Project Detail

Displacement of Kerosene lamp by low cost White Light Emitting Diod (WLED) based Photo Voltaic lighting system Project

Tremendous efforts has been made by government of Nepal to electrify the remote houses through solar home systems (SHS) providing subsidy via Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). AEPC has also developed Nepal Interim PV Quality Assurance (NIPQA) mechanism and more than 50,000 SHSs have been installed in remote Himalayan huts of Nepal. But there are still 2.4 million households, who are still using kerosene lamp or fatwood from pine to light the houses. High initial investment cost of a typical SHS is the limiting factor for the wider scale dissemination of conventional SHS. Thus a low cost alternative to the conventional SHS such as Solar Tukis can displace the kerosene lamp or fatwood from the rural houses of Nepal more effectively. This alternative is affordable to the poor households even without government subsidy.

Studies have shown that a rural family uses 4 litres of Kerosene and disposes 2 units of battery per month and together a single household spend NRS 150 to light the house. Likewise, at the cost of a conventional SHS, more than ten units of proposed Solar Tukis could be installed resulting in over 40 liters of kerosene and over 20 units of disposable dry cell batteries saved per month.
The project has proposed to install 600 solar tukis which would save 28,800 liters of kerosene. Converting this saving into CO2, around 50 ton of CO2 will not be emitted in the atmosphere. Quality assurance, removing technical (developing village technicians), financial barrier (establishment of credit fund), commercial barrier (developing tecnical enterprenures) as well as information barrier at the local level are the main targets of the proeject. The project has signed with Winrock International to develop CDM for the installation of Solar Tukis.

So far the project is able to install 578 Solar Tuki in two project district where as the grantee has able to access funding from both Development Market Fund and Nepal Development Market Fund from World Bank. In addition, the project has also mobilised the local financial institutions to install the Solar Tukies. So far the grantee has distributed additional 1304 solar Tukis in additional 21 districts of Nepal.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Centre for Renewable Energy

Country:

Nepal

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 46,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 233,250.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

NEP/04/14

Start Date:

4/2005

End Date:

12/2007

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

Capacity building and training activities are integral part in the business plan in the project. The standard training is three day long during which trainees are taught to assemble and repair Solar Tuki Lamp and also to maintain records. The project has also developed a simple guideline to assemble and repair the solar tuki with color picture in Nepali. Since Solar Tuki technology is very simple, an individual even without any technical background is able to understand the system with the help of this guideline. As of 2007, 65 technicians have been trained which are from 15 districts. (Trainees are not from a single cluster) At the beginning of project, it was estimated that it would be sufficient to have one service centre per Village Development Committee (Smallest Political Unit), but due hilly terrain, this idea could not be materialized. The idea is- a consumer should be able to reach a service center within an hour. Thus on the purchase of every 20 or more solar tukis in a locality, a simple village service station with a trained technician has been established (lesser number is not economically viable) With every purchase of 10 solar Tukis, one standby solar tuki is also provided to service centre. This system has been developed for the convenience of the consumer when his/her Solar Tuki is damaged and could not be repaired within a day. This capacity building in cluster approach has not only benefited the consumer but also helped in disseminating the solar tukis and increased sales for manufacturing company. As of 2007, 6200 solar Tukis have been sold. With growing demand of Solar Tukis, the project / Grantee also supported to establish 4 manufacturing companies to produce more solar Tuki. CRE is still providing training (although the project is over) for assembling and repairing of the Solar Tuki in Eastern Part of Nepal free of cost. The participant only has to arrange their travel cost. CRE would also support these trainees if they could collect more than demand (more than 20 sets) in the village.

Replication of project activities

Solar tuki being cheaper is adopted by various donors such as World Bank and Terai Arc Landscape project of World Wildlife Fund; by district development committees and various microfinancing institution.

