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the flow

NEPAL CASE STUDY: TARA KHOLA MINI HYDRO PROJECT

2/19/2023

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Social Enterprise for Optimal Outcomes

Drawing on 40+ years of experiential hindsight from practitioners in the Asia Pacific, HPNET has identified a linkage between enterprise-based approaches and hydro mini-grid sustainability.  Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is HPNET’s approach for community-scale hydro implementation that integrates key factors for optimizing sustainability and community empowerment beyond electricity – centering local social enterprise in the pathway to mini-grid sustainability.  

Supported by Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) in Nepal, the Tara Khola Mini Hydro Project provides an example of an enterprise-based approach that has enabled a financially viable energy system, unlocking benefits for local livelihoods, economic development, grid interconnection, and more. 


Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL)

RERL is a joint project of Government of Nepal (GoN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project has been operational since 2011 after the closure of Rural Energy Development Programme (REDP) with the main objective of supporting AEPC to scaleup RE project implementation. Since 2019, RERL has also been providing TA support to AEPC to implement South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) to install 4.3MW mini hydropower projects and 0.5MW solar/solar wind hybrid mini grids in off-grid areas of Nepal. Since March 2022, RERL is also implementing Japan-UNDP Support for Transition Effort to Decarbonization (JUSTED).  

The following case study on the Tara Khola Mini Hydro project is posted with permission from RERL's Quarterly Update July - Sept. 2022.​


A Case Study of Tara Khola Jalbidyut Company Ltd., Baglung
The 380kW Tara Khola Mini Hydropower Project (TKMHP) was completed in October 2019
and provides quality electricity services to 1800 households (HHs) and over 50 productive
energy uses (PEU) . The project was developed with subsidy from Alternative Energy
Promotion Center (AEPC) and community equity and loan and technical support of
Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL). The project was initially promoted by a Users’
Group with 9 executive members who were responsible for equity collection, coordination
with the contractor and concerned stakeholders for construction of the project. However, in spite
of endless efforts of the executive members, they were not able to collect the required equity
amount and take out a loan to achieve financial closure. The beneficiaries then decided to develop the project through a public limited company with all of them as shareholders and registered Tara Khola Jalbidyut Company Limited for construction and operation and management. The company has authorized capital of NPR 100 Million and paid up capital of NPR 3 Million.

​After the company took over the operations, the local people’s perception towards their project completely changed as the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors, staff and shareholders were clearly defined, all financial transactions were well recorded and could be observed by the ordinary shareholders. As a result, the company was able to collect equity of NPR 6 million from 1700 shareholders and a loan of NPR 14,853,822 from CYC and Jana Ekata Multipurpose Cooperative Limited, Baglung.
As of 2021, the plant is providing regular electricity to 1700 households, 45 slate industries, 4 carpentry businesses and 12 sawmills. These productive uses have generated employment opportunities for over 300 women and men locally. Moreover, the slate industries are vital actors in the slate value chain in the market. Furthermore, the plant is providing electricity to a number of productive energy uses such as poultry farming, a beauty parlor, fresh house/butcher shop, eateries, etc.
Tara Khola MHP Monthly Tariff Rates
  • Slate industries: NPR 1500 and NPR 50 per kWh
  • Other end uses: NPR 500 and NPR 12 per kWh
  • Residential: NPR 100 and NPR 12 per kWh
Tarakhola Jalbidyut Company Limited signed a Net Metering Agreement with Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in 2021 and has been continuously selling electricity to the national grid. The total income of the company in the same year was NPR 15,000,000 from both local consumption and sales to NEA, whereas its expenses during the same period was NPR 6,594,040 and made a net profit of NPR 8,405,960. 

In order to operate and manage the project, the company has hired 3 operators, a linesman and a manager who were all trained by AEPC/RERL to enhance their skills for proper handling of the machinery and management of the project. Furthermore, AEPC/RERL also provided orientation to Directors on management of a public limited company, particularly legal aspects.
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WATCH:  HPNET PRESENTATIONS AT global symposium on sustainable water and energy solutions

8/15/2022

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HPNET members presented at the Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions in Brazil and Paraguay, convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, hosted by ITAIPI Binancional, in partnership with Sustainable Water & Energy Solutions Network, June 13-15, 2022.

If you missed joining the event virtually, their presentations and others are now available at the links below!


Mr. Satish Gautam, National Programme Manager of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods initiative of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and the UNDP in Nepal, presented the drivers that led to the scaled dissemination of micro hydro in Nepal.  Watch here (Apologies, the event organizer's link to this presentation no longer works).

Mr. Sherzad Ali Khan, Regional Coordinator of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan presented cases of community-driven enterprise solutions for micro and mini hydro sustainability.  Watch here 

Ms. Jade Angngalao, Indigenous People's Energy Access Specialist in the Philippines presented on the role of Indigenous Knowledge and governance traditions in climate resilient solutions for hydro mini-grids.  Watch here
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E-LEARNING & EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITY: LOCAL MANUFACTURING OF TURGO TURBINES

6/2/2022

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We are very pleased to announce a new E-Learning opportunity: Local Manufacturing of Turgo Turbines.  The course will be held from June 22-29, 2022 as part of our SEEED Accelerator E-Learning series, in partnership with the University of Bristol (UoB), People Energy and Environment Development Association (PEEDA), Nepal Yantra Shala Energy (NYSE), Kathmandu University Turbine Testing Lab (TTL/KU), and Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET), with support from Energize Nepal Project (ENEP) and WISIONS.  Offered at no cost, the 1-week, virtual course aims to advance local manufacturers in the global South who have experience in designing and fabricating small-scale (<1 MW) hydropower turbines.  Time commitment and pre-qualifications are explained below.

At the core of the course curriculum is an open source Turgo turbine design package, developed by PEEDA in collaboration with the UoB, TTL/KU and NYSE.  Participants will have access to engineering drawings, a design spreadsheet and a 3D CAD file, within a practical training experience that includes opportunity for live interface with instructors.  In turn, discussion and exchange will facilitate feedback to aid further refinement of the design package, particularly to enhance its application in different contexts.  Thus, participants will benefit from a practical skill-building opportunity, while contributing to the upscaling of Turgo turbine deployment across the global South. 
Format:  E-learning, 1-week self-paced, with two live sessions (course kickoff and Q&A)

Duration:  June 22 - 29, 2022

Core Topics:  Turgo Turbine - Open Source Design
  • An introduction to the Turgo turbine, including pros and cons
  • Manufacturing method
  • Walk-through of design spreadsheet
  • Overview of manufacturing drawings 

​​Resource Provided:  
  • Access to relevant SEEED modules
  • Design spreadsheet*​
  • Manufacturing drawings* 
​*Drawings and design spreadsheet will be provided to those who attend the live Kick-off Session on June 22.  This is because the instructor would like to convey important information regarding the design, and receive feedback from participants.  

Pre-Qualifications:  All local manufacturers based in Asia, Africa, or Latin America, who submit the Application Form by June 15, 2022, will be accepted.  Those based in other regions can contact the instructor at [email protected].

Estimated Time Commitment:  Live sessions and self-work modules

Live Sessions starting at 8pm Philippines (find your local time here):
  • Kick off session:  June 22, 8 - 9:30pm Philippines: 1.5 hours*
    *Mandatory to attend live session for receiving design spreadsheet and engineering drawings.
  • Q&A Session: June 29, 8 - 9pm Philippines: 1 hour**
    **If not possible to attend, viewing the recording is strongly recommended.​

Self-work via the SEEED E-Learning platform: 
  • Module D, Water Resource Assessment: 2.5 hours (optional)
  • Module E, Terrain Assessment & Basics of Design: 4 hours (optional)
  • Module F,  Power Output & Turbine Selection: 2 hours (optional)
  • Module K, Turgo Turbine - Open Source Design: 2 hours (mandatory*)
                    *Module K is mandatory for receiving a course completion certificate.

Application Form:  Apply no later than June 15, 2022 at the link below.

REGISTER HERE
Why Turgo?
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As a medium head turbine, the Turgo offers a viable option for sites where head and flow characteristics make the choice between Pelton and Cross-flow turbines difficult.  Based on hindsight from Nepal, for sites where this choice is difficult, the Turgo presents a beneficial option both in terms of performance and cost.  Other benefits include that the Turgo deals well with silt and that it operates at a higher speed than the Pelton which enables direct drive transmission at much lower heads.  Thus, the Turgo may require fewer parts, improving its reliability. 

The engineering drawings that will be provided in the course are for a direct drive Turgo turbine design that can be used for heads between approximately 45and 90m and flow rates from 100 to 150 L/s.  Currently, the design has used a direct drive transmission, however, the design could be adapted for use with a  belt drive transmission.  In the near future, the design team plans to develop Turgo design packages for various heads and flow rates. 
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The different flow passages for the Pelton and Turgo turbines. Reference: P.N. Wilson, A high-speed impulse turbine, Water Power (1967).
Background
​

This E-Learning opportunity has stemmed from a 2-year project of PEEDA, UoB, KU and NYSE: Upscaling Locally Manufactured Turgo Turbine: Dissemination and Demonstration.  Focused on the Nepal context, the primary aim of the project is to improve the technology readiness level of the Turgo turbine through capacity building, knowledge transfer and the development of an open source repository for Turgo turbine system design.  Following multiple stages of design improvement using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an improved blade design was then 3D-printed in Kathmandu, providing a mold for casting.  All other components were also designed such that all components could be manufactured in Nepal.  

The turbine has now been built and installed at a pilot site in the Taplejung District of Eastern Nepal.  The system is rated at 32 kW and is now running and awaiting testing by the KU Turbine Testing Lab.  Site-based testing equipment has been procured, including an ultrasonic flow meter and digital pressure transducer, which will be used for testing efficiency. 
​
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Pilot Site. Credit: Energize Nepal, School of Engineering, Kathmandu University.
Through this project, an in-person workshop was also held in Kathmandu in April 2022 to introduce the Turgo to other manufacturing companies in Nepal and begin to elicit feedback on the design and resources that had been developed.  Feedback was largely positive with some useful suggestions for improving ease of use, which will be integrated into the materials provided in the SEEED E-Learning course.  The upcoming course will provide further opportunity to extend and improve upon the design and resources provided, based on feedback from practitioners based in different contexts. 

Looking Forward

Currently, the open source design package is for a direct drive Turgo turbine designed for heads between approximately 45 and 90m and flow rates from 100 to 150 L/s.  A longer-term objective is to develop design packages for various runner sizes with corresponding blade designs, such that a manufacturer could utilize the open source tools for any head and flow rate where Turgo is possible.  That is, they would be directed to the appropriate blade size and pitch-to-center diameter (PCD) with corresponding engineering drawings for other components.  Another longer-term aim is to develop a knowledge transfer process and approach that can potentially be replicated for different turbine types, across different country contexts.  The upcoming course will be an important step in the development and improvement of said process.

Learn More
​

To learn more about the Turgo turbine and the project that led to the open source design package, check out the project description and this blog post by course instructor, Dr. Joe Butchers, Teaching Associate in Engineering Design  at the University of Bristol.  For further background on HPNET’s SEEED Accelerator and previous E-Learning courses, see here.
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GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS

6/1/2022

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Sustainable water and energy solutions go hand and hand, as key cross-cutting factors that intersect with multiple Sustainable Development Goals.  From June 13-15, 2022, the Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions will be held in Brazil and Paraguay, convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, hosted by ITAIPI Binancional, in partnership with Sustainable Water & Energy Solutions Network. The main objective of the symposium is “to enhance the capacities of relevant stakeholders including governmental institutions to effectively manage the water-energy nexus and interlinkages with other SDGs covering the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development”. 
 
