Brief Introduction SANet Demonstration

The Sustainable Alternatives Network (SANet) project is designed to assist business managers and experts in making informed decisions regarding investments in cleaner technologies by offering three kinds of different but interlinked services: 1.Face-to-face communication at the country and regional levels through Local Desks; 2.Technical assistance and training; 3.Internet-based information services, including case studies of businesses that have successfully switched to cleaner technologies.

Local Desks offer free information and advice on how to put cleaner technology to work in business. Ensures articulation to the need of local stakeholders, thereby increasing local ownership and participation of local businesses. Local Desk staff can provide assistance in person, over the phone, or by . With experts on hand at each location, they offer: –A free advisory service to guide exploration of cleaner- technology options for the client’s business. –A free brokering service to put clients in touch with quqlified experts. Each desk maintains a database of experts with proven track records. –Technical assistance and training. SANet Local Desks are currently located in Brazil, India, Nicaragua, Peru, and Tanzania.

Access to Local Desks services are by membership. SANet offers a free membership. SANet members can also contribute to SANet content by: –Marketing their services by becoming a SANet Expert. To qualify as an expert: Members must have professional experience either putting cleaner technologies to use or financing them. Members must describe and document this experience in their online SANet profile by contributing a Case Study or more. –Adding to the SANet directory of Finance Resources. –Adding to the SANet library of Planning Tools. Suggest web- based planning tools that can help companies weigh environmentally friendly business choices.

The SANet internet-based information services offer easy access to clean-technology resources from around the world. They include the following directories: –Case studies documenting successful adoptions of cleaner technologies (1423) –Experts with clean-technology experience and how to contact them (649) –Planning tools to aid assessing the feasibility of adopting cleaner technology (317) –Finance resources and the institutions providing them (79)

E-learning Initiative : –Eight-week course (31 Oct Dec 2005) remote learning lead by India Local Desk. –Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency in Industrial Enterprises  aided participants to identify energy-conservation opportunities in a range of industries, including undertaking energy-efficiency studies/audits. –Participants learned about various rules of thumb for calculating the benefits of energy efficiency; the worksheets for calculating the performance of various systems and equipment (e.g., compressors, cooling towers, pumps, fans). –Participants awarded a certificate on successful completion of the course. –Free enrollment, but only a limited number (15) of applicants were accepted (NCPC). –Participant requirements: trained engineer with 3-4 years work experience, proficient in English, have consistent, reliable access to the Internet.

New SANet Clean Technology News Wire service : –Aimed at providing a one-stop access to news articles (RSS feeds) from multitude of major newspapers and magazines on clean technology and energy issues. –Allow members to subscribe by to news articles on specific issues of clean technology and energy. –Human-based quality & relevance filtering (weekly updates). Operations expected to be distributed to Local Desks.

Some problems encountered: –Too many issues covered. –Some Local Desks are not very active. –Project management. –Language / translation issues. –Quality of content presented on portal. Possible future work: –Web services consumer (including TT:Clear) and provider. –New module on industrial energy technologies (partership with a Japanese university). –Look into the possibility of engaging internet users (enthusiasts / activists / bloggers) in increasing quantitiy and quality of content delivered through the SANet portal.