Land, water and forests take the energy from the sun and return the energy, which is how wind is created. Through the wind and its speed, turbines can go in motion and energy is thus produced.[break]
In Nepal where we are facing acute energy crisis, 100 megawatts of electricity can be easily generated through wind energy in a year. All it takes is for the government to take an interest and leadership. But the government seems least interested in this sector.
One of the places in Nepal where maximum wind energy can be generated is Mustang. But the country’s inability to utilize such energy for electricity has led us to suffer in darkness.
Various studies have proven that Mustang is rich when it comes to wind energy. But the leaders of the country are neglecting this fact.
If an initiative is taken, the county can be free from load shedding woes within a year. But Nepal, the youngest republic in Asia and going through a transitional period, is suffering from the myopia of its leaders.
This is further wasting the prospects of producing electricity though wind energy. But even businessmen are busy selling generators which run on diesel and petrol.
The data provided by the wind calculating tower which was put up in Tangbe in Upper Mustang last year shows that from that region, more than 100 megawatts of energy can be generated. This report was provided by Mirlung Electro-Mec Concern, a private company which has been experimenting in the area.
The company has set up the highest tower so far of 50 meters height in order to study, and it aims to generate 100 megawatts of electricity through wind energy within a year in Nepal. Before this, only research from the height of 36 meters had been done in the country.
The director of the company, Amrit Singh Thapa, says that the report that has been received till now, and based on the study, has been very positive and has made him hopeful.
Thapa further said that if the government takes the leadership and encourages the private company, Tangbe can demonstrate the abundance of wind energy in Nepal.
In Tangbe, the wind blows for some 17 hours everyday at the rate of 12 meters per second, which is considered to be A-grade in terms of producing wind energy.
The company is also planning to connect the wind energy of Tangbe to the national transmission grid. Tangbe is connected by an 11 KV transmission line, and from Jomsom, the transmission line is 33 KV.
According to the company, there is a possibility of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity from Mustang as a whole.
“In other countries, the government takes the leadership when it comes to wind energy. But in our country, energy is considered to be only electricity generated from water or diesel,” complains Thapa.
“The lack of manpower in terms of producing wind energy in the Ministry concerned is the reason for the subject to be in shadows,” says Balananda Paudel, former Secretary of the Ministry of Energy.
He further said that if the government proposes to help in producing wind energy, they are eager and ready to help in technical or any other ways.
According to Surya Sapkota, Senior Planning Officer of Alternative Energy Promotion Center at the Energy Ministry, the study done by a Danish team in the 1990s showed that there is a possibility of producing more than 200 megawatts of wind energy in Mustang.
But Sapkota says that even though the wind pattern has changed now, more than 100 Megawatt of electricity can still be generated there.
“During winter, the water level decreases and it gets difficult to generate energy. But in Nepal, wind force increases from November to April, and this is considered an ideal period for power generation by energy experts,” says Sapkota.
“In the 1990s, after the wind energy tower was destroyed by a powerful wind, a rumor was spread that wind energy cannot be produced in the country. But this is not true,” opines Sapkota.
“The tower fell due to technical errors. But in today’s world, wind technology has been developed to another level. There is even an automatic wind energy technology that works and stops according to the speed of the wind,” he said.
The obstacle is the geography of the country, transmission lines and transportation of equipments required to produce wind energy. The equipments cannot fit even in big airlines, which is why it is difficult to transport them to the required locations.
“In Nepal, there’s a possibility of wind energy of small wings,” said Sapkota. He further said that the government should encourage private companies to invest in producing wind energy and also make it easier for them.
Water energy planning requires a minimum of three to four years for results; but for wind energy, it just requires one year at the most.
The required materials can be imported from multinational companies of India. Mirlung Electro-Mec Concern says that unlike electricity generated from water, wind energy can be developed fast with the budget of Rs 150 to 200 million per megawatt; and if taken on a bigger planning, the budget can also be decreased.
According to Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, the cost of wind energy per unit comes to less than Rs 10 and the sustainable amount is also less; whereas for diesel, it is Rs 30 per unit.
Energy experts further add that erroneous developments going on in the hydroelectricity sector is keeping wind energy in the dark.
The wind energy model which was set up in Nawalparasi last month has set an example that such technology can be replicated in other parts of the country as well.
Possibilities in Kathmandu Valley
Dawa Steven Sherpa, who is walking the 1,700km Great Himalayan Trail with multiple Everester Appa Sherpa, owns the Country Kitchen Resort at Lakuri Bhanjyang on the southeastern rim of Kathmandu Valley that completely runs on wind energy.
For the last three years, the wind fan which has been set up on the roof of Kathmandu Engineering College located in Kalimati has been supplying the energy that is needed during the day.
The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre in Khumaltar also gets its electricity through wind energy which has been set up at the place since last year.
Country Kitchen which has been running on wind energy for the last three years and the possibility of doing the same in the area within and around colleges in Kalimati are good examples.
Kathmandu is the only city in the whole of Asia which has been facing acute energy crisis. If wind energy technology is installed in the big buildings in and around Kathmandu, the problems of energy crisis will decrease to some extent.
According to Mirlung Electro-Mec Concern, which has been experimenting with wind energy, the possibility of producing at least 20 megawatts of wind energy in and around Kathmandu has been proven and made clear by the study done by the American company 3TR.
Amrit Singh Thapa again says that 30 percent of power can be easily generated if wind energy is installed in the big business houses in the capital. “Kathmandu Engineering College and Country Kitchen are good examples of this,” he reiterated.
In the capital, wind blows from 9 am to 6 pm, and the report shows that steady wind blows for 12 hours in the surrounding passes of Kathmandu. But even though 3TR’s satellite wind mapping and land study has shown the possibility of wind energy in the capital, no one has taken any initiative on this.
According to studies, in places like Godavari, Fakhel, Bhim Dhunga and Nag Dhunga in the Valley, wind blows at a highest level from where at least 20 megawatts of electricity can be generated.
The Kathmandu Valley is surrounded by hills and is therefore windy. So turbines can be placed all over the areas. The wind force here is five meters per second.
The possibility of producing wind en ergy is also evident at Kulekhani and Bhimphdi outside the Valley while inside it, the strategic points at Lakuri Bhanjyang, Nagarjun, Nagarkot, Phulchoki, Malta, Kushapani, Chapagaun and Gundu are ideal for wind energy installations.
Bhatta is a senior correspondent at Nagarik daily and has been writing on environmental issues for the past eight years.
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