Three HPNET members will be presenting at the symposium:  Satish Gautam, National Programme Manager of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL), a joint project of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) and UNDP in Nepal; Sherzad Ali Khan, Regional Coordinator of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan; and Jade Angngalao, Indigenous People's Energy Access Specialist for HPNET’s efforts in the Philippines. Satish Gautam will present in Session 2: Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions & Energy Case Studies.  Sherzad Ali Khan and Jade Angngalao will both present in Session 7: Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions - Economic Interlinkages.

More information about this event is available at the website of the Global Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network at this link. 
 
The event will be offered in a hybrid format.  To join virtually, register in advance at this link.
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NEPAL:  MINI HYDRO COMMISSIONING AND LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING BY RERL-AEPC AND UNDP

5/30/2022

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Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods (RERL) is a joint project of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) of the Government of Nepal and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  Last quarter, RERL made headway on multiple small-scale hydro projects, including the testing and commissioning of the Phawa Khola Mini Hydropower Project, and a mason training to develop local capacity.

Phawa Khola Mini Hydropower Project


In April 2022, RERL conducted power output testing for the 500 kW Phawa Khola MHP, located in Sirijangha Rural Municipality of Taplejung district, Nepal.  This project will provide electricity access to unelectrified households in the vicinity and the surplus energy shall be exported to the national grid through net metering provision.  RERL expert and HPNET member Jiwan Kumar Mallik shares more about the Phawa Khola Mini Hydro commissioning here. 


The project was developed under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) project of the Asia Development Bank (ADB), funded with subsidy, community equity and a loan from Machhapuchre Bank (MBL).  Upon completion of the SASEC project, a total of four mini hydro systems with a total capacity of 1.1 MW will be in operation.  

Mason Training
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To support local capacity development in the catchment area of the Saniveri Mini Hydro project, RERL organized a 15-day Mason Training in Saniveri Puttha Uttar Ganga, East Rukum, Nepal. The training also included 2 days of ‘On the Job’ vocational training facilitated by Baraha Institute of Engineering and Technology.  10 men and 5 women participated in the training and are expected to be engaged in construction of the MHP.
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Mason Training in Saniveri Puttha Uttar Ganga, East Rukum, Nepal. Credit: RERL.
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NEPAL:  HONORING SMALL-SCALE HYDRO PIONEER, MR. SHYAM RAJ PRADHAN

5/23/2022

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The small-scale hydro sector for energy access in Nepal has achieved immense success over the last fifty years, with over 3000 communities electrified using mostly localized technology.  Amidst new challenges and opportunities, policy, technology, and institutional solutions continue to emerge from Nepal’s long committed and experienced ecosystem of stakeholders.

Such a vibrant, living localized sector in Nepal has been made possible thanks to the pioneers who sacrificed professionally and personally to advance the sector as a whole.  One such early pioneer of micro and mini hydro development in Nepal is the late Mr. Shyam Raj Pradhan, the founder of Nepal Yantra Shala Energy (NYSE), now the leading small-scale hydro manufacturer and service provider in Nepal and in South Asia, serving the sector globally. ​
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Mr. Shyam Raj Pradhan at Balaju Yantra Shala. Credit: Video Biography of Shyram Raj Pradhan
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In the 1980s, Mr. Pradhan electrified remote communities in the foothills of the Nepali Himalayas. Credit: Credit: Video Biography of Shyram Raj Pradhan
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Projects areas of NYSE. Credit: Video Biography of Shyram Raj Pradhan
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Mr. Pradhan inspecting a Pelton runner. Credit: Credit: Video Biography of Shyram Raj Pradhan
To honor Mr. Pradhan’s legacy, NYSE has released a biography in the format of both a book and a video-biography capturing his inspiring journey to becoming a gifted engineer and leading social entrepreneur.  Among the highlights presented in the video-biography, using historic visuals from the years of 1937 until 2014, include:
  • Overcoming challenging socio-economic conditions in his youth [5:11]
  • Making the most of educational and other learning opportunities [7:14] 
  • Joining the Swiss Association for Technical Assistance (SATA) in 1958, and becoming the chief of engineering at Balaju Yantra Shala (BYS), one of the key enterprises that led to developing Nepal’s ecosystem of local experts [8:17]
  • Developing the earliest multi-use hydropower innovations, including in 1962 Nepal’s first micro hydro project installed to innovatively feed fish in the Godawari pond [10:59]
  • Excelling at BYS, leading to a 2-year opportunity in 1964 to learn advanced mini hydro and hydraulic ram pump technology in Switzerland, and return to Nepal committed long-term to small-scale hydro [11:48]
  • Finding his life partner, Mrs. Baba Pradhan, who played a vital role in developing NYSE while raising their two young children, as the family became fully committed to small-scale hydro [13:23]
  • Establishing his first manufacturing workshop, supplying hydropower and productive end use equipment for agri-processing, papermaking, and other rural industry [14:58]
  • Building the capacity of villagers and youth who wanted to learn hydropower design, and impact of the Agriculture Development Bank in scaling up installations [17:03]
  • Committing to high quality standards, including innovating different types and capacities of turbine designs to generate higher efficiencies [23:36]
  • Developing a legacy through his sons and the many persons he has trained to ensure Nepal was self-reliant in terms of small-scale hydropower knowhow [25:56]
Mr. Bikram Pradhan and Dr. Suman Raj Pradhan, sons of Mr. Shyam Raj Pradhan, held a launch ceremony for the biography in May 2022.  The event was attended by various experts of Nepal’s small-scale hydro sector, including:
  • Dr. Narayan Adhikari, Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC)
  • Dr. Govinda Pokhrel and Shree Krishna Updhaya, Ex Vice Chair-person and Ex Members of the National Planning Commission
  • Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Commissioner of the Nepal Electricity Regulatory Commission and former Executive Director of the AEPC
  • Mr. Vishwa Bhushan Amatya, small-scale hydro and energy access expert, and Board Member of the Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET)
  • Surendra Mathema and other members of the Nepal Micro Hydro Development Association (NMHDA)
  • Dr. Prachanda Pradhan, the scholar individual who initiated the biography. ​​
Images and a video of the launch ceremony can be found here.  The event was also mentioned in this news article (in Nepali language).  The video-biography is accessible here:
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NEPAL:  BOM KHOLA MINI HYDRO TAKES OFF

12/9/2021

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Earlier this quarter, we learned of the successful testing and commissioning of the 200kW Bom Kohla Mini Hydropower project in Lukla, Nepal, made possible by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), ADB and the Lukla community.  We offer our congratulations to HPNET members at AEPC who contributed to this project, enabling reliable, affordable, clean energy.

For a glimpse of the project – situated in the foothills of Mount Everest – and the team that brought it to fruition, check out this post from HPNET Member, Jiwan Kumar Mallik.  Jiwan currently holds the position of Solar Power Expert under the AEPC’s Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) program.
 
Stay tuned for further updates on the implementation of the Bom Khola Mini Hydro project, coming soon!
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AEPC staff and community members celebrate the commissioning of the Bomkohla Mini Hydropower. Credit: Jiwan Kumar Mallik, 2021.
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200kW Bom Kohla Mini Hydropower project powerhouse. Credit: Jiwan Kumar Mallik, 2021.
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WATCH:  EXCHANGE EVENT VIDEOS

10/18/2021

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As part of the SEEED Accelerator, HPNET launched the SEEED cohort for the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween River Basins, in partnership with International Rivers, to advance community-scale hydropower in the region. 

​With support from TROSA and funding from the Government of Sweden and WISIONS, the SEEED cohort engaged in capacity building, multi-actor dialogue and peer-to-peer exchange, including through a two-day virtual exchange event. 

​You can find video recordings, session summaries, presentation slides, and other event resources at this link!
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ADVANCING PICO / MICRO HYDROPOWER IN THE GANGA, MEGHNA, BRAHMAPUTRA, AND SALWEEN RIVER BASINS

9/8/2021

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The river basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween (GBMS) Rivers are endowed with rich natural resources, exceptional biodiversity, and vibrant indigenous cultures.  Yet social and environmental well-being continue to be undermined by large hydro development, as decision makers seek economic prosperity and economic recovery, in the stark context of a global pandemic. 

However, community-scale hydropower offers an alternative path that provides modern energy services, while strengthening the local social, economic, and ecological resources of this unique region.  The region is fortunate to have experienced local practitioners who have been advancing pico hydropower as a nature-based, community-centric solution for clean and sustainable energy access.
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Pico hydro manufacturing training participant in Meghalaya, India. Credit: Rams Vaidhyanathan
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Htan Hla Pin Community Micro Hydro, Shan State, Myanmar. Credit: Loïs Sevestre
​HPNET has engaged with local practitioners in the region since 2013, in partnership with International Rivers, Nagaland Empowerment of People thru Energy Development (NEPeD), and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), and the Meghalaya State Council for Science and Technology for different activities.   We have mapped stakeholders, visited sites, and held dialogues on opportunities, challenges, and regional best practices, based on a 4-step approach to knowledge exchange.   Since 2019 the approach has been refined into a knowledge-to-impact initiative called Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED).  SEEED is based on 40-years of experiential hindsight in the global South on what makes community hydro systems sustainable and deliver optimal results.  The SEEED Accelerator was launched this quarter, enabling practitioners to customize proven sustainability mechanisms to local contexts, unlocking their potential to generate climate resilient socio-economic co-benefits.
​A key component of the SEEED Accelerator is to establish peer-to-peer and multi-stakeholder cohorts, targeting different geographic regions.  We’re excited to launch the first SEEED cohort -- focusing on the basin regions of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween Rivers (GBMS) in partnership with International Rivers, supported by TROSA and the WISIONS initiative at the Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy.  The partnership offers three learning opportunities for field-based practitioners in the GBMS basins -- namely  group capacity building, individual customized coaching, and peer-to-peer exchange.  Read on to learn more!
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Map showing Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Salween river basins: Program basins of Oxfam’s Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) program. Credit: Oxfam in Asia

Cohort Capacity Building
​

The GBMS SEEED cohort kicked off earlier this month with a 3-day virtual capacity building event, offering technical capacity building for small-scale hydro practitioners working directly with communities in the GBMS regions (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal or Thailand).  The course was conducted by Mr. Ramasubramanian (a.k.a Rams) Vaidhyanathan, focusing on site assessment and the basics of system design for systems < 10 kW.  Days 1 and 3 were conducted online, and Day 2 included optional field assessment work.  The group of 20+ participants are continuing to solidify their understanding of key topics while also learning about each other’s work through group emails facilitated by Rams.  Remaining committed to field-based practitioners, the HPNET Secretariat will continue to facilitate learning exchange among the cohort beyond the HPNET - Intl Rivers partnership period.
Customized Individual Coaching
​

All participants who completed the 3-day group training have been invited to receive follow-up, customized capacity building.  This allows helping to resolve each participant’s specific technical issues in their ongoing initiatives and to improve their technical processes to prevent issues.   This type of support is important for both advanced practitioners (e.g. NE India practitioners scaling up their work to hundreds of implementations this year), as well as beginning level practitioners (e.g. civil society organizations in Myanmar who are conducting their very first feasibility studies).  It is also an opportunity for the HPNET Secretariat to continue refining its approach to the SEEED Accelerator, better responding to and strategizing context-specific needs for future cohorts.
​Peer-to-Peer Exchange Event

An exchange event will be held on 21-22 September, 2021.  Building upon exchanges conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2019,  this 2-day virtual event aims to provide opportunities for South-South, peer-to-peer exchange and multi-stakeholder dialogue.  Day 1 will focus on sharing from field-based practitioners from across the Asia Pacific, while Day 2 will focus on multi-stakeholder dialogue on country and state specific challenges and opportunities in the GBMS regions.  See here for details on how to participate!  
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WATCH:  STREAMSIDE CHATS - EDITION 2, RESILIENT ENTERPRISE IN NEPAL

4/17/2021

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We’re excited to share the new edition of our video podcast series Streamside Chats!  The platform allows us to dialogue with experienced practitioners about their in-depth experiences in developing sustainable hydro mini-grids. It brings together grassroots innovators and international experts, providing firsthand insights from the field, framed within multi-thematic analysis. 
The 3-part edition called "Resilient Enterprise in Nepal" features two pioneers of Nepal's small-scale hydro context, revealing how its hydro mini-grid sector has scaled to over 3000 projects, created local manufacturing jobs, and strengthened rural livelihoods, even in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.
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Barpak Village, Nepal. Credit: Hydro Concern Pvt. Ltd.

