SDG Asia Workshop

Dear Peter and Brant,

If hydropower is the primary energy source for Nepal and solar is one of the best alternative sources of power generation, then wind can be another viable option to look out for if we want to address the energy need of our country. While a few potential areas have been identified, stakeholders from both the government and private sectors have been working to identify and study the prospects of wind power in Nepal. Nonetheless, the challenges are there to integrate wind as source of alternative energy which need to be overcome to make the country sustainable in terms of energy resources.

Nepal started producing hydropower in 1911, even before China, and generated 556.5 MW by 2005, whereas 733 MW of hydropower and 100 KW of solar power were produced by 2014.  However, following a ‘hydel-only’ policy—with the possible impact of climate change on the Himalayas and river systems originating from them—would be like putting all the eggs in one basket.

The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) project executed by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), has shown a very good prospect for wind energy development in Nepal with prediction of about 3,000 MW of wind power generation for the nation.

Another interesting fact is that it is easier to construct and install wind turbines faster than hydropower. “The hydropower project cycle is big and a single project doesn’t complete even in 10 years at times. But if the road and transmission line is available, we can install a wind turbine of 200 MW in three to nine month.

There is interest from different sectors but the government has not introduced a favourable environment to encourage private sectors to invest in wind power. “Despite huge potential of wind energy at the commercial level, we lack budget.

Your's Sincerely,

Anish.    

Dear Peter,

good to know that some innovative work is in progress to address the issue of electricity access, as this is huge issue in  Pakistan as facing since decade, although we are working on some alternative sources like solar, coal and wind power generation but we have issues like lack of sustainability, constancy, good governance and political will to resolve and move forward towards development initiatives.

Cheers

Samreen