Publication Type

Book Chapter

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

7-2015

Abstract

Worldwide, 1.3 billion people remain without access to electricity and 2.7 billion are still cooking on harmful and inefficient stoves1 . Many live in remote rural village communities, and until they have access to energy services, little progress can be made to develop and improve their lives2 . As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated, “energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity, and an environment that allows the planet to thrive”3 . Improving the lives of rural communities by developing smart villages is a concept analogous to the more familiar smart cities. The vision for smart villages is that modern energy access can act as a catalyst for development – in education, health, food security, productive enterprise, clean water and sanitation, environmental sustainability and participatory democracy – which in turn supports further improvements in access to energy. Integrating energy access with other development initiatives, harnessing and developing local entre - preneurial capacities, and technological advances in the supply and use of sustainable energy are making such transformative change possible.

Discipline

Urban Studies | Urban Studies and Planning

Research Areas

Integrative Research Areas

Publication

Smart Villages: New Thinking for Off-grid Communities worldwide

Editor

HEAP, Brian

First Page

13

Last Page

20

Publisher

Banson

Additional URL

https://www.e4sv.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Smart-Villages-New-Thinking-for-Off-grid-Comunities-Worldwide.pdf

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