The provision of electricity to rural communities through Micro-Hydro Power in rural Indonesia: Micro Hydro Power pilot programme within the national programme for community development (PNPM) supported by the Netherlands through energising development

This final report is part of an evaluation commissioned by the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It belongs to a series of impact evaluations of renewable energy and development programmes supported by the Netherlands, with a focus on the medium and long-term effects of these programmes on end-users or final beneficiaries. The Indonesian government has proclaimed rural access to electricity as one major objective and has set the target for the electrification rate at 95 percent for the year 2025 (DESDM 2005). At the same time, the promotion of renewable energies is high on the government's agenda and in particular the remote areas lend itself to decentralized electrification using solar or hydro power. Against this background, the Micro Hydro Power pilot programme (MHP pilot in the following) strives to promote the development of micro hydro power fed minigrids in remote areas. It is the major purpose of this evaluation to assess the impacts of micro-hydro power electrification has on the local population's welfare measured by various indicators including lighting usage, energy expenditures, activity patterns, and security aspects.