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The following was posted in a discussion group on Solar PV Financing (at roo.undp.org/gef/solarpv...messages.cfm
"Three main points:
1) Solar PV infrastructures are diffusive -- like traditional power infrastructures -- but the power distribution infrastructure to the end user (typically) is done completely by nature (vs. tradition extensive power grids).
2) Typical universal-citizen infrastructure projects are undertaken by government (society at large).
3) The creative dimension of financing of novel infrastructures may have far less to do with technology specifics that system factors of target citizenry: especially forms and norms in national and global governments and economies.
From 1) and 2), one avenue for financing that must frequently be under discussion is complete public financing of the infrastructure and either a public or private agency that supports the infrastructure with regular (subsidized) service fees. Implicit or explicit subsidies are inherent elements of most any popular service, sometimes dealing with shifting of cost burden from rural to urban, wealthy to poor, (in Solar PV perhaps from arid to wet). There has been working in telecommunications towards envisioning and implementing a global telecom subsidy -- which holds obvious parallel possibilities for Solar PV finance in lesser developed countries.
From 3) there is a more complex interaction between established process that involves feedback loops between public knowledge, policy decisionmakers, influencers of elections (media, political action groups, etc.), policies and regulations for power, commercial technology developments in power technologies, commercial service developments and availability of various types of power (with various sustainability characteristics). In order to highlight one such feedback loop of particular importance, that tends to reinforce the established services and infrastructures (traditional power) over novel approaches (e.g. Solar PV), I've written the attached essay entitled, "Aikido Activism." Briefly, Aikido Activism envisions that for true progress in any realm (including the realm of power distribution), that the current status quo must be directly engaged in a variety of innovative ways to turn it towards a better solution. From the Solar PV perspective -- and from one not expert in the relative economics of Solar PV to traditional power mechanisms -- I suspect the argument of depletion of fossil fuels, and the viability of Solar PV as a major powering source in the developed world represents an opportunity for an approach via Aikido Activism. The current version of the essay Aikido Activism, delving into political, economics and social dimensions of finance, is attached."
"Three main points:
1) Solar PV infrastructures are diffusive -- like traditional power infrastructures -- but the power distribution infrastructure to the end user (typically) is done completely by nature (vs. tradition extensive power grids).
2) Typical universal-citizen infrastructure projects are undertaken by government (society at large).
3) The creative dimension of financing of novel infrastructures may have far less to do with technology specifics that system factors of target citizenry: especially forms and norms in national and global governments and economies.
From 1) and 2), one avenue for financing that must frequently be under discussion is complete public financing of the infrastructure and either a public or private agency that supports the infrastructure with regular (subsidized) service fees. Implicit or explicit subsidies are inherent elements of most any popular service, sometimes dealing with shifting of cost burden from rural to urban, wealthy to poor, (in Solar PV perhaps from arid to wet). There has been working in telecommunications towards envisioning and implementing a global telecom subsidy -- which holds obvious parallel possibilities for Solar PV finance in lesser developed countries.
From 3) there is a more complex interaction between established process that involves feedback loops between public knowledge, policy decisionmakers, influencers of elections (media, political action groups, etc.), policies and regulations for power, commercial technology developments in power technologies, commercial service developments and availability of various types of power (with various sustainability characteristics). In order to highlight one such feedback loop of particular importance, that tends to reinforce the established services and infrastructures (traditional power) over novel approaches (e.g. Solar PV), I've written the attached essay entitled, "Aikido Activism." Briefly, Aikido Activism envisions that for true progress in any realm (including the realm of power distribution), that the current status quo must be directly engaged in a variety of innovative ways to turn it towards a better solution. From the Solar PV perspective -- and from one not expert in the relative economics of Solar PV to traditional power mechanisms -- I suspect the argument of depletion of fossil fuels, and the viability of Solar PV as a major powering source in the developed world represents an opportunity for an approach via Aikido Activism. The current version of the essay Aikido Activism, delving into political, economics and social dimensions of finance, is attached."
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