Gender Focus

The light would help the women member to furnish their household chores with more comfort and do not have to rely on fatwood and kerosene lamp.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The overall health quality of the household members would be increased as they would be free from fumes and smoke of the kerosene. Likewise, reduced firehazard in the huts and improved study condition for the school children would also be observed

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The project has adopted win-win strategy for all the stekeholders. The local coperatives and financial intitutions act as middleman to sell the solar tukis. Based on the demand collected by the local cooperatives, the grantees provided the beneficiaries the Solar Tukis. And the beneficiaries payback the loan within one to two years with the money saved from kerosene purchase.

Policy Influence

The project influence the government to introduce Karnali Ujjyalo (Lighting the village in Karnali) programme with the objective to install 60,000 solar tukis. Likewise, Altenative Energy Promotion Centre of government are planning to provide subsidy for 250,000 solar tuki system during next 5 years through Energy Sector Programme

Policy Impact

The project partnered with Winrock Internation for five years to develop Clean Development Mechanism for the Solar Tukis.

Notable Community Participation

The project would mobilize existing CBOs and local NGO to avail the credit facility to the individual households.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

While use of kerosene results numerous environmental health problems, this project's initiation is supportive in initiating the adoption of the renewable energy that will drastically improve the health of the people and especially of the children who until now need to study in kerosene lamps. The global climate change can be controlled through the widespread adoption of such technologies and message as through this project will encourage people to think globally and act locally.

Project sustainability

With the win-win strategy, the project though phased out, it is still installing new solar tukis.

Project Results

While initiating the ?Light for All campaign?, the programme adapted ?win-win? business model. A not-for-profit sharing company has been established to import the Solar Tuki components in bulk so that the Solar Tuki manufacturing industries can have easy access to the raw materials with cheaper price and credit facility. But to reach the scattered remote village in the mountain, local micro-credit institution such as co-operatives, saving and credit groups have been mobilized. With the introduction of micro credit mechanism, it creates no additional economic burden to the poor villagers and the repayment is made in monthly installment that is equivalent to the savings in kerosene expenses. Thus, Solar Tuki Manufactures, micro-credit institutions and users all secure win-win situation. While purchasing 10 or more Solar Tuki for a village, the company provides a set of Solar Tuki for free and also develops a bare foot technician to ensure after sales service in the village.

The Solar Tukis are designed in a very simple way to match the local rural technical capability. The system operation and maintenance does not need high technical expertise. Any person with primary education can easily run the Solar Tuki service centre at the local level after just three days on-the-job training. For this ?Design and Maintenance manual of Solar Tuki (in Nepali)? with color diagram has been developed. This is really a great help in disseminating the technology as even people with no technical background can assemble the Solar Tuki with the help of this manual.

Till December 2008, the light for all campaign has installed 14,500 sets of solar Tukis. Considering that the average size of the rural households in Nepal is about 5.5 persons per family, the 14,500 Solar Tuki systems that are in use have benefited nearly 79,750 people. During this course, CRE also collaborated with other organisations such as Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness and received grant awards from both Global Development Market Place and Local Development Market Place from World Bank. Likewise, CRE also partnered with Winrock International, Terai Arc Landscape Project of World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Since Solar Tukis are replacing kerosene-based lighting systems in rural households and since the average consumption of kerosene for lighting purpose per household is estimated to be 3 liters/ month, about 42,000 liters of kerosene is being saved every month. In the past 4 years about 300 Solar Tuki sets have been sold every month. So far, Solar Tukis can be credited to have saved 1,015,200 liters of kerosene. This saving in kerosene also saves the emission of Carbon Dioxide and NOx gases which are the contributors of global warming. Considering CO2 equivalent of Kerosene as 2.475 lit/Kg, saving of 1,015,200 liters of kerosene saves emission of 2494 tons of CO2 in the atmoshphere.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Tonnes of CO2 decreased or avoided by energy efficient and renewable energy technologies or applying environmentally sustainable transport practices introduced by SGP Project 125

Empowerment

Number of women participated / involved in SGP project 500

Empowerment

Innovative financial mechanisms put in place through SGP project 1

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