Page 4 - A Case Study on The Value of Engaging Women in the Energy Provisioning Process
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The Value of Engaging Women in the Energy Provisioning Process
barriers that lead to market failure or very limited market penetration, making the overall business
viability of the solution negligible and therefore unsustainable.
First, technically called a commercialization barrier, this is where the product must compete with
established traditional methods of energy consumption. Essentially, it is the consumer’s behaviour
or his ‘resistance to change’ that makes it difficult for a new technology to break into an established
market.
Second, the lack of adequate information leads to the subsequent failure of the product.
Since renewable technologies are relatively new, customers know very little about the product, its
benefits, and functional properties in order to make informed choices. Most utilities provide little or no
information about emissions or the fuels they use. Many customers, for example, may think that solar
technologies are unreliable because they are available only when the sun is shining (UCS 1999).
Potential customers therefore need to hear/see consistent messages about the merits of a solar
solution from reliable sources so that they are confident to make the purchase. It is also important to
communicate relevant technical information regarding safety, equipment protection, power quality,
and reliability of service (R. Margolis 2006).
This is where the EPIC Model was able to significantly overcome awareness and technology
information issues by leveraging Shramik Bharti’s monthly SHG federation meetings as platforms
for information sharing. Shramik Bharti works with over 2,500 self-help groups, where each group
consists of an average of 10 members and 100 groups make a federation. Federation meetings offer
the opportunity to address a captured and invested audience of nearly 1,000 people at a time to share
product details, demonstrate, and explain the socio-economic and health benefits of using cleaner
lighting and cooking technologies. Supporting handouts in the form of flyers and illustrative posters
also played an important part in communicating with the end user mass and in creating subsequent
demand.
Third, even when a renewable energy solution does reach rural markets, a number of financial
barriers inhibit its adoption. On the demand side, low income levels and the lack of access to formal
lending organizations translate to lower affordability and lower buying capacities. On the supply side,
small energy entrepreneurs, who can lend valuable market penetration, find it hard to set up and
run an energy based system profitably due to limited access to capital or very high costs of raising
this capital. Lending institutions also lack familiarity and adequate information on the sector to feel
reassured of their financing decisions in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects (CCAP n.d.).
Fourth, the lack of infrastructure, technical standards, capabilities, and a sound knowledge
base further undermines the proper development and sustenance of clean technology solutions and
markets. This includes the presence of trained local technicians to deal with maintenance issues and
after-sales services that contribute largely towards the reliability of solar solutions.
The successful adoption of a clean energy solution therefore requires certain ‘conversion factors’
to be addressed that—convey the technology’s value proposition, dispel its perception of unreliability,
and simplify the purchase process—to eliminate end user insecurities and purchase indecisions. The
role of women in energy service delivery will significantly enhance the level of adoption and augment
the process further by strengthening the energy delivery process at the last mile; and must therefore
be recognized and mainstreamed into the larger energy provisioning effort.
4
barriers that lead to market failure or very limited market penetration, making the overall business
viability of the solution negligible and therefore unsustainable.
First, technically called a commercialization barrier, this is where the product must compete with
established traditional methods of energy consumption. Essentially, it is the consumer’s behaviour
or his ‘resistance to change’ that makes it difficult for a new technology to break into an established
market.
Second, the lack of adequate information leads to the subsequent failure of the product.
Since renewable technologies are relatively new, customers know very little about the product, its
benefits, and functional properties in order to make informed choices. Most utilities provide little or no
information about emissions or the fuels they use. Many customers, for example, may think that solar
technologies are unreliable because they are available only when the sun is shining (UCS 1999).
Potential customers therefore need to hear/see consistent messages about the merits of a solar
solution from reliable sources so that they are confident to make the purchase. It is also important to
communicate relevant technical information regarding safety, equipment protection, power quality,
and reliability of service (R. Margolis 2006).
This is where the EPIC Model was able to significantly overcome awareness and technology
information issues by leveraging Shramik Bharti’s monthly SHG federation meetings as platforms
for information sharing. Shramik Bharti works with over 2,500 self-help groups, where each group
consists of an average of 10 members and 100 groups make a federation. Federation meetings offer
the opportunity to address a captured and invested audience of nearly 1,000 people at a time to share
product details, demonstrate, and explain the socio-economic and health benefits of using cleaner
lighting and cooking technologies. Supporting handouts in the form of flyers and illustrative posters
also played an important part in communicating with the end user mass and in creating subsequent
demand.
Third, even when a renewable energy solution does reach rural markets, a number of financial
barriers inhibit its adoption. On the demand side, low income levels and the lack of access to formal
lending organizations translate to lower affordability and lower buying capacities. On the supply side,
small energy entrepreneurs, who can lend valuable market penetration, find it hard to set up and
run an energy based system profitably due to limited access to capital or very high costs of raising
this capital. Lending institutions also lack familiarity and adequate information on the sector to feel
reassured of their financing decisions in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects (CCAP n.d.).
Fourth, the lack of infrastructure, technical standards, capabilities, and a sound knowledge
base further undermines the proper development and sustenance of clean technology solutions and
markets. This includes the presence of trained local technicians to deal with maintenance issues and
after-sales services that contribute largely towards the reliability of solar solutions.
The successful adoption of a clean energy solution therefore requires certain ‘conversion factors’
to be addressed that—convey the technology’s value proposition, dispel its perception of unreliability,
and simplify the purchase process—to eliminate end user insecurities and purchase indecisions. The
role of women in energy service delivery will significantly enhance the level of adoption and augment
the process further by strengthening the energy delivery process at the last mile; and must therefore
be recognized and mainstreamed into the larger energy provisioning effort.
4
