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| Solar PV cells adorn the roofs of homes in the village of Mohoriguan |
Solar power is the way of the future, especially in Nepal
where traditional hydro power supplies consistently fail to meet the demands of
the population. Though hydropower may be limited, sunshine is not; Nepal
enjoys an average of 300 sunny days per year, and can generate an average of 5
kW/m². While diesel-generated electricity can cost up to Rs 30 per unit, the
cost of solar energy is less than half that amount, and dropping. The NEA’s
arguments that solar power is expensive and cannot be retained through reverse
metering have been refuted by a number of experts, including Professor Jagan
Nath Shrestha of the Pulchok Engineering Campus and Ram Prasad Dhital,
assistant director at the Alternative
Energy Promotion
Center
Still, the NEA remains skeptical, even after solar
photovoltaic systems set up to feed the power grid—one of which was set up at
the Rural Integrated Development Services (RIDS) Nepal ,
a partner of Friends of Humanity—proved successful at transmitting surplus
d
aytime power.
While much of the debate centers
around urban areas, RIDS Nepal has proven the benefits of solar power in rural
communities through installing solar panels in villages as part of the Family
of Four initiative, and has installed nearly 700 solar lighting systems to
date, limiting the environmental impact of the villages while encouraging
self-sustainability.
Kathmandu, March 29—Despite the fact that most of Nepal’s urban residents have turned to solar power, officials at the country’s main power utility, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), do not believe in the feasibility of solar power. λεβητες πέλλετ
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