Biogas has proved to be a viable technology in the physical and socio-economic conditions of Nepal. The hydro power generating potential of Nepal is calculated as one of the highest in the world but only about 12 percent of the population is connected to the national electricity grid. The per capita energy consumption is one of the lowest in the world and more than 90 percent of the energy use is in the domestic sector, mainly for cooking. Nepal's agrarian economy is fully dependent on imports for all of its chemical fertilizer, petroleum and coal requirements. The growing population and small scale industries are pushing the use of traditional sources of energy (forest and agricultural waste) beyond the sustainable generation capacity of the existing forest and farm lands. The occurrence of natural calamities such as droughts and floods has become more frequent in the recent past owing to the removal of vegetative cover on the fragile geology of the young mountains. This situation, coupled with the low rate of literacy and low investment capacity, is bringing more and more people into the ever tightening grip of poverty. Amidst all this, the biogas technology has gained popularity in Nepal for its multitudes of benefits. Nepal stands highest in the world in terms of the ratio of biogas plants over the population. Biogas development in Nepal has remained largely a private sector operation. The role of the government has been limited to provide policy framework and subsidy funds. The Biogas Support Programme (BSP), initiated in 1992 under the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV/N), is the first comprehensive programme implemented in the country which is planned to continue till 2002 in its third phase. BSP started with an attractive subsidy scheme that pushed the annual rate of plant installation beyond the servicing capacity1 of existing institutions. The "single -agency, single -design" approach of the past has now been modified to "multi-agency, multi-design" approach to benefit more from the potential of private sector and the new designs developed in die neighboring countries. To maintain the high rate of success in the "multi-agency, multi-design" environment, a strong quality control programme is now in place. FAO support is being used to develop a comprehensive national programme under the FAO/TCP/NEP/4451-T project. The biogas sector of Nepal is characterized by its focus on family size plants in rural households with catties. The emphasis on research and training has been limited in the past. A strong training programme is required to maintain the high success rate of the past. Equally important is to further increase the annual rate of plant installations to make use of the existing potential estimated at 1.3 million biogas plants. This manual is expected to contribute towards attaining both of these objectives.
#Biogas #Energy #SourceOfEnergy
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Publisher:
CMS, FAO
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(1996
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Type / Script:
Progress Report
in English
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Keywords:
BIOGAS, ENERGY RESOURCES, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, BIOMASS ENERGY, METHANE, NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY RESOURCES, ENERGY, ENERGY SUPPLY, ENERGY CONSERVATION, ENERGY PLANNING, ENERGY PRICES, ENERGY REQUIREMENTS, ENERGY, RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY STATISTICS, FUELS, RESOURCES SUBSTITUTION, ENERGY SECURITY
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Thematic Group:
FAO
:
Food and Agriculture Organization
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Thesaurus:
03.10.00
- Energy Resources
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Reference Link:
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