Intro to Speakers

Dipti Vaghela, the Manager of the Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET), introduces the speakers, Bikash Pandey, Director of Clean Energy at Winrock International, and Bir Bahadur Ghale, Founder and Managing Director of Hydro Concern Pvt. Ltd. and provides an overview of the topic.  Both speakers are renown for their pioneering work of over 35 years.
​
PART 1:  Start up and scale up of hydro mini-grids in Nepal

Dipti chats with Bikash about the key actors that paved the way for micro hydro development in Nepal and the stages through which the sector evolved over the past four decades.  The micro hydro sector is known to have its earliest roots in Nepal within the S/SE Asia region.  In this discussion, we delve into the pivotal reasons for which the country has one of the most dynamic micro hydro programs around the world.  Tune in to hear how multi-actor collaboration resulted in an ecosystem that scaled-up hydro mini grids, enabling energy access in over 3000 communities in rural Nepal. 
​
PART 2:  Impact of a social enterprise approach

Bikash dialogues with Bir Bahadur, taking us on a journey of the renown Barpak hydro mini-grid, developed by Bir Bahadur Ghale in his home village 1991, when he was 24 years of age.  Being his first project and having no previous experience, he shares the obstacles he encountered and how he overcame them, including acquiring technical and financial skills to go onto developing hundreds of projects to date.  We also learn about the impact of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Barpak, the epicenter of the disaster, the rehabilitation of the micro hydro project, and the critical role it played in rebuilding the village and its economy.  Established using a social enterprise approach, 30 years later the Barpak project is a prime example of a hydro mini-grid that is self-sustainable, providing electricity to over 1200 and many village-based enterprises. Bir Bahadur Ghale's approach has transformed the economic resilience of the community.
​
PART 3:  Best practices for economic resilience

In this final part of the 3-part dialogue, we learn about Bir Bahadur Ghale's journey beyond Barpak, gaining insight on how energy access can be accelerated by proven developers.  The dialogue also discusses different types of ownership models and the factors for success of each.  The conversation concludes with policy recommendations to accelerate energy access in Nepal, and the role of energy access in pandemic era economic recovery. 
​​
Join the discussion!​

Over the next few days, we’ll be posting the questions below, in our post-Chat social media forum.  Share your insights on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
​
  • How can governments better support local manufacturers, producing local jobs and enhancing skill sets?
  • What are the different roles that subsidies and loans have in scaling up mini-grids?  Can they complement each other?
  • What can help enable communities to identify financially viable productive end use?
  • What productive end uses can especially be leveraged by and benefit women?  
  • How have mini-grids played a role in economic recovery and resilience of communities in the pandemic age ? 
  • What types of policies can support community-private partnerships to accelerate energy access?
​
In case you missed it
​

Check out our first edition of StreamSide Chats in which we discussed the role of micro hydro in contributing to long term rural economic recovery and resilience in the pandemic era. 

📽️:  StreamSide Chats - Edition 1, Recovery & Resilience
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PROJECT UPDATE:  UPSCALING LOCALLY MANUFACTURED TURGO TURBINE

12/3/2020

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Last quarter HPNET Board of Representatives member Biraj Gautam described our project, shared about the development of a Turgo turbine design, appropriate for local manufacturing in Nepal.

While common in larger scale hydropower and with some off-the-shelf products available, the Turgo turbine is not currently manufactured by micro-hydropower companies in Nepal. As a medium head turbine, the Turgo offers a viable option for sites where the characteristics make the choice between Pelton and Cross-flow turbines difficult.

This article developed by 
​
Joe Butchers, PhD candidate at the University of Bristol, provides an update on our progress in the project so far.                                                 

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Fakfok MHP in Ilam, Nepal. An example of a medium head MHP, which could be appropriate for the Turgo turbine. Credit: Sam Williamson
​Project Objectives

An objective of the project was to install a micro-hydropower Turgo turbine at a pilot site. Currently, we have manufactured a 1.5kW Turgo turbine but it is important to check the performance of the turbine for higher rated powers. The experimental results from the 1.5kW turbine have allowed us to develop a hydrodynamic scaling model. This numerical model can be used to check whether a site has appropriate head and flow rate, and then determine the best pitch circle diameter and rotational speed for the turbine. 
After identifying a number of viable sites, we selected a site in Taplejung district where the existing turbine requires replacement after many years in service. For this site, our scaling model was used to show that the Turgo turbine is appropriate and can be used to directly drive a generator. Whilst similar to Pelton turbines, the higher specific speed of the Turgo means that direct drive transmission is feasible at much lower heads.
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Picture
The different flow passages for the Pelton and Turgo turbines. Reference: P.N. Wilson, A high-speed impulse turbine, Water Power (1967)

Site Visit


Unfortunately, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has prevented PEEDA staff from visiting the field site. A feasibility study is required to find out the technical and socio-economic features of the site and the community. Technically, we need to evaluate the current status of the civil structures and installed equipment. In addition, we require measurements of the powerhouse layout so that the new turbine can interface with existing components. From a socio-economic perspective, we want to understand how the plant is managed, whether the plant generates sufficient income, and assess the opportunity to maximise the plant’s capacity factor. It is important that we ensure that the plant is sustainable in delivering electricity to the community. We continue to monitor the coronavirus situation and hope to be able to visit the site when it is safe to do so. 

3D CAD Design
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Using the head and flow rate from the site and our scaling model, it has been possible to begin the detailed design of the Turgo turbine. The long-term intention is to develop a range of Turgo turbine designs appropriate for sites across the micro-hydropower range. We have been developing calculation sheets for all of the key components which allow dimensions to be determined. We have developed a parametric 3D CAD model that is linked to the calculation sheets. This allows us to quickly adapt the design depending on inputs into the calculation sheet. The 3D design is taking place collaboratively between the Electrical Energy Management Group at the  University of Bristol and Nepal Yantra Shala Energy. The design objective is to produce a design that can be readily manufactured in Nepal with existing machinery and readily available materials. It is expected that detailed design will be completed soon allowing the production of engineering drawings to begin. Initially, the focus is on developing a complete design package for the site in Taplejung. This will include 2D engineering drawings, bill of materials, and supporting 3D CAD files allowing the design to be manufactured in Nepal. Subsequently, we will use the parametric 3D model to generate multiple design packages for the complete operational range.​​
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Picture
Design of the Turgo runner in CAD software. Credit: Joe Butchers

​March 2021 Workshop

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Depending on coronavirus, we plan to hold a workshop in Nepal in late March 2021. The workshop will teach participants about the design packages, key stages in the manufacturing process, how to assemble and install the turbine, and about the operation and maintenance procedures. The workshop is intended for representatives of Nepali manufacturing companies but there may be several places available for international participants. In the longer term, we plan to make the completed design packages and the supporting materials available open-source online. We are hopeful that for local manufacturers across the Hydro Empowerment Network, we will be able to provide a design that increases their range of available turbine designs. 

​This article was written by Joe Butchers, PhD candidate at the University of Bristol. The project is titled Upscaling locally manufactured Turgo Turbine: Dissemination and Demonstration includes the Electrical Energy Management Group at the University of Bristol, PEEDA, Nepal Yantra Shala Energy, Turbine Testing Laboratory at Kathmandu University and HPNET as project partners, and is funded by Energize Nepal.  The work undertaken by the University of Bristol is also funded through an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account titled Development of an open-source Turgo turbine design tool.
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MANAGEMENT APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

8/29/2020

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We are glad to have Mr. Bikash Uprety, Technical Advisor at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to kindly share his thoughts on micro hydro management models, with a focus on Nepal's experience.

PictureCredit: Bikash Uprety
​In his recent Linkedin article, he explores four different management models, namely the community-based model, the cooperative model, the private management model, and the leasing model.

​Moreover, he also outlines strategies and three phases of planning to effectively implement micro hydro projects.

The full text of the article can be accessed here.

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FROM STAND-ALONE SYSTEM TO DISTRIBUTED GENERATION: GRID INTERCONNECTIVITY IN NEPAL

8/10/2020

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In January of 2018, the Syaurebhumi 23 kW micro hydro system was connected to the national grid in Nuwakot, Nepal, making it the first grid interconnected micro hydro project (MHP) in the country.  This pilot project emerged from a government policy for grid interconnection of MHPs of less than 100kW capacity; the policy attempted to respond to the widespread abandonment of MHPs, which was occurring as the national grid expanded into previously off-grid service areas.

​​NEW PAPER: Micro Hydropower in Nepal: A Journey from Stand-alone System to Distributed Generation

The publication is an excellent example of multi-stakeholder collaboration -- between government, utility, private sector, academia and international development actors.  Contributions came from individuals at the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), ECN part of TNO and Preesu Electronics P. Ltd..  The authors are all HPNET members who have contributed to our Grid Interconnection Work Stream. Through the data provided in the publication the authors wish to bring greater attention to load control and protection technology -- specifically for interconnected micro/mini hydropower (<1MW), which is often overshadowed by technology developments in large hydro or solar PV controller technology.

Multi-Actor Participation for Successful Grid Interconnectivity

The multi-actor collaboration that brought this paper to fruition echoes the broader, integrated approach to energy planning in Nepal, which has played a vital role in the country’s grid interconnection success thus far.  For grid interconnection to become a successful reality, there must be collaborative participation from local and national governments, minigrid developers (including local communities), utilities, donors and researchers.
 
A fragmented approach, lacking multi-actor participation, often hinders progress toward successful policy for grid interconnectivity.  Taking note from Nepal’s approach, an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach could further advance grid interconnection efforts in Myanmar, Pakistan, Indonesia and other countries across S/SE Asia.
Click here to access the paper on Energypedia.

​Abstract:

Nepal is known for its successful rural electrification efforts through community owned and managed standalone micro hydropower projects (MHP) that have helped transform its rural economy. Unfortunately, as soon as the national grid reaches a micro hydro catchment area, things start falling apart. For various reasons, people’s preference is the grid and eventually switch over from MHP which then lies idle and ultimately abandoned. A recent survey carried out by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) shows that about 8% of the MHPs in Province 1 have shut down. The number of abandoned plant would be much larger if MHPs of less than 10kW capacity are also considered. Thus, the Government of Nepal came-up with the policy for grid interconnection of MHPs of less than 100kW capacity. This opportunity of transforming a standalone system to grid connected system has several advantages for both the utility grid and the MHP, the grid gets power injection near the load centers whereas MHP earns additional revenue. The technological difference between grid interconnection of MHP and other hydropower projects shall be discussed in detail in the Nepalese context. A MATLAB simulation analysis is presented to demonstrate the technical viability of the interconnection in the 11kV feeder line. Moreover, financial and economic analysis of the grid interconnected systems is also discussed. This paper also focuses on how droop features of Electronic Load Controller (ELC) could have managed the proportional load sharing among the MHP plants if such ELC with droop features were available.

