Signature Solution 5 - Energy: Cleaner, affordable, renewable energy for everyone

February 14, 2018

UNDP's Strategic Plan 2018-2021 sets out the direction for a new UNDP, optimized to help countries achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Plan describes how UNDP will better adapt to the range of country contexts in which we work, part of which is a series of signature solutions that define the core work of UNDP.

Access to clean and affordable energy is a critical enabler for sustainable development whether it be for nutrition, transport, education or economic opportunity, among others. This solution will focus on increasing energy access, promoting renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency in a manner that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of different sectors of the population (urban/rural, women/men, household/business), in line with the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goal 7. The transition to clean and affordable energy will also help countries to reduce the impacts of indoor and outdoor air pollution, particularly in rapidly-developing urban areas.

The signature solution will support countries’ transitions to sustainable energy systems by working to de-risk the investment environment and to attract and leverage private and public-sector resources. In certain contexts, where energy does not yet reach everybody, it will be necessary to focus on supporting innovative private and public solutions to increase energy access and delivery. In contexts where energy is already available to most or all people, the focus will be on transitioning to renewable energy generation and energy efficiency measures and policies. In crisis and post-crisis situations, this solution will focus on re-establishing energy access where it has been lost, strengthening risk-informed zero-carbon development.

In delivering this signature solution, UNDP will collaborate with other agencies under the UN-Energy framework and the Sustainable Energy for All initiative (for which UNDP supports regional hubs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, together with regional commissions, regional development banks and other partners).

Backyard bounty

The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) funded the Kalanga Lift Irrigation Scheme, a pilot project that sought to supply water to more than 20 households in Khalanga for vegetable farming. The 26-kilowatt hydropower plant, with a power station in the small bazaar of Archale, had begun operations a year earlier.

The source of water was identified in a rock 500 meters from the households. Two sites were selected in which to set up tanks: one at the bottom of the village and three other tanks higher up. Each tank had a capacity of 5,000 liters each, which is pumped by the motor at a rate of one liter per second, enough to irrigate 110 ropanis of farmland.

This irrigation system has transformed this hamlet from one that was dependent on subsistence farming to a productive, prosperous area. And Ratna Bahadur and his wife Parbati are among those who have benefited most from the scheme. READ MORE

In mist rose a paper mill

Poorna Bahadur Gurung found his calling in crafting the coveted lokta paper in a factory he established in scenic Ghandruk, and credits support from the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre as having been vital in upgrading production and raising efficiency.

For years, Gurung had used firewood to boil the raw material. It was not only cumbersome, but also detrimental to the environment. But those labor-intensive jobs have now become history, thanks to support from the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC)​. On March 23, 2016, Gurung bought a beater machine and an electric lokta boiler, which was locally fabricated with the AEPC’s funding. He received Rs. 78,750 as subsidy from the AEPC. And, the factory was electrified by the 50-kilowatt Bhurgyu Khola Micro Hydropower, which started generating electricity three years ago.  READ MORE

Power to the people: Breakthrough in micro-hydro prospects

 The recent interconnection of the 23kW Syaurebhumi micro-hydro plant to the national grid has raised hopes for the sustainability of small scale hydropower projects in Nepal and the speed of the country’s rural electrification.

With the financial support of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and the technical assistance of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood Project (RERL)—a joint venture of the Government of Nepal, UNDP and the Global Environment Facility—the Syaurebhumi MHP was linked to the national grid in September 2017. The plant is expected to export a total of 178,245 kWh of energy to the national grid annually, and plans are already in place to interconnect another MHP, the 40kW Leguwa Khola plant in Dhankuta, in the near future. READ MORE