Asian Dev Bank hands over wind-solar project to AEPC

KATHMANDU, JUN 10 -

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday handed over its pilot project on wind-solar hybrid energy system to the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC).

Ram Prasad Dhital, acting executive director of AEPC, and Yongping Zhai, director of Energy Division at ADB’s South Asia Department, signed a transfer document amid a programme in Kathmandu on Monday.

The wind-solar hybrid system was installed in Dhaubadi, Nawalparashi, in December 2011 under ADB’s regional technical assistance (RETA) for Effective Development of Distributed Small Wind Power Systems in Asian Rural Areas.

The project has installed two sets of 5kW wind turbines complimented by 2kWp of solar PV panels to satisfy the local residents’ electricity demand of 43.6kWh per day.

The electricity from the mini-gird has helped the locals in Dhaubadi save time money spend on their search of firewood. “The project has turned into a great support especially for the women to clear off their household activities and focus on their children’s study,” said Padam Rana, a local based in Dhaubadi. The RETA is part of ADB’s “Energy for All” initiative that supports increasing access to energy in remote rural areas in countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives, besides Nepal.

Following the handover of the project, Dhital said as AEPC is mandated to promote alternative energy projects, it is ready to take the job.

On the occasion, Zhai said ADB was supporting the Nepal government to start similar initiatives in other rural areas under its proposed SASEC power system expansion project. “Under the proposed SASEC power system expansion project, the off-grid component with more than 4MW of mini hydro and 500kW mini grid based solar or solar and wind hybrid system will be added,” said Zhai.

The project is providing electricity to 46 rural households of Dhaubadi. “The success of this project has demonstrated that it is indeed viable to provide reliable energy access to rural Nepal through solar-wind hybrid systems as one of the clean energy options,” said ADB Coutry Director for Nepal Kenichi Yokoyama.

“The lessons from this project will be very useful in scaling up the systems across Nepal, as well as in other developing member countries of ADB.”

Source: The Kathmandu Post