Authors:

Jiwan Kumar Mallik, AEPC/RERL - [email protected]
 
Satish Gautam, AEPC/RERL - [email protected] 
 
Surendra Mathema, Preesu Electronics P. Ltd. - [email protected]
 
Binod Koirala, ECN part of TNO, Netherland - [email protected]
 
Hitendra Dev Shakya, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) - [email protected] 
​
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WHY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS MATTER

7/20/2020

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Have you heard about our SEEED initiative?  Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) is about supporting local practitioners and communities to transition to a sustainable approach to micro hydro, rooted in social enterprise.  It’s about unlocking the potential for hydro mini-grids to bring long term environmental and socioeconomic benefits — to support empowerment that goes well beyond kilowatts.  
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As we continue to develop this initiative, we want to facilitate a closer look at the core elements that are needed to make SEEED happen.  Firstly, reliable mini-grid technology is at the very heart of the solution.  High-quality technical components provide the basis for long-lived, high-impact systems.  This starts at the very first stage of the project: the quality of design, manufacturing, and installation.  Appropriate standards for these steps can play a significant role in increasing technical reliability.

In this regard, HPNET has developed the MHP Standards Tool, in collaboration with Tonibung, Green Empowerment, with support from the WISIONS SEPS, which compiles standards and best practices from different countries.  It can be accessed here.  We are working to add more standards to the Tool and welcome your inputs.  

​For certain technical aspects -- such as manufacturing -- standards do not yet exist.  In this article, HPNET member Joe Butchers sheds light on the “why” and the “how” of manufacturing standards for micro hydro quality verification, drawing on experiences from Nepal.

What is a standard?
​

A standard is a document that regulates expectations for a process, service, or product [1]. If a company is able to demonstrate that they have followed a particular standard, it shows that they have achieved an acceptable level of quality and are compliant with the regulations. For a product, they might indicate the expected dimensions, tolerances, and materials. Engineers use them as guidance when producing engineering drawings or writing technical documents. They guide the decisions made by designers when producing engineering drawings that are used by machinists, fabricators, and technicians. 

How are standards used in micro/mini hydro?

Within mini/micro-hydropower, the use of standards can ensure equipment performs as required and that there is similarity between equipment produced by different manufacturers. As mini/micro-power sites are often located in remote regions, adherence to standards helps to reduce downtime. When engineers travel to a site for maintenance, they are aware of the type of equipment that they will find, increasing the possibility that they can repair the equipment quickly. If a part requires replacement, it can be ordered to site with confidence that it will be fit for purpose. 
What are consequences of not enforcing manufacturing standards?

In Nepal, a reference micro-hydropower standard was first published in 2005 [2]. The standard provides a comprehensive overview of turbine selection, materials, dimensions, and design for electro-mechanical and civil components. Nowadays, the standard is not widely used by manufacturers nor applied during quality verification. This has resulted in a number of outcomes: 
  • variation in installed equipment and its quality; 
  • low quotation prices from unproven companies; 
  • long downtimes as typically the original manufacturer is expected to carry out repairs. 
How can the type of funding support impact quality?
​

In Nepal, where the vast majority of projects depend upon a subsidy, there is a significant opportunity to incorporate quality verification that considers adherence to the manufacturing standard. As recommended by the World Bank, a multi-stage inspection would ensure that there was quality in manufacture, construction, and installation [3]. Whilst expensive to integrate, the reduction in project failure and frequent repairs will save money in the long terms. In addition, the introduction of such checks forces manufacturers to improve the quality of constructed parts.  The cost to manufacturers of not achieving a required standard would swiftly lead to changes in approach. 

In locations where the subsidy driven model is less common, hydropower standards remain important. Where projects are private or donor funded, a required standard can be demanded from a manufacturer and agreed contractually. The project developer can conduct a quality check themselves or employ someone to do so, ensuring that the equipment meets the standard. HPNET has collected available standards online, these documents capture the experience of practitioners working across the world. To improve the status of micro/mini-hydro in relation to other electrification alternatives, ensuring quality is essential. By meeting the requirements of standards, manufacturers can ensure that hydro-mechanical systems deliver their expected power throughout their lifetime. 

References
  1. https://fractory.com/5-iso-standards-manufacturers/
  2. AEPC. Reference micro-hydro standard. 2005. 
  3. World Bank. Mini and micro-hydropower applications. 2015. 

Guest blog written by HPNET member Joe Butchers, a PhD Researcher at the University of Bristol, Electrical Energy Management Group.
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LOCAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: TURGO TURBINE IN NEPAL

7/1/2020

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Introduction

Nepal is a country full of mountains and hills. Access to the electricity grid has always been a difficult task due to difficult terrains and cost involved. Thanks to its abundant water resources, support from development partners and government policy, micro hydropower technology was introduced nearly fifty years ago in Nepal. Today more than 30,000 hydro stations with an installed capacity less than 999 kW have been installed in the country generating more than 30 MW of electricity, which provides electricity access to more than 300,000 households. Most of them were implemented under a unique model of rural electrification where the rural communities were put in charge of constructing, owning and managing hydropower plants with the government of Nepal and many I/NGOs providing subsidy and technical support. 

Nepal is considered as one of the best examples in the field of micro hydropower development. This sector is able to draw global attention. Today, Nepal can share its best practices, and lessons learnt on how capacity can be built in rural communities without access to electricity to own, build and run their own mini-grid systems. Through this, Nepal has developed an excellent working experience in micro hydropower plants which contributes to the national economy and community livelihoods. However, development of the technology has not moved forward since its introduction. 


A brief on MHP manufacturing in Nepal

Today, more than 80% of installed turbines in Nepal are either Crossflow or Pelton. Both the technologies were introduced in Nepal in the early 1970's. The Crossflow turbine was first manufactured in Balaju Yantra Shala Pvt. Ltd. The Pelton turbine was introduced by Butwal Technical Institute. These two companies were the pioneering companies working in the promotion of micro hydro in Nepal where the Swiss and German aid programs were crucial in the development of the sector in Nepal. BYS and BTI were not only manufacturing the technology but also training people to develop in country capabilities. The trained human resources later started opening their own manufacturing facility in different locations in Nepal. They started product supply, installation, and maintenance services to abroad. We have been reaping benefits of the approaches that we learned in the early 70's, but there were few attempts to introduce new technology in Nepal and support Nepali manufacturers to develop new turbine designs locally.  Further, decades of manufacturing of the same types of turbines has saturated the turbine market and some of the manufacturers wish to diversify their capacity but have not been able to do that on their own.

Technology transfer through a unique model

Research at the University of Bristol showed that the Turgo turbine would be a suitable design for Nepali contexts, fitting between the Pelton and Crossflow offerings and able to deal with the high silt content in Nepali rivers. Nepal Yantra Shala Energy (NYSE), a micro hydro manufacturing company in Kathmandu with an experience of more than 50 years in MHP had already observed the need for Turgo turbines in their manufacturing list. However, they were unsure how to progress the idea. They had purchased one small sized Turgo turbine set and kept it in their workshop. PEEDA has been working in the field of energy access, capacity development and research for 20 years. Turbine Testing Lab at Kathmandu University provides the facilities to test turbines across a range of power outputs. These 4 institutions joined forces to form a team to develop Nepal's capacity to manufacture the Turgo turbine locally. The year 2018/19 was spent working on the design, manufacturing and testing of the Turgo turbine at a Pico scale. 
​
Picture
Experimental testing rig. Credit: PEEDA.
Advantages of the Turgo Turbine
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  • Water enters through top of the turbine runner and exits through bottom, leading to less interference between incoming and exiting water flow.
  • Allows a larger flow for same size runner or a smaller runner for same power output.
  • Able to operate over wide range of heads and flows efficiently.
  • The Turgo fills the gap where the head is too high for Crossflow turbine, requiring the runner to be narrow, and where the head is too low for Pelton turbine, requiring a physically large runner rotating slowly. ​
PictureTurbine application chart. Credit: PEEDA.
​The unit has been installed in Naubise, Dhading which is about 22 km from Kathmandu Valley. This unit is available for anyone interested to see it in operation.

To introduce a new micro hydropower technology to Nepal, it was important to understand the capability of micro hydro companies and the manufacturing processes that are available. This information can be used to ensure that the design of all components for a new type of turbine is appropriate for manufacture in the context of Nepal. A thorough study was conducted of the Nepali manufacturing companies which are based in Kathmandu and Butwal, central Nepal. Our study showed that manufacturers in Nepal tend to have access to the same equipment and materials, meaning that the processes for fabricating Turgo turbines tends to be very similar. However, as casting is an external process, the interface between the micro hydro companies and casting companies is a potential risk to the quality and accuracy of the Turgo cups. 
​

Next Steps

The next steps for the project are to increase the technology readiness level of the Turgo turbine in Nepal. This will enable manufacturers to be equipped with all of the necessary information to design, manufacture and install Turgo turbines. A joint effort of all the partners,  including HPNET, will be facilitated to improve technology readiness. There are two parts to this future research:

  • Workshop on Turgo Design and Manufacture
This workshop will provide the information needed for key stakeholders to be able to identify potential sites for the Turgo turbine, size and design the turbine system, manufacture the Turgo runner, and install and test the system. Both theoretical and practical support will be delivered in the workshop to ensure that a good understanding of the turbine is developed in the Nepalese micro hydropower manufacturing community.
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  • Open-Source Repository of Turgo Turbine System Design and Webinar
The scalable tools and drawings for the Turgo turbine will be placed in an open and free web-based repository, enabling access for any stakeholder that is interested in the Turgo turbine. This will allow micro-hydropower manufacturers, in Nepal and worldwide, access to the necessary details to construct a complete Turgo turbine system. Alongside the drawings, guides will be developed to enable the knowledge generated from both projects to be shared with the audience, for example key constraints in casting Turgo cups, jigs required to assemble the runner, and how to select an appropriate site for the turbine.
The project team will also install a micro hydropower scale Turgo turbine at a site to demonstrate its potential for the future. With these plans in place, we hope the future for the Turgo turbine in Nepal is bright!
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Turgo project near Kathmandu. Credit: PEEDA.

This article was written by guest blogger and HPNET Board of Representatives Member, Biraj Gautam, who is the Research Team Leader of the project and Chief Executive Officer at People, Energy and Environment Development Association (PEEDA) in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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"HIDDEN NO MORE": AN INTERVIEW WITH MINI-GRIDS SUSTAINABILITY EXPERT, RESHA PIYA

5/30/2020

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A 2019 study by IRENA found that women represent about 32% of employees in the renewable energy sector, with far lower representation in STEM jobs compared to administrative jobs.  Despite being few in numbers, women are making important contributions to the sector. We have seen this first-hand in the small-scale hydropower community. From village energy committees, to manufacturing centres, to Board rooms, women are making waves at all levels.

Last year, we launched the Hidden No More feature series to spotlight women change-makers who have transformed gender barriers, and made impactful contributions to energy access for marginalized communities. For this edition, we spoke with Resha Piya, who has nearly 20 years of experience working in the energy access space in Nepal. During our conversation, Ms. Piya shared key solutions for promoting gender inclusion in micro hydropower projects (MHP) and rich insights from her experience supporting MHP sustainability.

PictureResha Piya. Credit: R. Piya
What inspired you to get involved in community development, energy access, and micro hydro work?

​I started my career in the early 2000’s, when I joined Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in 2001. My inspiration to get involved was mainly due to the disparity I saw between the rural and urban populations. I had observed a huge disparity, mainly in terms of basic amenities; urban people were enjoying many facilities including better electricity, education and health facilities, while the rural poor were deprived of all these basic assets, even energy services. I had seen that rural people were compelled to use kerosene and Jharro  (a common plant in Nepal) for household lighting needs.

Being an electrical engineer, I decided it was best to work in the rural energy sector where I could best contribute my knowledge. With my background in electrical engineering, I understand that electricity is the foundation to any and all development activities, which can drive economic activities in rural areas. I believe that rural people have a right to energy services, as do urban people, and energy services can really improve rural quality of life and address the challenges they are facing.

