Kathmandu Valley – Wind Power

SWETA POKHAREL

Baseline and Feasibility Study by Mirlung Electro-Mech Concern (MEC), 24 August 2011
Kathmandu valley is facing enormous energy crisis from the past years. The tendency of crisis is rising due to the government upheaval and exaggerated plans leading to failures one after the other. This entails us to think from a wider perspective and make use of the renewable energy like wind power. The valley has high wind energy feasible site which can be addressed by mentioning the two immensely windy, bordering hills on the west and east sides. The energy crisis of the country can be addressed apparently by choosing to enter a fully fledged wind power generation. The mini grid is available to every places and corners of the valley. The hills situated in those certain points of the valley have high feasible site of wind power generation. If wind turbines are placed in the neighboring hills surrounding the valley, the losses will be minimized in comparison to the context of remote areas. It will be both technically and financially feasible in case of its application in the valley. There is also an access to transportation in the neighboring hills of Kathmandu valley. This suggests the government to understand the potential sites and implement in them.

Wind power projects are the quickest while compared to other energy projects and therefore are the most suitable for a country like Nepal which is in the verse of development. The most interesting feature is that 20MW wind power generation can be produced within a short period of 3 months and that itself could be a major accomplishment for the valley. This suggests the necessity for the government to also initiate as soon as possible to overcome energy crisis. The valley requires 30% of hydropower annually but a hydropower project does not fit into the valley or its surroundings due to its complexity in location and other requirements. At the present, the Bagmati river which is situated in the valley is not suitable for a hydropower project. But wind power can be generated from the surrounding hills which are Makwanpur, Laakuri Bhanjyaang, Naagdhunga, Bhimdhunga, Nagarkot, Godawari and Phulchowki. This will eventually make Kathmandu , Lalitpur and Bhaktapur a model city from the wind power perspective.

Wind power has similar criteria as that of a hydropower in case of site location. It cannot be installed anywhere without prior survey and baseline study which required manifolds of study, basically documentation and site survey. The study is made on the basis of monthly mean wind speed data, annual mean wind speed data and wind speed distribution data of the feasible site. A minimal wind velocity can occur anywhere but we have to find such a place where there will be presence of high but constant or regular wind speed. Mirlung Electro-Mech Concern(MEC) has already done pre-feasibility and feasibility study around the surrounding hills of Kathmandu valley that have the above quality that sustains a technically and financially feasible wind power projects.

People have the tendency to compare on the basis of cost but not in terms of the duration. The cost of each 1MW wind project will be around 150 million which is same as compared to a hydro project of similar size. The duration of an installation of a wind project is far less which is mere 3 months compared to a hydro project which can be 2 years and more. Any project is successful if it works time-oriented. Nepal possesses much more areas in the terai, hills and himalayas besides the Kathmandu valley itself.

Every part of the valley can be distributed in many ways and certain requirements are met and are kept at levels of priorities. In this way each part will be distributed with pockets of wind energy which brings sustainability into the picture. The lengthiest part of a project is its construction which cannot be predicted by anyone. Even though it is estimated, it cannot be completed with an exact time limit. This is due to many impacts of the country such as social, political, economic, environmental being the first few. A wind project can be completed in 3 months to 12 months time and it has a positive aspect of its feasible practices all around the world. Even our neighboring countries India and China have been benefitted by it to a greater level. China ranks itself as the world’s second largest in the wind power generation while India is in the fifth. Therefore this implies that the Nepalese government should also implement in wind power projects.