Mitigating the current energy crisis in Nepal with renewable energy sources

Abstract

Nepal has been suffering from a serious energy crisis for decades. It has severely affected its economic, social and political developments. Owing to the continuously evolving energy situation in Nepal, and the recent progress in renewable energy technologies, this study aims to provide an up to date perspective on the current energy crisis in Nepal. In particular, the current energy production and consumption profiles are reviewed, and the main factors contributing to a widening gap between the energy supply and demand are identified. These factors concern delayed and overpriced hydropower projects, outdated and insufficient energy infrastructure, transmission and distribution losses, energy theft, deficient energy management, lack of energy conservation, low efficiency of equipment, unsustainable energy pricing strategies and unsatisfying energy market regulations. Other essential factors worsening the energy crisis can be attributed to specific geographical and geopolitical problems, the strong dependence on energy imports, and inadequate exploitation of the vast amounts of renewable energy resources. The status of existing and planned large hydropower projects is summarized. The recent policies and investment initiatives of the Nepalese government to support green and sustainable energy are discussed. Furthermore, a long-term outlook on the energy situation in Nepal is outlined using the energy modeling software LEAP in order to show how to exploit the tremendous renewable energy resources in Nepal. Our findings suggest that renewable resources are crucial not only for mitigating the present energy crisis, but also to ultimately provide energy independence for Nepal by establishing reliable and secure sources of energy.

Two-Dimensional Tellurium: Progress, Challenges, and Prospects

“…Due to the rapid pace of industrial development, the energy crisis has become a critical issue in the twenty-first century. During the past decade, there have been tremendous efforts to solve this severe worldwide problem [195][196][197][198][199][200]. The generation of electricity through harvesting energy from ambient and waste heat sources is an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to overcome this problem.…”

Educator Knowledge of Early Childhood Development : Evidence from Eastern Nepal

“…Nepal has made large investments in early childhood education in recent years, with enrollment in early childhood education and development (ECED) centers increasing from 12% in 2000 to 86% in 2017 (Poudyal et al (2019)). In Nepal, ECE centers are either privately run or government run.…”

“…However, the percentage of facilitators with one-month of training was only 10.4% in 2018/19 (World Bank (2020)). According to a recent UNICEF report, most of the trained ECE facilitators have attended only short courses, and the intensity of facilitator training is not adequate (Poudyal et al (2019)).…”

“…There are large gaps in knowledge about early childhood development and the importance of the first five years of a child's life in Nepal. Beginning with pregnancy and childbirth, many parents are unaware that mothers need to eat a nutritious diet during pregnancy,that childbirth should occur in a healthcare facility, and that breastfeeding is important (Poudyal et al (2019)).…”

A Group Decision Framework for Renewable Energy Source Selection under Interval-Valued Probabilistic linguistic Term Set

“…The renewable energy sources of like solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal, and wind energy are approximately endless, at the same time offering several economic and environmental advantages in comparison with conventional sources [2]. Each renewable energy source offers a particular benefit, making it individually suitable for particular applications in appropriate disciplines [3].…”