ieee smart village project (isv) - united nations...ieee smart village project (isv) briefing to the...

IEEE Smart Village Project (ISV)Briefing to the UN-DESA Energy Grant Secretariat

Powering The Future We Want: 2016 UN DESA Energy Grant Participants

Capacity Development Seminar 21- 22 November 2017

Ray Larsen, ISV Chair & Co Founder/ for the ISV Team

IEEE Life Fellow, Past President IEEE Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Stanford University CA

Power a Village,Empower Community

Copyright 2015, IEEE Smart Village Proprietary and Confidential

UN DESA Briefing Nov 21 2017 R. Larsen

Outline

1. Introduction: General Background

2. Approach: Problems & Solutions

3. Achievements:

Access to sustainable energy for eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity

4. Obstacles, Barriers and Solutions:

Challenges & Solutions -- technical, managerial, financial, governmental and cultural

5. Future Plans: Scale, Impact, Collaborations



1. Introduction: General Background

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Mission & Vision

Mission

• IEEE Smart Village integratessustainable electricity, education, and entrepreneurial solutions to empower off-grid communities

Vision

• A world where all people enjoy equal access to electricity and education to grow opportunities and leverage change for themselves and others.

Elementary school near Madan, Papua New GuineaOne of 28 such schools, plus 3 large Secondary schools scheduled to receive electrification, intranet, laptops, tablets, projectors, clean water, and sanitary toilets recycling wastes to manufacture fertilizer product compost -- Collaboration with Rotary International

“There will be no Smart Cities without Smart Villages”

“Power a Village, Empower Community”



Beginnings: IEEE HTC 2008-10

• 430,000 members, 39 Technical Societies

• 2008 IEEE asks: How can professional membership contribute to poverty eradication?

• Joint IEEE, UN & Vodafone Study group formed

• 2009: 3 Technology Challenges selected

• Reliable Electricity, Interconnectivity, Medical Records

• IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge (HTC) formed w/ Volunteers from IEEE Societies, NGOs, UN, other

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Advancing Technology for Society



IEEE HTC Strategy

• Goal: Align with UN MDG (later SDG) Goals

• Market-based, sustainable, scalable enterprises (Sachs Model)

• Engineers develop tech solutions, collaborate with NGOs to demonstrate pilots, hand off to NGOs to develop businesses.

• Results 2010:

• All pilots worked but lacked sustainable business plans

• 2009 parallel community-scale electricity, education & business model group formed as Community Solutions Initiative (CSI) Working Group (later ISV)

• 2010 CSI developed technical model & franchise business plan, aligned with NGO in Haiti (Sirona), shopped for funding, received start from HTC & NPS Society Nov, 2010

• June 2011 Delivered 6 village scale systems to Haiti

• July2012 Delivered 9 systems; business model a success

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2012: Adopted 3 Pillars Model for Success

• 2012 Power Africa Workshop• Workshop reinforced 3 pillars critical to

sustainable scaling:

• Electricity, Education, Enterprise

• 3 new African NGOs join CSI: Nigeria, Cameroon, South Sudan

• Headed by newly minted in-country engineer entrepreneurs

• All had DC Microgrid startups underway

• 2014

• IEEE Foundation supports IEEE Smart Village (ISV) electricity, education & business plan goal of scaling to reach 50M people by 2025

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“Without broad community-based

education, historically all

sustainable development

efforts will fail”

- Nobel Economist Amartya Sen et al




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• Problems: Charity vs. Empowerment

• Historic: Over a trillion dollars spent• Private charity, government-to-government foreign aid programs

have failed to budge ~20% global poor

• Most aid programs not designed to help empower• Big business or government solutions inherent conflicts -- profit

focus, misuse of funds; charity breeds chronic dependency

• Main beneficiaries developed country personnel

• Basic Electricity necessary but not sufficient• Without education, clean water, sanitation, health care, jobs creation

to prosper on community scale, initiatives cannot become sustainable, scalable, community-owned & reinvested

• Reciprocal Learning w/Community vital for Empowerment• Intelligence & energy for transformation lies primarily within

community members themselves. ISV or any other outside force is Change Agent only, not solution

9



ISV Solutions

• Build Collaborations & Reciprocal Learning• Community - Help to empower as Key Partner, owner

Entrepreneurs – Sustainable Devmt trained (e.g.. MDP)

• Energy authorities - Civic & Government

• Educators - Teachers, administrators, Universities, schools

• “Beyond the Light Bulb” - WASH programs, healthcare, women’s entrepreneurship, businesses, agriculture