Initially, I started my career promoting solar home systems in rural areas in my work with AEPC, and later shifted toward focusing on sustainable small-scale hydropower. I realized that only installing the energy infrastructure itself -- providing access to electricity -- is not sufficient, because there is a need to make energy systems more reliable and sustainable. This is very important because if the system stops functioning, this creates a burden to rural communities. This is what I found in the field and it is what inspired me to focus on the micro hydro sector, and specifically micro hydropower (MH) sustainability.  
​

"With my background in electrical engineering, I understand that electricity is the foundation to any and all development activities, which can drive economic activities in rural areas."
What inspired you to get involved in community development, energy access, and micro hydro work?

There have been remarkable improvements in the sector since I first started out in the early 2000’s. To date, 2500+ mini/micro/pico hydro systems have been installed with a total capacity of about 36 MW generation of electricity. These systems are distributed around 69 districts of Nepal, providing electricity access to more than 350 households, as well as many rural enterprises and institutions. 

There are around 80 private companies currently working in design, construction and installation of micro/mini hydro plants. In terms of overall job creation, there are more than 7000 people directly employed by the sector. When I started the sector was very small and there were only a few MH companies; after 18 years, there have been lots of changes and improvements in the sector. 

Also, the scope of MH has expanded over the course of my career. Previously, MH was designed only catering for lighting needs of the rural people, but now MH is designed to cater for productive end use (PEU) as well. Nowadays, some MH has also been connected to the national grid.
PictureNishi II micro hydro plant. Credit: R. Piya.
Based on your experience, what are the key ingredients to successful, long-lived micro hydro projects?  Can you share any anecdotes?
​

Based on my experience, there are two main ingredients for successful and sustainable implementation of micro hydro. The first is that the MH users committee, who owns the system, must understand that the MH itself is a viable enterprise -- a social business, not a charity. They must understand that they need to sell the maximum amount of electricity that is produced by the plant, instead of throwing it back to the river. If they do so, they can ensure sustainability and generate money for community benefits. 

The second main ingredient is developing an understanding of the connection between electricity and overall community development. That is also very crucial, because people think that the MH is only for household lighting, but this is not true. If there is reliable electricity, this can be used to power the agricultural sector, education sector, health sector, small and medium enterprises, communications and much more. This has to be understood by the users committee.

If they understand these two key things, the users committee will start to adopt other improvements and activities that are required for MH sustainability. However, in the process, since they don’t have much knowledge about how to manage the plant, mentoring and capacity development support is required to make them understand different management aspects for running MH as a successful enterprise.

A good example I can give you is the case of Nishi MHP. The MHP had been experiencing a loss and we intervened to provide capacity development support. We trained the committee on how to manage the plant, treat it as a viable enterprise, sell electricity as a social commodity, and also how to include economically disadvantaged households. Previously, poor people who could not afford the connection charge were not provided with electricity access. We emphasized that even rural poor could be connected if they developed a smart approach, and so they adopted an installment payment system. Additionally, previously this MHP had been shut down due to technical problem for more than six months, and the community was struggling to seek external support to repair the system. Our programme showed them how to earn sufficient revenue to carry out repairs and maintenance. Recently a landslide occurred and it damaged the canal of MH, and the community was able to repair and restart the system within a month, using their own internal resources which they generated through a tariff. 

PictureInteracting with Darna Khola MHP user's committee. Credit: R. Piya.
What triggered you to start focusing on micro hydro sustainability?  How have your perspectives on micro hydro sustainability developed or evolved over time?

Most people understand me more as a solar person, rather than a MH person. As I said earlier, I had never been involved in the installation of MHPs, but I developed expertise in PEU and then MH sustainability.

Early on, our sole focus was encouraging MH users committees to promote PEU, such as small and medium enterprises, to increase the revenue of the MHP. Then, a memorable incident took place in 2014, while I was on a field trip in Darnavillage along Kailash Khola in Achham district, promoting this same concept around PEU. My colleagues and I stopped at a tea shop on the side of the road, where we encountered the chairperson and other members of the users committee of the Darna Khola MHP. After we informally introduced ourselves and shared the purpose of our visit, the chairperson got very angry. He told us, “You people say MH is good for community development, but you are wrong.” He went on to say that they had taken out a loan for the MHP development and now they must sell their property in order to pay it back.  Furthermore, technical problems frequently required a technician to come in from far away, for which the committee had to bear the cost. The MHP was a burden for them.

At that moment, we realized that promoting PEU is not sufficient for ensuring MHP sustainability. PEU is only one component. We saw that we needed to build the capacity of the users committee to help them understand that MHP must be a viable social enterprise. From that day on, my colleague and I started advocating this concept. It was a very new concept at the time and we advocated for our organization to reform policies and allocate funds for this purpose.

The government has since recognized this idea and has allocated funds to support MHPs to improve their business models and operate sustainably. This concept has been implemented in around 25 MHPs and has proven successful. Now these plants are profitable and the communities are capable of managing any problems that arise independently. In addition to the post-installation phase, there is now also more attention and support provided during the planning and installation phases. However, there are over 2500 plants in Nepal and many are underperforming, thus there remain many cases where this support is required.

A lot of time must also be allocated for capacity building to be effective. A single meeting is not sufficient to change peoples’ perspectives. They remember all the difficulties they faced during the installation phase and understand that the electricity cost should be minimal or free. We need to build their understanding of the links between the MHP and other development activities, and highlight how they can profit from it. We usually have 5-6 rounds of capacity building activities, taking a step-wise approach. Activities include first trying to change their perception, then knowledge exchange and field visits to successful MHPs, and training on account keeping and then on market segmentation.

That trip to Darna is also memorable because I fell in the Kailash river! There was no bridge to cross the river. But, the incident was really a turning point for me, in my career. Building the community’s understanding of MH as a sustainable business is very, very important -- if they understand that, they will perform all management aspects in a way that will support sustainability.

PictureResha Piya with MHP staff. Credit: R. Piya.
Have you faced particular challenges as a woman, in the work that you do? If so, how have you overcome these challenges?

I wouldn’t say I’ve faced any major challenges being a woman, in the work that I’ve done. However, sometimes people ask me “being a woman, don’t you face difficulty in doing technical things?”, or, “don't you feel discomfort in travelling alone to remote areas?”. But, I don’t see this as a major challenge; it’s people’s perception and thinking about women. They think that it’s difficult for women to do these things.

Sometimes, because of the nature of what I’m doing, I have to dedicate a lot of time to my work and it can be difficult to achieve a good work-life balance. I am lucky though, because my family totally supports me and encourages me, therefore I can concentrate on my work. However, it’s not the same situation for all women in Nepal.

It does also remain a male dominated sector. Previously, when my work focused on solar, I would frequently be the only woman in a meeting of 50 people. You can therefore imagine what women’s representation looks like in the sector as a whole. It is slowly changing, compared to the earlier days. Now there are women coming into decision making positions, but their representation is still very low.

PictureOn the way to MHP site. Credit: R. Piya.
What roles have you seen women play in micro hydro projects -- both in implementation and also sustainability?  What greater role can they play?  How can we encourage them?

Women’s representation in MH is still very minimal in Nepal. There are hardly 1 or 2 companies that are really run or managed by women and not more than 20 female engineers in the sector as a whole.

Within the development of an MHP project there is a compulsory quota for women to be represented in the users committee, but women’s participation and voice in the committee remains insignificant. From the program side, when we organize capacity building workshops, we specifically say that at least 1 or 2 women participants per MHP is compulsory, but in reality, very few women participate.

I don’t think there is any doubt that women can play a crucial role both in the implementation and sustainability of MHPs. Women can do all the work that men can do related to the MHP; they can develop enabling policies, carry out feasibility studies, design systems, construct and install the plant, manage and operate the system, and start enterprises using the generated electricity. Women’s involvement can occur throughout, from planning, to installation, to use of electricity.

I believe that if women are looked upon as equal members as men in society, that can increase participation in the MHP sector. We need to break the traditional thinking and perception that women are not capable of doing technical work as well as men. Besides that, I think we have to design working environments in such a way that women can participate. For example, the number of women MHP operators is basically negligible compared to the number of men. Why? Because operators have to stay alone day and night at the powerhouse, which poses security threats for women. But, if we could provide an enabling environment -- for instance, allowing families to live at the MH site -- participation of women could increase. Security and safety need to be given high priority.

What impacts do the involvement of women in micro hydro projects bring to the project, to the community, and to the lives of the women involved?

Involvement of women brings many positive impacts to the MHP itself and to the lives of the women who are involved. I have seen these impacts and can say that it will bring a positive change.

Nowadays in rural areas in Nepal, it is difficult to find young men in the communities, as most have gone abroad for employment. Mostly women and the elderly are the only ones in the village. Access to electricity from the MHP can lower women’s burden and save time, as it can mechanize most of the work which usually requires physical labour. There are many examples, such as electric cookstoves and water pumps, which eliminate the need to collect and carry cooking fuel and drinking water.

In addition, reliable electricity access can encourage women to participate in income generating activities. There are lots of examples where AEPC and development organizations have promoted the development of women-owned enterprises. Likewise, powering agriculture (e.g. irrigation pumps) can make women’s lives easier and support them to generate more income. Another key element is powering communication, which enhances women’s knowledge thereby encouraging participation in social and development activities. Powering healthcare, furthermore, improves maternal health by enabling the use of ultrasound systems. Powering education has given opportunities for women and girls to attend online classes, making them more competitive for future job opportunities. Therefore, energy is very crucial to every development-related activity; MHP is very important to the economic development of the community itself, as well as for women’s empowerment.

Moreover, if we empower women to use electricity, this increases MHP revenue. It contributes to the sustainability of the MHP, by supporting sufficient income to cover maintenance and repair costs.

PictureOn the way to MHP site. Credit: R. Piya.
You mentioned that addressing underlying perceptions and facilitating an enabling environment are two ways to promote women’s involvement in MHPs. What are some other solutions that you would propose to address gender-related challenges in the sector?

First, it is important to empower women’s families and male counterparts to understand the importance of women’s participation in the decision-making process. This encourages women to participate and supports their empowerment more broadly. Without the family or husband’s support, it can be very difficult for women to participate in any MHP, development or business activity.

Once their families are empowered, we need to empower women themselves with the capability to participate actively and meaningfully. Sometimes when we ask a woman to join a meeting, she doesn’t understand what the meeting is about or what contribution she can make, and doesn’t have the knowledge to actively participate. Therefore, awareness raising and empowerment activities must be carried out beforehand. Just telling women to participate is not enough.

Additionally, with regard to mentorship activities, it is important to make sure that women are comfortable with the mentor. Sometimes women-to-women connections form faster and, in some societies, women aren’t allowed to interact with external men without the permission of their husband or father (e.g. in some communities in the Terai region). Some women may be comfortable with a male mentor, but we need to understand the situation and the social norms in the community.

When rural women see women participating in this field, I think that this also motivates them to contribute and to work. When they see me in the village, talking about the project, they think, “if she can do it, why can’t I?” This is my perception, at least.

Additionally, when we go to the field, if we don’t see women participating, then we ask why they aren’t there, and we wait for their presence. We always ask people to bring a woman representative to the meetings and training programs. This also encourages women to come out of the house.

"Just telling women to participate is not enough."
How has the global COVID-19 pandemic impacted the communities that you work with?

The pandemic has impacted the micro hydro communities that I’ve worked with, mainly in that the revenue collection has decreased due to non-operation of enterprises. Also, because of the lockdown, customers are not able to travel to the plant to pay their monthly bill.

Additionally, many migrant workers have returned to their villages, having lost their jobs abroad. The positive side of this is that these individuals might start thinking of starting new businesses in the village itself. If they do engage in economic activities in the village, this might increase the health and revenue of the MHP in the long term.
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I mentioned previously about the impact of rural-urban migration on gender relations. With that in mind, there might be an impact in terms of competition between men and women. However, I think that empowerment activities and gender-inclusive programming can add value and enable women to participate equally in the competition process.

What are your hopes for the future of renewable energy and energy access in Nepal?

