In a country like Nepal where there is a major power crisis with about 12 hours of daily power cuts, solar is one of the best alternative forms of energy, stated Thapa who has been working in the energy sector for 23 years and has established Solar Solutions, a company dedicated to promote the use of solar energy.[break]
With the failure of hydro projects to take off and the decade-long Maoist insurgency which compelled people to move to urban centers and subsequently produced a huge demand for energy, the aftereffect can be seen in the hours of daily load shedding. However, Thapa said he sees a light and that much can be achieved through solar power.
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And the World Food Programme’s (WFP) country office in Kathmandu has not only believed in the power of going green but also become a leader in using alternative sources of energy in its daily operations.
With one of the largest United Nations agencies in the country, WFP has a relatively bigger carbon footprint; and by going solar, the organization can not only be self-reliant on the energy it uses but also offset its carbon footprint, said Richard Ragan, WFP Representative for Nepal and the brain behind the idea.
“I felt like we needed to do something that would set an example, and the UN is supposed to do that: set examples,” Ragan said of WFP’s US$350,000 solar project that has been divided into two phases.
In its first phase, the office has started to use solar energy that powers its server, 10 computers, security lights and VSAT communication systems. Also, solar streetlights have been installed, which provides 12 hours of nighttime security lighting, thus replacing 2 kilowatt power from Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) grid. This has saved WFP a minimum energy consumption of 30,000 watt hours per day, and the organization has also switched off its 165kva generators that it used at nights, ultimately saving costs.
In 2009, WFP’s total energy consumption was around 144,000 units from NEA’s grid. Once the whole project is completed, it will save energy consumption up to 70%. Besides, WFP used 11,000 liters diesel for generators in 2009, which will be completely replaced by solar energy.
Ragan said the organization spends about US$35,000 yearly on electric bills and fuel cost for generators, and now with a one-time capital investment in solar, WFP can use the savings in other areas even though the amount is minimal.
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Thapa said that though cost of installing solar panels is higher, it would be a long-time investment, and the costs would depend upon the energy requirements at homes. And once installed, the solar energy works as electricity.
The process is simple, explained Thapa. Solar panel generates electricity in the daytime, stores it into the battery, and an inverter converts electricity into 220 volts and then supplies it to the main lines.
WFP, Thapa said, has the first grid-interactive solar system in Nepal, which means the energy generated in daytime is directly consumed by equipment that requires power. Any energy in excess is stored in the battery so it can be used as a reserve when there is a lack of sunshine.
Ragan said once the second and final phase is completed and the office is entirely solar-dependent, the excess energy could be sold to NEA, if they agree.
But officials at NEA were not available for comment on this topic.
Dr Dinesh Sharma, professor of electronics and communication at the Institute of Engineering (IOE) at Pulchowk, said it would be a good idea if NEA agrees but they are reluctant on the topic of buying solar energy. He said this could also create investment opportunities as people could get motivated to install solar panels on their rooftops and sell the excess energy.
“There could be power generation in every house,” said Sharma, who has been working in the solar sector for about 20 years. “This could be a solution to the power crisis.”
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In a study conducted by Dr Tri Ratna Bajracharya, the director for Center for Energy Studies at IOE, along with Sharma, the duo has investigated the average daily energy need of Kathmandu – which is approximately two to six units per day – and how people are coping with load shedding, and the alternative forms of energy they are using.
“The trend of solar energy in urban areas is catching up,” Sharma said, referring to the 300,000 solar-powered homes in the country, most of them away from the cities. And with 300 days of sunshine in Nepal and a suitable temperature, Sharma said solar energy is the best alternative energy source for Nepal.
But he cited lack of government policies about solar energy in the cities as one of the reasons for the lack of urbanite interest.
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Surya Kumar Sapkota, senior planning officer at the Alternative Energy Promotion Center under the Ministry of Environment, said the Maoist-led government, just before they resigned, had brought forth a program to promote solar energy in the cities. Under this program, in its initial phase, it had decided to sanction Rs 10,000 each to 100,000 households and eventually reach one million households.
However, he stated that it was a “rushed decision without any homework.”
But Bajracharya’s and Sharma’s study could help the government formulate policies and promote solar energy in the cities, Sapkota said.
Currently, the government provides tax and VAT discounts on solar panels, which is almost a 30% deduction of the price. But this is not enough, said Thapa Ragan and Sharma.
“People have to see the financial benefits of it, and so the government has to make it financially lucrative or generate individual interest,” Ragan said of how citizens can be motivated to this project.
Sharma said the government should introduce 50% subsidies in cash or tax rebates, or provide soft loans to individual households. He also stressed on certain schemes for the corporate sector.
“What WFP is doing is very encouraging,” he said. “It could be used as a model.”
Thapa said that WFP’s module could be used in other commercial sectors, too, and that would highly decrease the energy dependency on NEA’s grid.
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And in WFP Nepal’s final phase of solar power project, to be completed before Ragan leaves for Ethiopia, the system will get the organization off its diesel-gulping generators and perhaps go entirely green.
Ragan said that WFP is “setting an example for others to follow” and “it’s high time to figure different ways to find energy since fossil fuels aren’t a bottomless pit.”
He concluded, “The only way we’re going to battle environmental degradation as a race, as people, is if we take collective responsibility, the world has to wake up and take collective responsibility.”
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