KATHMANDU, JANUARY 16
Photo voltaic power can be a number one renewable supply for electrical energy era sooner or later. The electrical energy generated by way of solar energy crops is clear, environment-friendly and dependable. Rooftop photo voltaic power, which affords a one-time funding, can be cheaper than grid electrical energy or thermal energy.
Monetary viability is the flexibility of a mission to attain adequate revenue, credit score and money move to maintain the mission financially in the long run and meet all debt obligations. Nepal is endowed with good renewable power potential. The principle sources of renewable power are mini and micro hydropower, photo voltaic power, completely different types of biomass power, biogas and wind power. Regardless of the massive potential of renewable power, nonetheless about 85 % of all power consumption in Nepal is met by way of conventional biomass power, whereas about 28 % of households in Nepal nonetheless shouldn’t have entry to electrical energy.
It’s not possible to considerably enhance the dwelling situations of low-income populations dwelling in rural areas if their demand for renewable power just isn’t met. The enlargement of the nationwide grid in these areas won’t be doable for a few years to return as a result of tough terrain, excessive prices and the present power disaster within the nation. Subsequently, clear and sustainable power, comparable to Renewable Power Applied sciences (RETs), needs to be developed as rapid and long-term options. Nevertheless, the financial hardship of individuals dwelling in rural areas and the excessive preliminary value of RETs justify the necessity for subsidy and concessional credit score services to extend entry to cleaner power.
The federal government has been selling RETs for the previous twenty years with assist from improvement companions, the personal sector and non-governmental organizations. These initiatives have resulted in vital fruitful achievements within the improvement of renewable power within the nation. To extensively develop the RET sector, encourage very poor households to make use of RETs, change the quantity of subsidy and credit score, and encourage the personal sector and monetary establishments to put money into the sector whereas specializing in offering providers to very best quality in rural areas. , the present coverage just isn’t sufficient, and due to this fact, the necessity to revise and formulate a brand new coverage is met. The brand new coverage primarily focuses on progressively changing the subsidy with credit score in the long run to attain the Sustainable Improvement Targets of Sustainable Power for All within the UN.
The federal government has a goal of attaining per capita electrical energy consumption of 1,500 kWh by 2026/27, double that of 2021-22, hoping to make it to the checklist of middle-income international locations by 2030. Want to extend in Nepal electrical energy consumption to ship a excessive financial progress charge of 8.5 %. As a consequence of lack of electrical energy provide and low revenue, most households that even have entry to electrical energy typically use it for lighting functions.
Regardless of the rise in energy output lately, Nepal’s energy sector can’t meet demand, particularly in winter, leading to extended energy cuts. Integrating RETs on the family degree, for instance, by putting in a rooftop photo voltaic photovoltaic (SPV) system, can enable householders to fulfill their power wants independently.
It would additionally assist handle power flows within the nationwide grid whereas serving to to cut back carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Nevertheless, monetary assist, greater than subsidy, needs to be supplied for pilot tasks in accordance with the settlement between the federal government and improvement companions.
As a renewable energy supply, photo voltaic power performs an essential function in decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions and mitigating local weather change, which is crucial to guard folks, wildlife and ecosystems. The typical international photo voltaic radiation in Nepal varies from 3.6-6.2 kWh per sq. meter per day. The solar shines for about 300 days per yr, and the variety of hours of sunshine reaches nearly 2,100 hours per yr with a mean of 6.8 hours of sunshine per day.
Photo voltaic power in Nepal is considerable and low-cost. There may be greater than sufficient photo voltaic power for each Nepali to get pleasure from the identical power consumption as developed international locations, and with out burning any fossil fuels or damming any Himalayan rivers. . Nepal’s photo voltaic potential is 50,000 terawatt-hours per yr, which is 100 instances higher than Nepal’s hydro useful resource and seven,000 instances higher than Nepal’s present electrical energy consumption. Subsequently, photo voltaic power can simply meet all the longer term power wants of Nepal and can be cheaper than fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro.
Sooner or later, Nepali folks can anticipate to attain a better lifestyle. When Nepal catches up with developed international locations, every particular person will use about 15 megawatt-hours per particular person per yr of electrical energy, which is 70 instances higher than as we speak. Clear photo voltaic electrical energy can be used to mild and warmth properties, cook dinner meals, energy electrical automobiles and drive business, similar to in developed international locations. Over the following 50 years, Nepal should set up 200 watts of photo voltaic panels per particular person per yr (about one sq. meter of panels per particular person per yr).
The photo voltaic panel space required to match the power consumption per particular person in developed international locations is 40-50 sq. meters per particular person with a nominal energy capability of about 10 kilowatts.
Many of the photo voltaic panel space could be positioned on the roofs. Some could also be on the bottom. Some could be floated in lakes and hydroelectric reservoirs. Some photo voltaic methods could be positioned in areas that develop meals (agrivoltaics) the place extensive photo voltaic panels shade 10 % of the crop however trigger little lack of manufacturing as a result of it reduces wind velocity and charges to evaporate. Subsequently, all elements of Nepal are favorable for photo voltaic power. This may contribute to the usual of dwelling of particular person households and save electrical energy consumption for corporations and industries for the expansion and improvement of the nation’s financial system.
Photo voltaic power in Nepal is considerable and low-cost. There may be greater than sufficient photo voltaic power for each Nepali to get pleasure from the identical power consumption as developed international locations
A model of this text appeared in print on January 16, 2023, in The Himalayan Occasions.
