“The challenges of the energy and
key issue on a global level will be
communication networks of the future
the development and provision of
are more complex than ever before.
smart and appropriate solutions for
Together
developing countries, to unleash their
with
large
infrastructure
developments in emerging economies
potential for development.�
and the processes of modernisation in
the
industrialised
countries,
a
Jochen Berner Project Manager Off-Grid, Osram GmbH
Introduction Shrinking resources, rising energy prices and progressive climate change have all demonstrated over the last few years that a fundamental shift in thinking must take place in the field of energy production and supply. What are the alternatives? This is the crucial question; the answers are also of relevance to Development Cooperation and Disaster Relief, because we need to also think about alternatives in these areas. After all, millions of people in developing countries are still far away from being connected to a central power supply. Alternative solutions will have to be found instead, in order to e.g. supply shops or public buildings with electricity. In the area of emergency protection, access to offgrid electricity is a key issue as power supply must be ensured even if the network collapses. What is needed here are decentralised, small and mobile high-performance power supply units. For both Disaster Relief and Development Cooperation, the question of efficient energy storage mechanisms is also of vital importance. Mobile phones have become the most important means of communication in developing countries. According to a report by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), every second person in these countries was already using a mobile phone in 2008. The infrastructure is good – almost every village in Africa has mobile phone reception. Internet penetration is much slower, however. Besides their role as means of communication, mobile phones are an important source of information for people in developing countries, the economic relevance of which must not be underestimated: The mobile phone facilitates trade and promotes economic development. A question that arises both in Development Cooperation and Disaster Relief concerns the power supply of communication media: How can mobile phones, two-way radios and computers be supplied with power reliably and independently from the grid? In an emergency, the success of the Emergency Response operation hinges on efficient communication between rescue workers. Fail-safe storage units that can, for example, keep telecommunications equipment running even when the power grid collapses, are also of vital importance in an emergency.
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