The Nepal Weekly 
July 30, 2024
Experts have expressed their view that renewable energy and energy efficient technology are suitable to minimize the global climate change and its effects. This opinion of the experts came at the programme held in Lalitpur Friday on the occasion of the seventh Annual General Meeting of Renewable Energy Confederation of Nepal (RECON).
As Nepal is one of the countries with high seismic risk and natural disasters such as floods and landslides, there is a need for energy mix to make the country’s energy system sustainable and safe,
It is argued that there should be no delay in connecting micro hydropower projects to national grid transmission for sustainable energy supply. Since the work of connecting the micro hydropower projects to the national grid has been successfully completed and proved technically possible, experts insist that the state, donor agencies and the community should now upgrade the micro hydropower projects to commercial generation. Experts suggest that the connection of micro hydropower projects to the national grid will have a positive effect on the local economy, sustainable energy supply and environmental protection.
Experts also mentioned that the government and concerned agencies need to make extensive reforms in the policies and programmes for the development of renewable energy technology in order to reduce the impact of climate change by utising renewable energy resources, stop forest destruction, and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels through technology and skills available in the country and upgrading them the methodologies.
Chairman of Electricity Regulatory Commission Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Member of the Commission Dr. Madhusudan Adhikari, Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Center Nawa Raj Dhakal, Prof. Dr. Jagannath Shrestha, Prof. Dr. Ramesh Kumar Maskey, Prof. Dr. Prem Sharma, Hitendra Dev Shakya and other experts also mentioned the importance of renewable energy, the need for joint efforts of stakeholders to benefit from promotion and development.
On the occasion of the 7th Annual General Meeting of RECON, a workshop was organized an interaction workshop to discuss the global impact of climate change and the use of renewable energy sources to widely mobilize technology to reduce the impact of climate change, various policies, strategies, programs and private sector investment, participation, as well as collaboration with the government and development partners.
Alternative Energy Promotion Center / National Renewable Energy Programme and RECON jointly organized to discuss to mobilize private investment in micro hydropower and energy transition. In the workshop titled ‘Learning-Partnership Workshop to use the Sustainable Energy Challenge Fund’, energy experts Surendra Bhakta Mathema and Krishna Prasad Devkota discussed the current situation, development of micro hydropower and synchronising electricity generated from micro hydropower plants connecting the national grid while Surendra Maharjan presented on the studies on potential of micro hydropower plants already established to connect the grid. Likewise, Nisha Jaiswal presented the importance, experience and effectiveness of energy efficiency programmes, Badri Baral presented on the concept and functioning of the Sustainable Energy Challenge Fund and Prem Sagar Subedi presented the NREP programme and its scopes.
On the occasion, experts and professionals who contributed to the promotion and development of the renewable energy sector were honoured. Former Minister Er Ganesh Shah, Dr. Indira Shakya, Prof. Dr. Jagannath Shrestha, Prof. Dr. Ramesh Kumar Maskey, Mr. Surendra Bhakta Mathema, Mr. Vishwa Bhushan Amatya, Mr. Shyam Lal Vaidya, Mr. Madan Basnet, Prof. Dr. Govind Pokharel, Dr. Narayan Chaulagain, Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Dr. Madhusudhan Adhikari, Mr. Nabin Bhujel, Mr. Shekhar Aryal and Mr. Purna N, Ranjitkar were honoured wth certificates.
The General Assembly elected a new executive committee under the chairmanship of Kusha lGurung. The team consists of Guna Raj Dhakal as immediate past president and K. R. Khanal, Reeshab Raj Acharya, Krishan Prasad Parajuli and Tej Narayan Thakur as vice president, general secretary, treasurer and secretary respectively. Likewise, Archana Chingh, Eba Bahadur Thapa, Gokul Gautam, Hari Narayan Gautam and Prakash Lamichhane were elected as executive committee members.
The confederation is an umbrella organization of organizations in the renewable energy sector. The confederation includes Nepal Micro Hydropower Development Association, Nepal Solar Electricity Manufacturers Association, Solar Thermal Association of Nepal, Nepal Biogas Promotion Association, Nepal Rural Technology Producers Association, Bioenergy Entrepreneurs Association Nepal, Nepal Micro Hydropower Consumers Association, Biogas Sector Partnership Nepal, Resource Management and Rural Employment Centre. There are some 600 private firms and companies associated with the umbrella organization who are members of the confederation.