• Investors – Foundations UN, Government, industry, private

• Posner Center for International Development, 80+ NGOs

• Rotary International co-investment partner

• Build Smart Villages• Help bring prosperity, reverse brain drain to big city slums

and overseas for jobs and education

10



ISV Solutions

• Continuous Development

• Invest/Seed market-based, community-based solutions at

electricity entry point

• Develop standardized drop-in tech solutions; design for

growth in level of service; adopt successful entrepreneur approaches; IEEE Open Source

• Commercialize modular products in-country for job creation, local supply chains

• Assist entrepreneurs with Total Project Support Teams

(TPSTs) to:

• address all 3 Pillars in proposals & deploy

• design 10-year plan to reach at least 1M people

• achieve sustainable business models, attract new bridge grants, loans, equity investment

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Align with UN Sustainable Development Goals – Impact of 3 ISV Pillars

• See web for full list of the 17 proposed sustainable development goals and summaries of their targets

12

SDG Goals IEEE Smart Village Response

Affordable Energy Directly address with Sunblazer modular family of electrification solutions

Quality Education Directly address with local community-based learning & internet delivery model*

No Poverty Seed fund community businesses: financially, technically, socially, & ecologically sustainable

Gender Equality Support women’s empowerment programs, entrepreneurial businesses, financial equality

*Posner Center for International Development, home of IEEE Global Classroom



Impact of 3 ISV Pillars 2

• See web for full list of the 17 proposed sustainable development goals and summaries of their targets

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SDG Goals IEEE Smart Village Response

Water & Sanitation Partner with Rotary, Posner Center*; support WASH with energy, education, enterprise

Good Health Partner with Rotary, Posner Center; access to energy, communications for medical clinics

Zero Hunger Support sustainable agriculture with access to energy, communications, education, enterprise

Partnerships for the SDGs

Partner with local entrepreneurs, NGOs, and communities for capacity building to empower 50 million people by 2025

*Posner Center for International Development, home of IEEE Global Classroom



3. Achievements: Access to Sustainable Energy for Eradicating Poverty & Promoting

Prosperity

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Haiti Project: SunBlazer 2010-12

• SunBlazer Solution Design Principles:

• Standardized, IEEE Open Source system design

• Mobile for instant deployment of SunBlazers, Portable Battery Kits, LEDs

• Market Surveys:

• Conducted by NGO non-profit or for-profit year in advance to show feasibility

• User feedback for product; signed up customers

• Business Model:

• NGO designs 10-yr. plan to serve >1M people

• Franchise village entrepreneurs serve 80+ homes

• IEEE raised seed funds ~$300K from IEEE Societies (NPSS), Region 9, Foundation

• On-ground NGO provides infrastructure, staff

• Results:

• Deployed 15 village systems 2011-12

• Demonstrated sustainable business model serving 1200 homes & 7200 people, created over 30 jobs

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UN DESA Briefing Nov 21 2017 R. Larsen16

SunBlazer Factory & Staging 2010-2012



15 Haiti Deployments 6/2011 & 8/2012



Internet/Intranet Education Delivery In-Country Global Classrooms, Learning Centers, Hospitals etc.

Interactive, server based, digital toolbox, laptops, tablets, projectors

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LDWiFi point-to-point 40-100km Typ.

WiFi Hub 10km Radius Typ.

Internet Satellite Link (Desired but Optional)

Up to 12 Schools Per LDWiFi Node

Example for Papua New Guinea



Achievements 1

• Steering Committee Organization

• Development, Finance, Marketing, Education, Technology, Engagement, Operations, Project Development, Country Managers

• Standard on-boarding process

• Standard, evaluation process: 3 Pillars, 10 yr. sustainable plan, financial model

• Review teams assigned to evaluate, SC approves

• Project Development, Operations Committees

• Completes detailed Project Agreement schedule & finances with IEEE Legal; Max award $200K total

• All projects submit to design reviews before funds spent

• Volunteer Total Project Support Teams (TPSTs)

• Team of 3 to advise on 3-Pillar plans, operations

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Achievements 2

• Buildup & Collaborations:• Standardized solutions for electricity, education business

delivery, model

• Joined Posner Center for International Development at opening, now 80+ NGOs for Sustainable Development

• Supporting Regis & Posner MDP via IEEE Global Classroom, delivers to remote villages @ 1% US cost

• Adopted Pre-K & up digital education, interconnecting schools Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, then to all projects

• Launched Rotary International fund-matching programin India, planning to expand globally

• Encourage knowledge sharing among all ISV projects

in the Forum for Sustainable Development Committee

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Achievements 3

ITEM YEAR ENDING QUANTITY COMMENTS

Villages Installed 2016 34

Villages Projected 2017 40

Beneficiaries Impacted 2016 70,000

Beneficiaries Projected 2017 100,000

Beneficiaries Projected 2018 200,000

New Starts 2017 8 (Fully funded)

New Approved Projected 2017 3 (Not funded)

New Approved Projected 2018 6 (Not funded)

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The following reflect actual data to end 2016, projections for end 2017-18 Approved = eligible for funding when available.

