Renewable Energy for Underserved Communities

With all the current discussion on topics like renewable energy, policies to incentivize solar investment, product cost and pricing, and different technologies and which one will emerge as the consumer choice, is anyone asking how the 2 billion people who currently do not have access to electricity obtain that access?

To recognize the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the leaders of Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society asked that very question to experts in the field at a conference sponsored by Applied Materials last month. Billed as “Power to the People, Renewable Energy for Underserved Communities,” a number of subject matter experts explored the topic with business and community leaders, community benefit organization leaders, and Santa Clara students.

The first section of the conference focused on Renewable Innovations for Base of the Pyramid Communities. The topic evoked excellent dialogue from panelists such as Ella Delio of the New Ventures initiative at the World Resources Institute, offering insightfulness on the energy needs of the poor in India, where 114 million households annually spend $4.75 billion on either kerosene or firewood and dung fuel sources. Delio championed four areas to improve conditions in India: 1) Decentralized Renewable Energy; 2) Solar Home Sector; 3) Solar Lanterns; and 4) Energy Efficient Cook Stoves. The reality of these needs sinks in when you consider the challenges of government policy, cost of products and the reluctance to change personal habits such as cooking techniques.

Other energy topics discussed were biofuels as a supplement to diesel created by the tropical plant Jatropha Curcas from Federico Grati of Agroils, Husk Power Systems (turn rice husk into fuel), and blueEnergy, who provides marginalized communities with energy sources from wind and solar in Nicaragua.

All of these technologies and techniques offer realistic opportunities. Scalability and mass market acceptance was the big question mark for me.

Closer to Silicon Valley, the second session of the conference focused on Renewable Innovations for Bay Area Communities.  Representing viewpoints were Kurt Yeager from the Galvin Electricity Initiative, Ben Tarbell of SolarCity, Mary Biasotti of GRID Alternatives, and Preet Anand, as a Santa Clara University student who was part of the university’s Solar Decathlon team and Refract House project. My bias of interest and support was immediate for this group as Applied Materials provides contributions and employee support to both GRID Alternative and Santa Clara’s Solar Decathlon team. I was impressed by the entire panel and proud of our funding partnerships and their presentations.

SolarCity focuses on a low cost, no up-front cost approach to financing solar installations via a Power Purchase Agreement. Whereas product differentiation may be difficult for some, they use financing options as the value proposition.  The Galvin Electricity Initiative on the other hand, was a cutting edge presentation on how to move an almost immovable regulatory system that does not sufficiently encourage competitive alternatives to fossil fuel energy. Mr. Yeager was provocative in is examination of the issues, to say the least.

If you want to help low income families in Silicon Valley and other parts of California have access to solar energy then GRID Alternatives is your solution. They mostly partner with Habitat for Humanity but do have other models. Applied Materials has partnered with them on three different occasions to place solar panels on rooftops of local residences. Our employees love the opportunity to volunteer and connect their work with helping to improve the lives of others. Many of our employees help design equipment to make solar panels within our company, but don’t get exposed to the customer to see how lives are impacted through their work. GRID Alternatives enables that connection.

Finally, if you ever wonder whether future generations will be able to crack the code on climate change and build a society that is sustainable, then I suggest you get exposed to Preet Anand and all of his classmates at Santa Clara University.  He was so articulate with his description of the university’s involvement in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition (SCU partnered with California College of the Arts and placed 3rd out of 20 teams across the globe – impressive) that I was convinced he will be part of the great engineering solutions needed to reverse climate change activity.

Applied Materials is fortunate to have a culture of innovating solutions for the toughest engineering problems and for supporting community causes that truly improve people’s lives.