Tri Mumpuni, a LEAD Fellow from Indonesia, was presented with the award for Community Power at the Ashden Awards on Wednesday 30 May 2012.
Puni, as she is known, received the award for her work in developing community-owned micro-hydro programmes in Indonesia. Her off-grid hydro schemes are bringing the benefits of electricity – like good quality light, TV and power tools – for the first time to remote communities in Indonesia, creating new livelihood opportunities and a window on the wider world.
Puni's not-for-profit People Centred Economic and Business Institute (IBEKA) is responsible for developing the schemes, which are owned and managed by communities. IBEKA also develops on-grid schemes, which provide an income to communities from selling electricity to the grid. With 61 hydro schemes installed so far, 54,000 people currently benefit and 7,400 tonnes of CO2 a year are being saved.
Aki EngKok, Village Elder in Ciptagelar said: "After coming back from the rice field in the dark in the evening, we don't need to find kerosene – now the lights just come on. And although we are in the mountains we can get information about what's happening on the other side of the world."
Puni was one of a number of clean energy pioneers from around the world who were honoured at the Ashden Awards, which seek to encourage the greater use of local sustainable energy to address climate change and alleviate poverty.
The award winners were commended by Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Director of UNIDO and Chair of UN-Energy, who urged governments around the world to increase their support for this group of entrepreneurs.
Dr Yumkella said:"The Ashden 2012 winners are exposing the myth that poor countries cannot stimulate growth without degrading the environment. They are demonstrating that sustainable energy stimulates green growth and new jobs, lifts people out of poverty, improves health and opens up new educational opportunities.
To find out more about Puni's work, please click here
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