Building on local knowledge, distribution and support networks: Examples of intervention on pico-hydropower in the Lao PDR

This article shows the characteristics, use, and interventions of market-driven pico-hydropower turbines in the Lao PDR to emphasise the importance of building on local knowledge, distribution and support networks for rural electrification. Privately owned pico-hydropower (<2 kW) is the most prolific form of off-grid rural electrification in the northern provinces of Laos. Its relatively wide utilisation relies on the extensive network of Chinese and Vietnamese traders and Lao shop owners to distribute the turbines and the spare parts, and on local knowledge of end-users on the choice of the location, installation, use and load management of the systems. Despite its comparative advantages over solar home systems, diesel generators, micro-hydropower, and other forms of off-grid rural electrification, there are some issues related to safety, load management, seasonality, and the supply chain. The ongoing interventions by the pico-hydropower team at the Lao Institute for Renewable Energy (LIRE) to overcome these issues are used as an example of an approach that builds upon the local knowledge, distribution and support networks of pico-hydropower in Laos. These include ways to share and disseminate information, the implementation of a 2 kW community pico-hydropower system as a demonstration of best practice for replication, testing turbines and accessories, and policy advocacy.