Improving Affordability and Reliability of Energy Access in Uganda with River Turbines

** 利用河流水轮机提高乌干达能源获取的可负担性和可靠性 ** 本研究将展示新型水力河流水轮机如何成为解决方案组合的宝贵补充，可用于加速乌干达贫困农村社区的能源获取并改善其生活质量。小型、高效、自由流、能够从快速流动的水的速度经济地发电的水力涡轮机是一种新的发展。它使用从海上潮汐能部门转移的技术，英国自大约20年前开始以来一直是世界领先者。水力发电技术与传统的水力发电技术有着根本的不同，传统的水力发电技术是从河流中提取能量，因为河流通过一个高度或“头部”下降。传统的水力发电在向国家电网大规模供电方面具有成本效益和可靠性。但这些巨大的项目往往无法连接那些要么在电网之外，要么在电网之下的贫困社区。水力涡轮机无需土木工程即可轻松部署，可以为那些可能落后的人提供负担得起的可靠电力。将进行这项可行性研究的财团汇集了英国中小企业Kinetic Hydro，开发涡轮机技术，Practical Action，一家在撒哈拉以南非洲拥有三十多年工作经验的慈善机构，Challenges Group，乌干达将被用作案例研究，评估水力河流涡轮机有助于加快能源供应的可行性。该国有成功的机会和障碍，这将是撒哈拉以南非洲其他国家的代表（但不相同）。它有低，但加速获得电力，贫困和广泛分散的农村人口，以及适合水力涡轮机的河流网络。农村地区的妇女和边缘化群体获得能源的机会不成比例地少，对生产资源的控制也有限。收集水、燃料和饲料等基本工作每天要花费许多小时。能源供应如果能够用来腾出做家务的时间，从而可以用于创收活动，那么能源供应就可以带来变革。因此，该项目将研究如何为生活在乌干达合适河流附近社区的儿童、妇女和男子提供基于水力涡轮机的可持续和有影响力的发展项目。

**Improving Affordability and Reliability of Energy Access in Uganda with River Turbines**This study will show how novel hydro-kinetic river turbines can be a valuable addition to the portfolio of solutions that can be used to accelerate energy access and improve the quality of life for poor, rural communities in Uganda.The emergence of small, efficient, free-stream, hydro-kinetic turbines capable of economically generating electricity from the speed of fast-flowing water is a new development. It uses technology transferred from the offshore tidal energy sector, in which the UK has been a world-leader since it began, about twenty years ago. Hydro-kinetic technology is fundamentally different to conventional hydropower that extracts energy from rivers as they drop through a height, or 'head'. Conventional hydropower is cost effective and reliable at a large scale supplying power to national grids. But these enormous projects often fail to connect poor communities who are either 'beyond', or 'beneath' the grid. Hydro-kinetic turbines that are easily deployed without civil engineering works can offer affordable, reliable power to those who might otherwise be left behind.The consortium who will deliver this feasibility study brings together Kinetic Hydro, a UK SME developing the turbine technology, Practical Action, a charity with over thirty years' experience working in Sub Saharan Africa, the Challenges Group, a business development agency supporting social enterprises, and the University of Leicester, who have an established capability in assessing hydropower potential using satellite data.Uganda will be used as a case study to assess the feasibility of hydro-kinetic river turbines contributing to the acceleration of energy access provision. The country has opportunities and barriers to success that will be representative of (but not the same as) others in sub-Saharan Africa. It has low, but accelerating access to electricity, a poor and widely dispersed rural population, and a network of rivers suited to hydro-kinetic turbines. Women and marginalised groups in rural areas have disproportionately poorer energy access, as well as limited control over productive resources. Basic tasks such as collecting water, fuel and fodder consume many hours a day. Energy access can be transformative if it can used to free up time spent on chores so that it can be used for income generating activities. This project will therefore research how to deliver sustainable and impactful development projects based on hydro-kinetic turbines for the children, women and men living in Ugandan communities near to suitable rivers.