An Economic Evaluation of Small-scale Distributed Electricity Generation Technologies

The provision of reliable electricity supply is vital to economic development in Third World nations. Apart from its important domestic and water pumping applications, electricity is a basic input into post-subsistence economic activity that allows communities to move from primary products into the processing of commodities, production of semi-finished goods and the creation of a manufacturing base. It also increases educational opportunities, improves the quality of life and permits access to information technologies. To the extent that it replaces traditional fuels, electricity improves indoor air quality, in turn leading to improved health and safety. In the long run, reliable electricity supplies connect remote rural communities to the wider manufacturing and service economies of a country.

By: Christopher Joshi Hansen , J. Bower