8 new projects launched 2017, $1.3M committed



Country Project/Entre-preneurs

Year

HAITI (Note: Largely lost in Hurricane) 1 2011

NIGERIA 2 2012, 2017

CAMEROON 2 2012, 2017

SOUTH SUDAN 1 2012

ZAMBIA 2 2014, 2016

UGANDA/RWANDA 1 2017

INDIA 3 2015, 2017

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1 2017

SUBTOTAL 13

Applicants Pending: Kenya, Vietnam, India (3),Zimbabwe, Ghana (2), Burkina Faso, DR Congo,Bangladesh, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia

12+ 2017/2018

TOTAL PROJECTED END 2018 (Exceeds Plan/Budget!) 25+ 2018

Projects Current & Pending



4. Obstacles, Barriers, Solutions:Technical, Managerial, Financial,

Governmental, Cultural

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Obstacles, Barriers, Solutions 1

Obstacles Description Solutions

Technical

Design Expertise NGOs need guidance Design reviews, TPSTs

Standard prod. Availability

Very slow or no delivery from foreign suppliers

Bid open source designs to local suppliers; create new jobs

Managerial

ISV SC Volunteer loading

Need more vols. w/ time to build, manage committees

Retirees w/ tech & managerial team building experience; via web, media

Project lead inexperience

New Project leads needmanagement assistance

Bi-weekly forums keep all project leads in close contact, sharing

Financial

Project demand exceeds funds

Have $1.5M/yr. plan, need grow to $2.5M/yr.

Expand reach to Rotary, similar foundations, offer market baskets

Investmentcommunity

Favors grid projects over renewables by 99:1 (UN)

Build on successes with multiple ISV players, shop market basket to investors

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Obstacles, Barriers, Solutions 3

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Obstacles Description Solutions

Governmental

Severe import duties, taxes

Can cost >/= 100% of value.

Ship kits, not full assemblies..Take advantage trade free zones

State Dept. Travel Warnings

Restricted access prohibits foreigners

Appoint ex-pats , in-country volunteers to find trusted project leadership

Cultural

Engineers lacksustainable business Ed'n.

Cooperating w/ IEEE on broad program of basics for engineers

Stress that problem is 20% technology, 80% business & education

Language, lack of English

At some level manuals need translation, ESL

Develop IKEA style tech manuals, lots of pics, also translate to local language; start teaching ESL in grade schools

Women denied opportunities

In many cultures women totally denied education

ISV projects support women’s learning centers in India, Uganda, Papua, women-owned cooperatives for agriculture in Uganda-Rwanda



5. Future Plans: Scale, Impact, Collaborations

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Future Plans

• Fundraising Goals • Adjust plan to live within current fundraising capacity

• Continue toward goal of $2.5M per year, 10 new projects per year –or equivalent- for decade

• Continue developing matching fund plans with Rotary International, India CSR funds, Foundations, Government

• Explore basket funding both seed & investment/loans

• Develop new funds to support Education initiatives (not in initial calculation of $200K/project)

• Marketing• Continue developing “basket” of qualified new

projects to attract new targeted donor funds

• India, Africa, Bangladesh, Ecuador, etc.31



Future Plans 2

• Education

• Expand collaborations for Education development, Standard business models, for all new projects

• All Projects

• Increase number of Total Project Support Teams of in-country volunteers with ISV USA members

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Summary

• ISV has proposals in hand to expand toward initial 10 per yr. goal

• Success of fundraising, TPST support teams, ISV management will drive progress

• Education poised for first major pilot projects, targeted fundraising

• Modest increase of IEEE staff planned when necessary, affordable, but IEEE is volunteer driven organization

• “Extreme Volunteer” resources are on critical path for ISV management and TPST support positions

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Acknowledgments

• The work presented here is the product of many hands and minds since 2009 and we are honored to thank all the contributors, especially the on-the-ground ISV Entrepreneurs who have seized the dream and are making history.

• Special thanks are due our financial supporters especially two IEEE Societies, Nuclear and Plasma Sciences and Power and Energy, and the IEEE Foundation for their amazing support. Special thanks also to the Posner Center, Regis University and Nextek Power Systems for huge continuing contributions.

• We acknowledge our roots in the IEEE HTC Initiative and thank the visionaries who started it all.

• Finally we thank the UN DESA hosts who have bestowed the honor and privilege of presenting to kindred spirits who follow the same dream of a just and sustainable world.

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