ENV222 Social Aspects of Renewable Energy for Rural Development

[3–0, 3 cr.]

“Rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer”. This can be described as the most commonly used phrase in the 21st century. This situation gets worse with the increasing prices of basic human needs such as food, clothing, and energy supply. Energy has become a critical issue in both urban and rural areas. While the first appears to have enough resources to cover up their demand and avoid economic drops, rural regions remain poor at resources and potential, and mainly suffer from shortage in energy supply leading to a deterioration in their social and economic standing. The course offers students a deep understanding of the role renewable energy plays in sustainable rural development, cleaner technology incorporation and the potential for mitigating climate change impacts on the poor. It allows students to study the various renewable energy applications that can be utilized in rural regions at low cost for improved social standing. During the course, students will examine the energy demand and requirements in rural regions and how renewable energy can be utilized to cover this demand, reducing low productivity in sectors such as agriculture and industry due to insufficient and interpretable supply of power, water, and other main resources.