Nepal coordination call 6.4.2015

Participants and contact details:

  • Nepal government energy focal points
  • Shekhar Sharma (Alternative Energy Promotion Centre) :+
  • Humanitarian implementers
  • Oriol Lopez (MSF) +977-9818966739
  • Lighting/powering sector
  • Kate Montgomery (d.light)
  • Tom Bowen (Gham Power)
  • Neeraj Gorkhaly (Gorkhaly Foundation)
  • Gunjan Gautam (Gorkhaly Foundation)
  • Cooking/fuel sector
  • Ethan Kay (BioLite)
  • Barnaby Peacocke (Practical Action)
  • Fred Colgan (InStove)
  • Katherine Arnold (Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves)
  • Also serving as general SAFE SC co-chair
  • GBV
  • Megan Gerrard (WRC)
  • Also serving as general SAFE SC co-chair

Detailed updates on current energy activities in Nepal:

  • Gham Power
  • Still coordinating lighting efforts and activities via map
  • 61 locations that are currently receiving assistance; 37 have been completed
  • They are tracking 164 locations total
  • Working closely with Mpower, Empower Generation, SunFarmer, etc.
  • