The methodology was demonstrated for the community of Pangboche in Nepal
To develop the methodology and concurrently demonstrate results, a case study was carried out in the community of Pangboche in Nepal. Each step of the methodology was carried out for Pangboche in order to design a potential renewable energy system to meet their energy needs. The following sections contain the results from the case study.
Pangboche is a small community situated in the Solokhumbu region of Nepal. It has a population of approximately 400 people and the main employment opportunities are farming and tourism (due to it being situated on the route to Everest base camp). Pangboche is extremely remote; the nearest main road is a 10-12 day walk and from there the village is only accessible via steep and narrow trails. Any outsourced materials or provisions can be carried in by yaks, porters, or in the rare case, by helicopter.
Currently, 30% of the population of Nepal does not have access to electricity [1] and its GDP of $427 per capita is one of the lowest in the world, according to the World Bank [2]. In Pangboche, some buildings use solar panels to produce electricity for lighting and small appliances. Gas, traditional biomass and kerosene are used for cooking and heating.
Energy consumption in Nepal is unreliable and currently dominated by traditional biomass [3]. The lack of financial and technical capability has resulted in the use of inefficient and health hazardous solid biomass energy amongst the rural communities to meet their household needs [4]. Approximately 90% of the total energy in Nepal was consumed by the residential sector in 2008/09 [4].
Nepal has a vast and largely untapped renewable energy resource. There is estimated to be a theoretical hydro power potential of 83,000MW, out of which 42,000MW is technically feasible [4]. However, due to technical and financial constraints, less than 2% of this resource has been harnessed to date [6]. Due to the country's incapacity in energy production, political instability and financial uncertainty, energy insecurity will continue to persist in Nepal, eventually hindering the country's development. Successfully harnessing the renewable resource in the country could be a means to providing greater energy security & development for Nepal.
The first step of the case study in Pangboche is Project Definition