Dr. Johanna Hoeffken, from Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands will be delivering a seminar titled "Different Priorities for Implementing Micro‐hydro Plants in India".

Abstract

The phrase ‘small is beautiful’ holds true for the micro-hydro plants discussed in this article. Micro-hydro plants can convert the energy of falling water into electricity. In India, access to electricity cannot be taken for granted, especially in rural areas, which do not yet have grid extension or where it is too costly or infeasible. In these cases, micro-hydro plants are a welcome solution.

Here I discuss the efforts of two non-governmental organizations, a private company, and a government agency, to facilitate micro-hydro projects in India, thereby increasing the socio-economic empowerment of rural inhabitants without electricity access.

In my view, these projects can indeed be described as “beautiful” technology interventions, based on extensive ethnographic data and constructivist conceptualizations of scale and consequences. In line with the common discourse on “small is beautiful,” the projects emphasize community engagement, control, and locality. Yet, importantly, they are “beautiful” in diverse ways. The four actors have set different priorities when implementing their small-scale technology interventions. I argue that it is important to highlight these implementation priorities because they can empower people in quite different ways. Just like scale, implementation matters. 

About the Speaker

Johanna Hoeffken works as Assistant Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. She has a background in Science, Technology and Society Studies (STS), a “ branch” of sociology critically studying the interactions between science/technology and society. She completed her PhD under the supervision of Wiebe Bijker at Maastricht University (Netherlands) on issues of civic engagement with renewable energy technologies (small hydro) in India.

She is currently in India due to a 4 year research project which she got funded by the Dutch Science Organisation (NWO). The project revolves around developing and implementing Smart Grids in rural India and involves partners from India and the Netherlands, both within academia and in the broader societal and business sector. While rural electrification in India is one of her research interests, the other, newer interest of hers is that of urban development, especially the notion of “smart cities”. She is currently developing this “smart city” research line and she is looking for scholars, organisations and other stakeholders who are working on similar issues.