For more than 20 years, Danish development assistance has been improving the lives of Nepali families by supporting government efforts to provide electricity and sustainable, renewable energy solutions to millions of the rural poor and to establish policies to protect and enrich precious environmental resources.
By 2012, more than five million Nepalese will have received off-grid electricity through solar energy and hydropower solutions, improved cooking stoves to save biomass energy, and other alternative energy solutions supported through Danish assistance.
Nearly 17 million people – 60 percent of the population - primarily poor, rural families in Nepal live without electricity in their homes. Communities without electricity face considerable economic challenges as they have no other option but to make a living through manual labor. In addition, lack of electricity affects children’s education as they struggle to study without adequate light in their homes. Many of the families, who lack access to electricity, must rely on traditional cooking stoves or “chulos” to cook food. These stoves are highly inefficient, which leads to overconsumption of precious forest resources like wood. Traditional cooking stoves emit soot and gases like carbon monoxide that have devastating effects on the health of families – particularly young children. Acute respiratory infections are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of children under 5 each year.
As reported in a UN study, “a reliable, affordable and clean energy supply is the key to economic development” and that access to electricity was a “basic human need.” Nepal’s intense geography and the isolation of many communities pose tremendous challenges for rural electrification and the transfer of economically sound rural energy solutions. Increasing access to electricity – particularly in rural areas – is a critical factor for reducing poverty in Nepal and for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Under the Energy Sector Assistance Programme (ESAP) supported by the Government of Denmark, more than one million households will gain access to electricity through solar and hydropower solutions. Improved cooking stoves will reduce the pressure on forest resources and improve air quality in homes across Nepal saving the lives of tens of thousands of women and young children.
The objective of ESAP is to improve the lives of rural poor across Nepal through:
- Technical assistance: Providing households and communities with improved cooking stoves, household-based solar energy systems and hydropower solutions that will provide light to remote areas.- Institutional strengthening of the rural energy sector: Helping the government create policies and capacity to build and maintain rural energy supply.- The rural energy fund: Creating micro-credit opportunities and renewable financial resources to invest in community-based rural energy solutions.
Significant progress has been made to date during this phase of the activity. The current goals and targets are outlined below:
Biomass solutions (household and institutional improved cooking stoves, metal and mud - 283,300 completed households.Solar home energy system - 195,200 completed households.
Solar tuki (small home system) - 14,400 completed households.
Hydropower (household connection) - 50,200 completed households.
Under the previous phase of this activity, more than 200,000 Nepali households received improved cooking stoves or biomass solutions and nearly 16,000 households – 90,000 people – gained access to electricity through micro-hydro solutions.
For more information about Danida support to rural energy solutions in Nepal, visit our partner Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC).
Responsible desk officer at the Danish Embassy:
Shiva Sharma Paudyal shipau@um.dk