Socio-economic impact of renewable energy-based power system in mountainous villages of Nepal

Abstract

Off-grid power system is well acknowledged as a viable alternative to grid extension in rural areas of developing countries. A significant portion of such projects has been installed in many developing countries through government subsidy program or donorfunded projects. Follow ups are necessary for the detailed analysis of the project results and to correctly determine the impact of the project and its success. This paper reports on the impact of tri-hybrid renewable energy off-grid system comprising of hydro, wind, solar energy in the remote mountainous village Thingan and Kolkhop in Makawanpur district of Nepal. A general demographic survey in Thingan and Kolkhop (N = 110) and post-electrification survey in Thingan (N = 48) were conducted after one year of installation of the power system. In this paper, we investigate the impact of electrification on the household’s lighting usage, education, social structure, environment, income and level of satisfaction. We also compare the difference in the quality of life before and after electrifying the village. The study reveals that electricity has played a great role both at individual and communal level in the form of quality lighting and power for productive work in the form of mechanization of daily chores and increasing the economic standard of villagers.