Recent data from the Nepal electricity authority shows that around 90% of households in Nepal are connected to the national grid, to date. This shows that there are not many households left without access to electricity. Therefore, along with increased access, we must focus on improving the reliability and sustainability of energy supply, as I’m advocating for. For unelectrified off-grid areas, we need to promote decentralized mini-grids and renewable energy technology as an alternative energy service to rural households, enterprises and institutions.

Additionally, last year in FY 2018/19 Nepal imported more than 37% of our electricity from India, spending almost 20 billion Nepalese rupees. Similarly, we imported around 216 billion Nepalese rupees worth of petroleum products last year, including cooking fuel; this import was around 2.2 times more than total national exports. There is evidence that India does unofficial blockades, which results in problems around energy access. Therefore, there is a need to increase the share of renewables in the grid, to reduce dependence on imports and enhance national energy security.

In addition, hydropower generation is increasing in Nepal. It is expected that about 1300 MW of hydroelectricity will be added to the national grid in the coming one years time;  hence, we also need to work on increasing electricity demand in domestic markets, by promoting electric vehicles, electric cooking, powering agriculture, powering tourism, etcetera. If we can do this, while working on cross-border power trade, we can ensure energy security and increase revenue.

What key message would you like to leave our readers with, especially for the next generation of women micro hydro champions?

I think there is no doubt that electricity is the foundation of every development activity, whether it’s agriculture, education or transportation. There are lots of opportunities in the sector, therefore I would like to encourage women to grab these opportunities. Ladies, you can do it, and you can make positive change in the sector, as well as in the livelihoods of the rural people. You can do it if you believe in yourself.

For more insights on MHP sustainability, be sure to check out the third edition of our 2019 webinar series, featuring Resha Piya and other experts: Mini-Grid Sustainability: Transitioning to Social Enterprise for Energy and Economic Development.
 
If you enjoyed this Hidden No More interview, sign up below to receive our newsletter, to hear from other women change-makers in the sector!
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JOIN US: DEC. 10 WEBINAR ON INTEGRATED ENERGY PLANNING

12/3/2019

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Join our webinar this month on integrated energy planning! 

MINI-GRID PLANNING: INTEGRATED ENERGY PLANNING FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
DATE:  TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019
TIME:  10 AM CET / 2:45 PM KATHMANDU / 5 PM KUALA LUMPUR
REGISTER HERE
The Hydro Empowerment Network seeks to provide a spotlight on energy planning practitioners that are advancing integrated energy planning for rural electrification. This webinar – the 4th in our series – will feature integrated energy planning initiatives from African contexts and S/SE Asian contexts, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malaysian​ Borneo.

The webinar will include:

  • The basic criteria for a robust integrated energy planning process
  • Examples of country-wide and sub-region programs in Africa and Asia that are advancing integrated energy planning and their hindsight
  • Voices of a diverse set of energy planning practitioners – including a private utility, national government, international development partner, and scientific research institute
  • Tools and processes for integrated energy mapping, modelling, and planning
  • Challenges and potential solutions that require further support and strategy.

Presentations will be followed by a Q/A session open to all participants.   

​Learn more about our 2019 Mini-Grid Webinar Series, hosted by WISIONS and energypedia here!

WEBINAR BACKGROUND

Although mini-grids are often boxed as a “pre-electrification” intervention, there is increasing evidence showing that mini-grids can achieve grid parity.  Further, in countries that allow mini-grids to feed in electricity to the central grid, mini-grids have actually made the central grid more reliable!


Hydro mini-grids especially meet these scenarios, providing 24-hour reliable electricity, typically at lower LCOE and costs per kW than most other types of mini-grids, and leading to lower tariffs for rural consumers. Thereof, hydro mini-grids are generally financially viable for motorized loads (e.g. agri processing productive end use) and for feeding into the central grid.

Despite their obvious advantages, in most developing contexts decentralized renewable energy mini-grids continue to be framed as “pre-electrification” solutions at par with solar home lighting, or “not as important as the central grid.”  Often mini-grid development is housed in a separate and less influential ministry, while the central grid authorities have ultimate power and financial resources. Such a fragmented approach leads to:
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  • Redundant electrification interventions, and therefore wasteful use of funding resources
  • Confusion on timing of arrival of the central grid, which severely hampers the scale-up of mini-grids
  • Abandoned mini-grids and loss of investment upon the arrival of a reliable central grid
  • Business-as-usual of an intermittently reliable central grid, typically powered by fossil fuels or large hydro, in today’s age of climate crisis.

However, the reality is that all solutions for energy access are equally important to meet the growing energy needs of rural communities.

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SPEAKERS
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​DR. CATHERINA CADER
RESEARCH UNIT OFF-GRID SYSTEMS
REINER LEMOINE INSTITUTE, GERMANY 

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Dr. Catherina Cader is an expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and rural electrification planning. She has been working at Reiner Lemoine Institute since 2012 and is part of the Research Unit Off-Grid Systems. She is particularly interested in rural electrification planning in countries of the Global South with consideration of renewable energy. Catherina holds a PhD in Geography from Justus Liebig University Giessen. For her dissertation she conducted research on rural electrification planning in Nigeria. Her PhD project was supported by a scholarship from the Reiner Lemoine-Foundation. She also holds a Master of Science in Geography from Philipps University Marburg and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management from Justus Liebig University Gießen. Through field visits and self-developed trainings on the use of GIS for rural electrification planning, Catherina has great expertise on the political, geographical, economic, and technical challenges of local energy supply situations. By developing and applying GIS-based methods, she brings the spatial component into RLI research using open source software. Catherina has experience as a project manager in several projects – her work has taken her to various places including Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Nepal, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
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CHRISTOPHER WESLEY AJAN
SARAWAK ALTERNATIVE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION SCHEME (SARES) 
SARAWAK ENERGY, MALAYSIA


Mr. Christopher Wesley Ajan joined in 2012 Sarawak Energy, the utility responsible for the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity for the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.  He currently serves as Manager in the Rural Electrification Department with focus on community based stand-alone solar power station.  He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Universiti Teknologi, Malaysia and is a certified On-Grid and Off-Grid Photovoltaic Designer (SEDA-Malaysia). He presently leads the planning and implementation of the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES), a Sarawak State Government initiative to provide basic electricity supply to remote villages in Sarawak. To date, SARES has successfully completed 222 villages with total of 5,320 households. Awards received by SARES include: ASEAN Energy Awards 2019 – Off-grid Power Category; PowerGen Asia 2019 – Solar Power Project of the year; Alliance of Rural Electrification (ARE) Award 2018 – Winner RE project by Government in Africa, Asia and Latin America category.
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DR. VICTOR OSU
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION FUND
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AGENCY, NIGERIA


Dr. Osu is presently the Senior Adviser (SA) to the Executive Director (Rural Electrification Funds in the Rural Electrification Agency; towards enabling and fostering investments in Rural Electrification Planning and Development, linking private developers with access to finance from the government and private investors. He is  responsible towards the mobilization and operationalization of the Rural Electrification Fund (REF), with an objective of providing, promoting and supporting access to reliable electric power supply for rural economic development via the deployment of off-grid technologies (Mini-grids and SHS) within the context of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) delivery model. Victor is currently coordinating the implementation of over 10 mini-grids and 18,000 solar home systems installation for rural communities across the country with facility support from the rural electrification grant. He is currently administering the Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (MAS) and Interconnected-Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (I-MAS) programs, with 9.3 million Euros, funded by the European Union and the German government through Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeil (GIZ) to provide energy access to 32,000 Nigerians. A key focus within the project is the facilitation of productive use of energy through backward integration and Key Maker Model to spur rural economic development. He received a B.Sc. in Computer Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, an M.Sc. in Energy Management from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen in Scotland and his Ph.D. in Sustainability Transition and Governance also from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.​

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MODERATOR

RANISHA BASNET has more than 5 years of experience in knowledge management in the off-grid sector. She has worked with many national and international organizations to develop different knowledge products (webinars, database and knowledge portals) and also designed campaigns to raise awareness about the trending off-grid energy topics. Currently, she is writing her master thesis on “ Gender and Renewable Energy Mini Grids” and is attending the master program, Renewable Energy Engineering and Management at the University of Freiburg, Germany.​

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THEMATIC DISCUSSANT
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DIPTI VAGHELA
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NETWORK FACILITATOR AND MANAGER 
HYDRO EMPOWERMENT NETWORK (HPNET) 

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Dipti Vaghela is the co-founder and manager of the Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET), a south-south knowledge exchange platform that advances policy, technology, and socio-environmental aspects of small-scale hydropower across ten countries since established in 2013. Dipti brings sixteen years of experience in developing decentralized renewable energy solutions for rural electrification in S/SE Asia, bridging communities, local entrepreneurs, field-based NGOs, policy makers, and funding agencies. In 2016 she was awarded a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, placed at the Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM). Based in Myanmar, she supports and learns from Myanmar’s indigenous micro/mini hydropower, biomass energy, PV-irrigation practitioners. Dipti holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.
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NEPAL:  FIELD RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND MICRO HYDRO

11/15/2019

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Involving women in micro-hydro projects (MHPs) is important, not only for empowering the women via access to energy, but also for the sustainability of the MHP, as it taps into one of the core beneficiaries -- women, who were previously left out. 
In collaboration with HPNET and the UNDP Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods (RERL) project at the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Nepal, my research looked at a MHP where gender mainstreaming was done around 22 years ago and analyzed the impact of gender mainstreaming on the MHP. The findings included that women’s involvement in the MHP could be restricted by prevalent gender roles, as well as by the technical design or malpractice. The findings also revealed that encouraging women-led productive use of electricity should be accompanied by other infrastructure such as access to markets, finance, roads, etc.

​Stay tuned for a report where the findings will be presented in detail.


I would like to thank HPNET for helping to identify the appropriate case study and also forming the necessary contacts. HPNET has also been helpful in shaping this study by providing continuous feedback.


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By HPNET member Ranisha Basnet
[email protected]
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Ranisha is currently pursuing her master’s degree in “Renewable energy engineering management” at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany.
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WATCH:  WEBINAR ON HYDRO MINI-GRID SUSTAINABILITY

9/20/2019

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Did you miss our third quarterly webinar, Mini-Grid Sustainability: Transitioning to Social Enterprise for Energy and Economic Development?  You can now watch it below!
Over the last year, HPNET has shed light on the key factors for sustaining hydro mini-grids over the long-term. This webinar addressed the importance of social enterprise for ensuring mini-grid sustainability, featuring practitioners who are leading the transition from grant-dependent to enterprise-based hydro mini-grids. The speakers highlighted the potential for local social enterprise to support revenue-driven and equitable hydro mini-grids. 

The webinar presented:
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  • The linkage between enterprise-based approaches and long-lived hydro mini-grids;
  • Best practices to transition from grant-dependent to local social enterprise models, based on micro hydro experience in Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia;
  • Solutions to scale their efforts to more micro hydro communities, including how to make better use of funding resources that currently go toward grant-dependent projects.

Introducing SEEED

The webinar also introduced our new HPNET initiative: Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological, and Economic Development (SEEED). SEEED aims to support local practitioners and micro hydro communities in the transition to enterprise-based approaches.

The webinar supported an initial objective of SEEED, by identifying and highlighting the work of practitioners who are already paving the path toward long-lived mini-grids anchored in local social enterprise.
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Stay tuned for more information on SEEED, to be released in coming weeks!

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"HIDDEN NO MORE" INTERVIEW SERIES: NEPAL CHANGE-MAKER, SRIJANA THAPA

7/22/2019

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To commemorate International Women's Day this year, we launched the Hidden No More feature series to spotlight women change-makers who have transformed gender barriers, and made significant contributions to energy access for marginalized communities.

