Project Detail

Solar Energy for Environment and Community Development Project

This project has been initiated in 4 remote Village Development Committees (VDCs) of two accessible districts namely Palpa and Lamjung. The main objectives of this project is to install 450 Solar Home System (SHS) replacing the use of Kerosene and fatwood. US$ 35,000 (70%) of the total fund is allocated as Community Environment Trust Fund (CETF) ? a revolving fund to avail loan for the community people.

Of the four VDCs, Siluwa and Gandakot lie in Palpa district where as remaining two VDCs namely Neta and Dhuseni lie in Lamjung district of Western Development Region of Nepal. According to the District Profile, PDDP, 2000, the total number of households (Hh) in the project VDCs ? Siluwa, Gandakot, Neta and Dhuseni are 859, 604, 382 and 318 respectively. Of the total 2163 Hh, 2132 Hh (98%) use kerosene for lighting purpose. This figure indicates the need of alternative energy for lighting purpose and the SHS is the cheaper and user friendly as compared to other alternative energy such as hydropower (micro-hydro and peltric set)

The project has capitualised the CBOs formed by Centre for Community Development and Research (CCODER) in Palpa but formed CBOs in Lamjung. In Lamjung the project has formed 6 CBOs incorporating at least 80% HH in a CBO. The project has formed two CETF monitoring Committee in two districts and also formed 4 Solar Home System Functional Group to initiate the installation of SHS. Upto now the project has facilitated installing a total of 470 SHSs (240 in Palpa, 230 in Lamjung) benefitting 2990 population.The capacity of these SHS ranges from 12 to 50 Watt and the total power generation capacity is a little above 9KW. Likewise, the project is also successful in installing 128 ICS in the project VDCs.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Nepal Energy Development Company

Country:

Nepal

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 148,931.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 13,212.00

Project Number:

NEP/02/04

Start Date:

7/2002

End Date:

3/2004

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

In the remote village, the sun determine the working hours of the people. They started their farming activities with the dusk and take rest after down. Installing the SHS increases the working hours of the people. Beside this the project has alos allocated 10% of the total fund as seed grant to address the livelihood activities. Bee keeping in Neta VDC, Lamjung, Poultry farming in Neta & Dhuseni VDCs, Lamjung, road construction (2 Km) and child literacy scheme in Palpa are major activities accomplished, which enhanced the participation in the solar installaion process.

Notable Community Participation

The beneficiary household have invested both cash and kind contribution to install the solar home system. Likewise, the already formed CBOs in Palpa and newly formed CBOs in Lamjung incorporating at least 80% Hh also practice the mobilisation of their community fund generated by their weekly saving.

Capacity - Building Component

The project has aimed at producing solar technician as village specialist to maintain any defect in SHS. Study tours are effective in removing the energy information barrier in the community. Other capacity building component such as CBO account keeping training (21 members), CBO management training (21 members) and solar users training to all 455 solar users were also completed.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The project implemented VDCs, are remote and thus the introduction of SHS is very new things for these people. The SHS along with the ICS not only reduces the use of Kerosene and firewood, the level of public awareness would also be raised. Since the project is demonstrative in nature, and the grantee has a good network throughout the country, the practice could be easily disseminated.

Gender Focus

Women members are the ones who carried out all the household chores. With the SHS, they don't have to cook food or wash dish with the kerosene lamp. Thus the project by the nature is gender sensitive project.

Project Results

The project has successfully introduced solar home system by removing financial, technical and information barrier in remote VDCs Palpa and Lamjung. The project installed 470 solar home systems ranging from 12 to 50 watt. The number of 12 WP, 20 WP, 32 WP, 36 WP and 50 WP are 262,100,5,102 and 1 respectively. The project also ensured the after sales service of the system. Installation of ICS is set as the prerequisites for the solar beneficiaries and a total of 510 ICS has been installed in the project VDCs. The project also supported a number of socio-economic development activities to uplift the livelihood of the local communities.

Impact study carried out in the project area showed that majority of the households used pine fatwood to light the house. The study also revealed that a mature pine tree yields 120-150 Kg of fatwood and the tree dies after the extraction of the fatwood. After the installation of 470 SHS, extraction of such fatwood has been stopped saving 625 pine tree per year which is equivalent to 0.5 ha of well stocked pine forest.

Due to the installation of SHS, the number of radio, TV and cassette players has been increased in the project village by 72%, 10% and 18% respectively. With this growing electronic market, two photo studio and 8 maintenance services have also been established which are also powered by the sun.

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