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Small-scale, decentralized and modular technologies can play key roles for providing basic human services such as energy, sanitation and fresh water, especially in contexts without access to physical infrastructure. But deployment of these “gridless” technologies is currently limited by financing, regulations, standards and lack of appropriate business models.
In both the electricity and wastewater treatment sectors, small-scale, decentralized and modular technologies are becoming increasingly attractive as alternatives to traditional large-scale centralized systems.
This development is in many ways quite beneficial, as it can open up new opportunities for provision of basic services, especially to communities where connection to central power grids or wastewater treatment systems are either not available or prohibitively expensive. This includes island communities, rural regions in global South and humanitarian aid settlements, but could also apply to informal settlements in rapidly urbanizing regions.
Development and deployment of gridless technologies come with a set of challenges that in many ways are different to those seen in systems based on large physical grid infrastructures. The objective of the Gridless Initiative is to gain an increased understanding of gridless technologies as a sociotechnical phenomenon, so as to understand how they can be developed and deployed in a way that maximizes their potential when it comes to acceleration of sustainability transitions.
This SEI report outlines issues that stakeholders in water, sanitation and energy services believe are holding back uptake of promising gridless technologies.
- SEI reports
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- 18 November 2021
- Asia
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- 22 March 2021
- Europe
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- 22 March 2021
- Europe
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There is great potential for synergies to emerge when gridless technologies for energy and WASH are combined in off-grid settings.
- Perspective
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- Climate
- Economy
- Water
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- 22 March 2021
- Africa
- Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
The Initiative analyses on-the-ground deployment experiences and aims to address barriers faced by off-grid technologies.
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- Air
- Economy
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- 9 December 2020
- Eastern Africa
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- EU
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- SEI briefs
- Energy
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- 22 April 2020
- Africa
Additional solutions, capacity development and strengthening of governance systems are needed to allow for increased sustainability of the city's sanitation.
- SEI reports
- Water
- Health
- Governance
- 1 March 2022
- Bolivia
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