RAP 3 Program Nepal

Duration: May 2013 to June 2016

Project Location: Doti, Achham, Bajura, Humla, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Dailekh

Partners: IMCW ( Lead Partner), Practical Action and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Nepal.

Focal Person: Mr. Binod Prasad Shrestha (Team Leader) and Mr. Pashupati Prasad Khatri (Project Manager)

Status: Completed

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Coverage: Achham, Bajura, Dailekh, Doti, Humla, Jumla, Kalikot, Mugu

One of the challenges to promoting RET in the remote areas is the low RET awareness levels in communities, and their inability to afford the upfront cost of systems. RETs are capital intensive products which rural communities generally can’t pay upfront. The cost of plants/systems further escalates due to the added costs of materials and transportation to remote and widely scattered settlements of Nepal, thus limiting the access to RETs.

Further, inadequate synergy between energy entities and rural communities has resulted in the extensive efforts of government and overseas RET extension efforts being limited to the more accessible locations in Nepal. The majority of current installations are in more affluent areas of Terai and lower mid hills of Nepal. RET companies generally do not focus on more remote areas due to low business volume, thereby aggravating the cycle. Hence, if initiatives were in place to promote appropriate RETs and their end uses in remote areas of Nepal, then the energy needs of the rural population could be met and their livelihoods could be enhanced significantly.

To address the challenges mentioned above, various stand-alone RETs such as biogas, SHS, IWM, ICS, micro hydro, etc. need to be promoted to increase energy access and to enhance rural livelihoods. In this regard, Winrock International (Winrock) with the financial support of Rural Access Programme (RAP 3) proposes to promote various RETs and explore their end uses in eight remote districts – Humla, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Dailekh, Achham, Bajura and Doti, where RAP 3 is working. This project will increase energy access to the rural communities to meet their energy need and as a result their livelihood will be improved.

Objectives:

1. To increase access to renewable energy to poor households.
2. To replace traditional fuel based energy system by renewable energy saving technologies.
3. To increase use of renewable energy for production, processing and service delivery.
4. To increase income through savings on energy.

Click on the link www.rapnepal.com to view the website.