​We are excited to feature our second change-maker -- Ms. SriJana Thapa, a grassroots coordinator for micro hydro development in Nepal.  Ranisha Basnet of energypedia UG took the opportunity to speak with Srijana to understand her experiences in the gender-energy nexus.  Read below!
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Srijana Thapa, Team Lead, Renewable Energy Program at DCRDC, Nepal.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Srijana Thapa and I am the Team Leader at the Dhaulagiri Community Resources Development Centre (DCRDC). DCRDC is a social organization based in Baglung district in Nepal. I have a bachelor's degree in Social Science and Humanities from the Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

How did you start your career?

Since early 2000, I have been involved in various community development projects at DCRDC. In 2002, I worked as a coordinator for the Women’s Empowerment Program and then in 2006 became the Team Leader of the Renewable Energy Program, which includes all forms of decentralized renewable energy (such as solar and biogas), but we focus primarily on micro hydropower (MH).

Tell us about your current work in the MHP field?

As a Team Leader, I, along with my team, am involved in social mobilization, MH demand collection, user community formation and in raising awareness about the subsidy program for MH.

How has the MH scenario changed since you started in 2006?

In 2006, there was no infrastructure such as roads in the target villages. The villagers also did not have the funds to pay for the initial installation of the MH systems and would have to take credits. They would then need 3-4 years to pay off the credit. The mechanical and electrical equipment were transported by either men or animals such as mules to the MHP sites. Thus, it would take longer and was more expensive to construct micro hydro projects (MHPs). Similarly, there was very little demand for electricity from the MHPs. For example: for a 25 kW MH system, only 10 kW would be used, as there were no or fewer productive end use activities. 

In recent years, these villages are being developed and have infrastructure such as roads. Now, there are also more donors who provide funds for the initial construction of the MHPs such as the Rural Municipality/Municipalities/Irrigation Office. Access to roads have enabled new productive end uses activities and ensured that the electricity load is not wasted. Nevertheless, the national grid is expanding to the rural villages and the MH systems will have to be connected to the national grid to ensure the long-term sustainability of the MHPs. We should also focus on promoting more productive activities instead of building new MH plants.

Tell us about the women empowerment program within your organization?

Earlier in 2006, gender empowerment and social inclusion (GESI) was not the focal point of our program, but since 2013 we have been actively promoting women empowerment programs. As part of the GESI program, women are trained as MH system operators and receive trainings for different skills such as accounting, leadership, and business. In our MHP user communities, the treasury is also always handled by the women. The government also provides subsidies for women-led businesses, which have helped to promote women’s participation. Currently, there are different women-led businesses such as a mineral water factory, beauty parlor, bakery, tailoring etc.

In the earlier days, it was really hard to involve women as they were very shy and hesitant. During the community mobilization, we always involved the key persons of the village to convince them about the need for women’s participation in the MHPs. This helped us to increase women’s participation in our MHPs.

Tell us about your challenges as a woman hydro practitioner?

As a Team Leader, I did not face many difficulties. The villagers always welcomed us during the field visit. I also had the opportunity to work with a great team that supported me a lot.  The only challenge was traveling long distances to reach the MH powerhouse, which I personally found  physically exhausting.
 
What kind of change did you observe in the MH community in the last 10 years?

In the last 10 years, a lot has changed. For example: our MHP sites now have access to roads. Many micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are now using the electricity from the MHPs. This has resulted in an increase in income, people are self-employed, and this has drastically changed the rural livelihood. The people also have access to communication devices such as television and mobile phones. The clean electricity from the MHPs have replaced the polluting kerosene lamps. This has resulted in improved health condition for women, saved time and the children are also able to study at night.

Previously, the women had to mill the grains manually but now with the arrival of electricity, it has reduced the burden on the women. Since most of the men migrate overseas or to cities for work, women are now mostly involved in productive end use activities. These women entrepreneurs are also inspiring other women to start their own businesses. 

Would you like to share any final thoughts for our readers?

When we are working with the community, no matter how qualified we are, we always have to follow the bottom-up approach. We need to first know the community and their needs and not impose what we believe is the right strategy. Every day, I am learning something new from the community and I believe I still have a long way to go.

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THE GENDER-ENERGY NEXUS: INCREASING WOMEN LEADERSHIP LEADS TO LONGER-LIVED HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

7/8/2019

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Last month, I had the opportunity to talk about the gender and energy nexus at the Asia Clean Energy Forum 2019.  My talk was based on the experiences of incorporating gender into the micro hydropower projects (MHPs) of the UNDP Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods (RERL) project at the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Nepal and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Pakistan.

Both Nepal and Pakistan have a rich history of MHPs -- with over 3000 projects in Nepal and over 1000 projects in Pakistan. Therefore, the countries make for good cases to look at how we could involve women in the MHPs to not only empower women but also to contribute towards the financial sustainability of the mini-grids.​
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​​When we talk about gender and energy nexus, we find a lot of papers and discussions that circle around household energy. It does make sense as energy-poverty in households is commonly gender-biased, with women mostly gathering the firewood and cooking on smoky fireplaces and men having relatively easier and more access to resources such as land, credit, and education. This access to resources also supports their position as the decision-maker of the family. Similarly, when new electrical appliances are bought, they are designed to meet the demands of the men, although women are the ones doing most of the labor-intensive chores in the household. Nevertheless, apart from household energy, another important aspect is the productive activities of women. When we look at the MHPs in Nepal and Pakistan, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of cost recovery tariff and low load factor. To tackle this challenge, it is important to recognize the productive activities of women and integrate them as potential customers. Also, promoting women-led productive activities provides an additional stream of income for MHPs – ultimately resulting in sustainability of the MHPs. 

Looking at the MH projects from a gender lens, we see that women are already involved in energy projects: during the construction phase, they supply the required physical labor and during the post-installation phase, women are represented in the MHP communities but mostly as token women. They oftentimes have no decision-making authority and the productive end use activities are also mostly owned by men. So, it is clear that women are already involved as of now, but the question is how to involve them further so that it benefits the projects financially and also empowers the women. Based on the experiences from Nepal and Pakistan the following ways are proposed.
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Knowledge Empowerment of Women: Apart from the physical labor, women should also be consulted for their resource knowledge. For example, women are better able to tell when the water level is high or low in their village and also know about their forest, land, local customs, etc. Involving women in MHP planning also empowers them as they see that their knowledge is valued. In countries like Nepal where there is a high outflux of men and youths to cities and abroad for work, training women as operators ensures that your trained manpower stays in the MHP site. This reduces the cost of training the operators again and again. In Pakistan, experiences showed that when women are involved in MHP activities like running the loading center or tariff collection, there are less absences as compared to men. The customers also appreciated the fact that women were more reliable and accountable as compared to men.

Women Ownership of the MHP – In Pakistan, women are the shareholders of the MH system. After involving women as shareholders, it was observed that women were more accountable for the MH plant. For example, they would take initiative for the repair and maintenance of the MHP, which was previously lacking. As a board member, they were also involved in tariff setting and paid special attention to making MH tariff affordable for other female entrepreneurs. 
Therefore, involving women increases their accountability towards the MHP and also leads to better and more inclusive management – ultimately leading to sustainable MHPs. 

Women-Owned Productive End Uses (PEU) - The Government of Nepal provides a subsidy to every female-owned business. This has encouraged women to run their own businesses in Nepal. Currently out of 2500 PEU, 474 are owned by women. Also training such as bookkeeping and management is provided to help them run the business.  In Pakistan specific productive end use training is provided to women such as sewing, jam making, milk seller, freezer facilities and carpenter. This helps to boost their confidence as well as their household income. 
Gender integration is a gradual process and will not happen overnight. The MHP implementation and operation & maintenance are dominated by men and the work itself is seen as men’s department. This hinders the participation of women, especially in terms of involving women into the operation of the MHPs. The prevailing gender norms in South Asia also make it difficult to ensure equal participation of women. The powerhouses in many cases are located in rural far-off sites which makes it difficult for women to travel, due to security issues. Thus, it is necessary to dive deeper into these issues and design specialized solutions for each case. Also, it might be difficult to involve women in the beginning, but experiences have shown that when people see empowered women, more women are inspired to follow suit. Therefore, gender integration should be treated like a long-term process and not a checklist on the MHP installation.
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By HPNET member Ranisha Basnet
[email protected]
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WATCH: WEBINAR ON ENABLING LOCAL BANKS TO FINANCE HYDRO MINI-GRIDS

7/1/2019

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If you missed our second quarterly webinar last week, Mini-grid Financing:  Enabling the Role of Local Banks, you can watch it below!  

The webinar covers
- incentives for local banks to lend to RE mini-grids
- challenges for local banks and how development partners can alleviate them
- example of a 7-bank program (!) lending to RE mini-grids
- checklist for mini-grid developers to access local bank financing.

Special thanks to
WISIONS, energypedia UG, and the speakers Kapila Subasinghe, Dinesh Dulal, and Margarita Manzo for making it possible.

Stay tuned for our next quarterly webinar, “Mini-Grid Sustainability: Transitioning to Enterprise-based Micro Hydro"  in September
 here!
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REGIONAL EXCHANGE TO ADVANCE COMMUNITY-SCALE HYDRO IN INDIA, MYANMAR, AND NEPAL

6/30/2019

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Our country-specific strategic advocacy efforts were merged into regional momentum this month, thanks to International Rivers and its partners taking the lead in organizing a multi-actor regional exchange, Advancing Community-scale Hydro:  Bridging India, Myanmar, and Nepal. The event, held in Shillong, India, focused on policy, enterprise, and institutional challenges, opportunities, and best practices.  HPNET Board members from the three countries were critical in the participant selection, agenda design, and presentation content. 

The event resulted in increased awareness among front-line civil society organizations and development partners in India,  Myanmar, and Nepal; utility actors from India and Nepal; and government officials from India, Myanmar, and Nepal.  The awareness has resulted in stronger momentum at the country level for multi-actors to work closer together in bringing practice-to-policy changes that have tangible benefits for marginalized rural communities.

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Participants of the regional exchange, Advancing Community Scale Hydro: Bridging India, Myanmar and Nepal. Credit: International Rivers.
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Regional nightlight map. Source: https://achimkemmerling.files.wordpress.com
The event was informed by the video below, developed by the local association Hydropower for Community Empowerment in Myanmar (HyCEM), with support from the Global Greengrants Fund, International Rivers, Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet), Green Rights Organization, and HPNET.
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HPNET-WISIONS DEEP DIVE AT THE ASIA CLEAN ENERGY FORUM:  SCALING INCLUSIVE ENTERPRISE MICRO HYDRO

6/19/2019

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HPNET and WISIONS hosted a Deep Dive Workshop at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2019, entitled Hydro Mini-Grids in the Asia-Pacific: Scaling Inclusive
Enterprise-Based Approaches.  Special thanks to the ACEF team, our speakers, and WISIONS for making the rich dialogue possible!

The agenda and speaker bios can be found here.  Watch the videos below!  Or listen to the audio here.

Part 1 - Examples and Opportunities for Enterprise-based Hydro Mini-Grids
Moderator:  Divyam Nagpal
Panelists:  Bir Bahadur Ghale, Hydro Concern Ltd., Nepal; Satish Gautam, UNDP Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods, Nepal; Sandra Winarsa, Hivos Southeast Asia; Meherban Khan, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) Pakistan, and Dipti Vaghela, Hydro Empowerment Network
Part 2 - National Programs to Scale-up Enterprise-based Approaches
Moderator:  Bikash Pandey, Winrock International
Panelists:  Ernesto 'Butch' Silvano, National Energy Administration, Philippines; Trimumpuni, IBEKA, Indonesia, Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang, Borneo; Sherzad Ali Khan, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN); U Aung Myint, Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM)
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HIDDEN NO MORE - WOMEN CHANGE MAKERS FOR ENERGY ACCESS: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANITA BOHARA

3/8/2019

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To celebrate International Women's Day 2019, we are launching the Hidden No More feature series!  It spotlights women change-makers who have transformed gender barriers, and made significant contributions to energy access for marginalized communities.

