Earlier this year, EKOenergy and the Siemenpuu Foundation organised a joint call for solar energy projects in Mali, Myanmar and Nepal. We are happy to announce that this process has now resulted in the selection of a first project.
Together we are granting 70,000 euro to the project ”Solar electrification of a village and promoting energy planning based on reliable data collection in Nepal” of the Nepalese organisation Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N), which has a long experience with renewable energy and appropriate technology installations. CRT/N has cooperated since the 1990s to improve living conditions in rural areas and is active in several international renewable energy networks.
Half of the grant comes from EKOenergy’s Climate Fund (35,000€), whilst the other half comes (via the Siemenpuu Foundation) from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The project will enable CRT/N to install a 10 kW solar mini-grid in a remote, off-grid mountain village in the Kavre District. The local secondary school will get solar energy too. One aim of the project is to empower the local community to develop small scale businesses. 120 households, including 595 people, will directly benefit from the action. Apart from that, another aim of the project is to allow for the installation to serve as a model that can inspire politicians and civil servants who are responsible for the local energy planning processes.
The project has a direct impact on addressing the objectives of Goal 7 (Access to Modern Energy) while also having an indirect impact on meeting the objectives of Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 5 (Gender Equality) of the Sustainable Development Goals.
A second part of the project includes training and advocacy work to promote a faster uptake of solar and other renewable energy in Nepal. The advocacy efforts will focus on building capacity within local governments to develop robust energy plans and renewable energy policies. They will also aim to build the capacity of relevant stakeholders on the concept and importance of net metering.
We will share updates via our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Flickr, and Xing). Stay tuned!
Published on 24 April 2020
Pictures: Siemenpuu Foundation and CTR/N
