KATHMANDU, June 9 :
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday handed over a hybrid wind solar energy system, that has electrified 46 households in Dhaubadi VDC of Nawalparasi district, to the government.
Now Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) will operate the first of its kind project in the country. AEPC had started the project as a pilot project with the funding of ADB.
The project is based on energy systems planning approach and has installed two sets of 5 KW wind turbines complimented by 2 KW of solar PV panels to meet the village´s electricity demand of 43.6 KWh per day, a press statement issued by ADB after the handover program said. “The electricity from the mini-grid has helped the villagers in Dhaubadi to save time and money spent on their search for firewood.”
The hybrid solar wind system was installed in December 2011 with an investment of US$ 3.8 million under ADB´s regional technical assistance for Effective Development of Distributed Small Wind Power Systems in Asian Rural Areas. AEPC was the implementing agency of the project.
Speaking at the handover program, Kenichi Yokoyama, ADB´s Country Director for Nepal, said, “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.”
Similarly, Yongping Zhai, director at Energy Division of ADB´s South Asia Department, said ADB would now support Nepal to scale up similar initiatives in other rural areas of the country.
Source : Republica
