Auroville's Renewable Energy programme

We're visiting Hemant at Auroville's Renewable Energy programme. Hemant is a senior figure at Auroville, although this is played down as I get the impression that the concept doesn't sit well with Auroville's egalitarian values. Still, he's been involved for 16 years and with a wife and young child, he's a committed Aurovilian. So what is Auroville? Well, put simply, it's a 40 year old experiment in creating a new kind of town and a new kind of community. With a current population of 2,000, spanning 40+ countries and an aspiration to be a 'city' of 50,000 it's definately a 'big idea'. The philosophy behind Auroville, the values that bind it together and the grand plan for this fledgling city all make fascinating reading, but I don't propose to try and cover this now. If you want to explore Auroville in more detail go to http://www.auroville.org/

OK so what's the Renewable Energy Programme all about? Well,since the early days at Auroville, the community have been involved in the research and implementation of renewable energy systems; an interest originally born from necessity. This early interest has led to the gradual development of an expertise in the whole area of renewable energy and the development of research and development facilities and a market for Auroville to provide a range of renewable energy 'services. Today, Auroville is recognised in India as a 'testing' centre for a wide variety of renewable energy technologies.

We had a chance to see some of this work at first hand. From an impressive solar powered 'steam cooker' that powers the cafe/restaurant that feeds the working population of Auroville, to a variation on a theme of solar powered streetlight.

The experise at Auroville is clearly in demand and provides a source of income in the form of consulting fees and income from product development support.

The 'killer application' that a bright community like Auroville could deliver, is a 'fit for purpose' and affordable energy solution for the developing world. In a sense, this is the holy grail as access to affordable energy could transform the education, economic development and social inclusion of large parts of the developing world. Will Auroville solve this problem before the big commercial beasts? If so, could Auroville's philosophy for life ensure that the discovery of a solution to this problem, isn't hijacked for commercial gain? Well it's too early to tell I guess, although it would be great to think this could happen.