We are excited to feature our first change-maker -- Ms. Anita Bohara, an energy access specialist in Nepal.  Energypedia and HPNET had the opportunity to connect with her inspiring reflections as a woman micro hydro practitioner.   Read below!

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Anita Bohara.  I have worked in the Nepal micro-hydro sector for 4 years and roughly 12 years in the energy sector, including both on-grid and off-grid. I completed my Master’s degree on sustainable energy systems and management from the University of Flensburg, Germany.​

How did you start your career in micro hydropower?

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I started my career in 2004 as a Technical Officer at the District Development Committee in Rural Energy Development Section (DDC-REDS) of Baglung District in Nepal,​
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Ms. Anita Bohara, Nepal micro hydro and energy access specialist.
I supported implementation of the Micro-hydro Program (MHP) under the Rural Energy Development Program (REDP), supported by the Government of Nepal and UNDP.

What was it like to be on the ground then?

​It was a time when the country was in an intense situation because of the conflict between Government and Maoists. Many people were killed during this conflict and the situation was not favorable to carry out development work. ​I can still recall those moments when there was a massive attack in the neighboring Myadgi District, when I had just signed onto my first employment contract. Since I had never been away from my family in Kathmandu, I had quite a task to convince them to let me start my career in a district so far away from home and so close to the conflict. 

We were only three female officers out of 25 technical officers, and I was the only one to stay with the program for more than a year.  Later, I was promoted to acting Energy Development Officer and then to Energy Development Officer (EDO). I worked for about two and a half years and received an opportunity to obtain a master’s degree with a scholarship. I must give credit for this opportunity for higher education to the strong recommendation provided by my supervisor and my work experience with this organization.
 
Tell us more about your work as an Energy Development Officer.

As an EDO, my program was under the umbrella of the District Development Committee (DDC). I was working in coordination with DDC and other line agencies in the district. The program’s main objective was to provide access to electricity through the implementation of micro hydro projects in the very remote locations of the district where there was no possibility for grid extension at least for the next five years. Besides micro hydro installation, the program also supported various capacity building activities anchored on a strong community mobilization process, in order to ensure sustainability in the long run.
 
Baglung District has very good potential for micro hydropower. While other districts were working with one local NGO on four to five projects, we were working with two local NGOs implementing about ten different projects.  To work in such a conflict situation was definitely a big challenge for us.  Moreover, the road accessibility was extremely poor in those days that we had to walk for three days at most, just to reach the project area. Despite all these challenges, the local NGO and the community remained active and enthusiastic. With their support, we managed to make good progress with the implementation of the MHP projects. During this experience, I was also awarded with the Best Technical Officer recognition in the region for my work -- which motivated me so much to continue working in the district.
 
I must say, the experiences and learning I gathered while working with the micro hydro communities, local NGOs and district agencies in this project helped me greatly in all other projects and organizations that I worked for afterward in my professional journey.
 
Tell us about your work at GIZ-EnDev.
​

I worked as the Program Coordinator for GIZ-EnDev for 1.5 years. I was involved in supporting teams in managing the Micro Hydro Debt Fund (MHDF) with the Alternate Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). After 15 years of being away, I was glad to return to a more advanced micro hydro sector.  However, I encountered very different challenges in this phase of the sector.

Besides access to electricity through installation of this technology, sustainability of micro hydro operation had become equally challenging in the sector. Lack of effective tariff collection mechanisms, project management capacity of the community, social issues due to lack of transparency during the project construction phase, project shut down due to failure of civil structures and lack of technical capacity of the community, low penetration of electricity based enterprises that generates the revenue for the project, low capacity factor and grid arrival among others -- were all challenges that resulted in defaults for repayment of banks loans provided by the MHDF.

What do you think can be done to make Nepal micro hydro projects long-lived?

Attractive risk sharing mechanisms needed to be developed to encourage the private sector and the financial institutions to invest in micro hydro projects. Intervention of innovative technology in the tariff collection mechanism and loan repayment process not only helps in the loan repayment but can also tackle various social issues that are always crucial to the sustainable operation any community-owned systems.

There is also a need to work with the community and build their capacity to manage the project, at least for some time, may be up to six months before the project is completely handed over to be managed by the community. The usual practice is to pour all the support and capacity building activities to the community before the project comes into operation, and only after is it immediately handed over to the community. Such infrastructures are very big to be managed by the community themselves - even if we are only talking about small scale hydro, we cannot expect the community to get it right, right off the bat.

This leads to major challenges and issues that come right after the project starts operation. There are also big behavioral changes among the beneficiaries that must come with the operation of the project. Therefore, sustained social mobilization and capacity building to establish proper tariff collection mechanisms, plant operation, and good governance long after the project is finished will build the community’s self-confidence and capacity for sustainable operation. While managing other projects such as community owned large size biogas projects and water pumping systems, I found out that the issue was not only exclusive for micro hydropower but also important in other renewable energy systems.
 
Were there challenges that you faced as a woman engineer?

When I was pursuing my civil engineering degree in the year 1999 to 2003, we were only eight female students out of 80 students in the class. One of the reasons why women were not choosing this field is the prevailing thought that it requires extensive field visits. Most female students were more attracted towards architecture and computer faculties. In those conflict situations in the country (before 15 years), everyone regardless of gender, was hesitant to go to work in these districts. Women engineers like me, were almost negligible in a technology sector that required one to be based away from the home and family.
 
Initially, because of my age and gender, the community did not easily believe in me and doubted my stay in the district I also noticed that some of them pitied me, which I also heard from other local colleagues. Similarly, communities were almost always surprised to see me at the start. They had a mindset that all engineers and technical persons must be male. On many occasions, I felt like they had more respect for my male subordinates than me. Nevertheless, this was not a huge problem for me; and it was interesting to show off my capacity to people with such mindsets, and oh boy, did I prove them wrong! I believe my work spoke for itself and eventually earned their respect. Hopefully they were convinced that women are just as capable as men in the engineering field.
 
While working in the district as an EDO, one challenge I faced was the social networking and informal meetings which can impact your work. I used to be very much reluctant for informal meetings because of security reason in the beginning of my professional career when I was in the district. I think compared to men, women professionals must face more challenges to attend informal meetings and networking events to balance work and family life, which to some extent have impact on their work.

Do you think that how a daughter is raised affects her professional journey? 
 
Whether women get equal opportunity to study or choose a career, it remains a fact that majority of girls in a country like Nepal are not raised to be strong as compared to boys. I would like to share that though I decided to work away from my family, I always had a fear of dealing with people. I am much more confident now, but it was very difficult for me to adjust when I started my career working in the district alone, with no family in the area, especially with the constant worry regarding security.

I remember a time during my first week of work, I had to travel to one micro hydro site together with just one of my male staff. I have just started working with him and did not know him well enough. I still remember that I was very stressed travelling with him the entire day, until we reached the village. Especially when we went through very isolated places in the forest, I used to walk so fast, and I think it was clearly obvious to him that I was looking for means of escape and signs of houses or people. Later, I realized how he was consistently kind, supportive, and sensitive throughout the trip and during my work with this organization. I realized that maybe it is also a struggle for men to travel with their female supervisors in our country. We need to be taught at an early age, the essential life skills needed to be strong and handle difficult situations. For this, there needs to be a healthy dose of independence. However, the level of civilization and crime that occurs in the country makes this difficult. It is also understandable how parents would want to protect and shelter their daughters.
 
How did you think you impacted the community as a woman engineer?

While visiting project sites (including MHP but also other technologies), I was overwhelmed to see children walking long distances just to get to school and young women (who are in their late teens) already having 2-3 kids.  I particularly noticed that the girls did not study beyond the seventh or eighth grade and were married off early. Girls either they get pressured from their family for early marriage or they get lured to the fancy clothes and makeup that they could do after getting married and this is really disheartening to see.
 
So, when women engineers like me visited the site and talked to them, it gives them a positive example of what they can do in life. I always made a point, to talk to these young people and motivate them as much as I can. I also found that they were always positively surprised to see a woman engineer -- and I was glad to be this surprise for them.

Can you describe a memorable incident where you had to push for equal rights for women?
 
I remember one community that owns a biogas facility where almost all women members do not have their citizenship. Our projects required mandatory representation for equal representation of women in the executive committee, for which they needed to have citizenship as the organization had to be registered. The male members seemed reluctant to go with the process for preparing the citizenship for women.
 
We had to communicate to the community that we will bring the project elsewhere if there is no equal participation of women in the executive committee. We pressured them to process the citizenship of the women if they really wanted to bring in the project. We even had to delay the project by a couple of months just for the women representatives to prepare their citizenship and get represented in the executive committee.
 
As I mentioned, many professions are gender biased, like engineering which requires site visits and working in remote stations away from family. Families remain reluctant to give females more freedom. So maybe, engineers like us who have been successful in the field could be role models and sources of encouragement for those families. With these examples I do not mean to say that gender issues should be handled by women professionals exclusively, (especially now when there are many male gender experts and professionals at the policy level supporting and advocating for gender energy issues,) but just my thought that maybe it is more likely for women professionals to be more sensitive towards the women’s issues in those working areas.
 
What is the impact of energy access on women?

Access to energy can bring lot of changes in women’s life and livelihood especially in the rural areas. Since women are more responsible for cooking, collecting firewood, carrying water, walking long difficult distances in the hills. Access to energy services in the form of electricity, water, clean cooking fuel not only reduces the drudgery and save time for them but also improve their health situation. However, I would like to give following feedback that I think needs to be taken care while designing, planning and implementing any energy access program and projects;
 
There is higher need to consider the impact they have in their normal daily life during construction phase when they have to contribute labor, considering they already have much more workload and responsibilities in their family. In one of the community-owned projects, I was touched to see a woman who consistently wakes up earlier than normal at 4 am every day just to be able to contribute to the project. This shows the commitment women have towards such projects, but also the increased workload for them who already bear the brunt of daily chores in the household.
 
I would also like to share one of the instances, where we were doing focus group discussion separately for men and women in one village. It was interesting to see that all men prioritized electricity, but most women prioritized easy access to water as they had to walk 2-3 hours daily for water. This clearly showed that there are separate demands of men and women for which gender-sensitive energy policies are needed. Energy needs for different genders should be considered in the planning process, rather than integrating gender issues only during implementation, monitoring and evaluation process.
 
Though women have much more work load especially in the rural areas they have minimal access to the income that comes in the house and family. Access to Energy services whether in the form of water, electricity, biogas etc. it needs to be linked to income generating opportunities for women to have better impact of energy access on the women’s livelihood.
 
Awareness on the need for clean energy use is another aspect to be considered while promoting the clean energy use among the community. Sometime while visiting some community we have seen that going to forest to collect firewood with friends are considered as one source of recreation as time have no value to be used in other productive activities and that is the time for women to be away from home and spent some time with friends. So, for such group there is higher need to aware them on the negative impact the firewood burning and indoor air pollution have on their health. Until they are aware it will be difficult for them to change their behavior and switch to clean cooking even if the technology is available in their household. This is just one example from one community especially in the Terai region of the country, there are other many communities in the hills where firewood collection is very difficult. However, it is also very difficult for them to access the technology. Financing might be the opportunity for them to switch. Requirement of the activity intervention will truly differ from one community to another.
 
What is key takeaway from your experiences in the rural development sector?

It is still very challenging for women in South Asian countries like Nepal to land in decision making and leadership positions. It is also equally challenging to work in that position as compared to men. I would say that strengthening networking and support systems among women is vital to help women develop and achieve their career goals, while also encouraging other women to move forward in any sector.  We must remember that the following is also true for energy access:
 
“A bird cannot fly with one wing only. Human space flight cannot develop any further without the active participation of women.” - Valentina Tereshkova

For more journeys of women micro hydro practitioners in our Hidden No More  series, please sign up below to receive our newsletter!  
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