply projects for rural exploitations in developing countries

Sustainable energy supply models are needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations for 2015. On the other hand, sustainability of agricultural exploitations in rural areas is a pre-requisite to achieve the objective of halving the proportion of people that lives in poverty, and productivity of such exploitations is closely related to energy supply. This article analyses the results of a survey of experts, suggesting that there may be good chances to innovate in the financing of agricultural electrification projects in developing countries. The experts' opinion suggests that new sources of financing could be mobilised and oriented towards the promotion of sustainable initiatives in developing countries. Financial mechanisms should be adapted to the characteristics of decentralised systems of energy production with renewable sources or with mixed technologies, in order to overcome the barriers derived from the high initial price of the applications, and to the specific conditions of the agricultural sector. The participation of funds from the beneficiaries and the incorporation of the beneficiaries in the initial phases of project organisation would allow for the development of productive solutions with a higher potential to generate resources and to articulate sustainable proposals.Sustainability Energy supply Financing Rural exploitations Productive solutions