At Sagarmatha Sambaad, A Clarion Call for Boosting Green Energy Generation

Speakers of a session titled 'Powering the future: Harnessing clean energy', a part of the Sagarmatha Sambaad (May 16-18) underway in Kathmandu, argued that enhanced use of clean energy was imperative to boost electricity generation and promote export of clean energy.

Addressing the session, Hitendra Dev Shakya, managing director of the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority, expressed fears that climate change might result in drying up of water sources, thereby adversely affecting hydropower production. 

"We have been importing electricity from India to supply electricity during the winter as the sources of water dry up at that time of the year," Shakya said:  
People want and need electricity but they do not want transmission lines around their houses. 

Shakya acknowledged that reliable energy is indispensable for the electrification of industries. 

Achyut Wagle, vice-chancellor of the Kathmandu University, highlighted the need to encourage both the government and private sector to promote the generation and use of green energy. 

Aditi Mukherji, director of the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform (Kenya), highlighted the need for  high-level capacity development, technology transfer and keeping local communities at the center of a just energy transformation.
 

"Nepal has emerged as one of the most positive and best examples in the Hindukush Himalayan region in terms of hydropower generation,” Mukherji said, citing the practice of sharing royalties from hydels with local communities. Rural communities have direct partnership with hydels, she said: These are excellent practices for achieving judicious energy transitions involving local communities. 

Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, called for establishment of public funds for the promotion of renewable energy such as solar energy. "For example, a portion of the regular income from solar energy sales should go into a public fund that can be mobilized to support the disadvantaged or vulnerable communities. These communities might not be able to reap benefits initially or lag behind in urban based grid-system developments." 

Moderator of the session, Shobhakar Dhakal, professor at the Asian University of Technology in Bangkok, pointed out that promoting the use of clean energy refers to global efforts to supply society with renewable energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind power, geothermal and biomass.

He said: This also entails the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels, mitigation of climate change risks and realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.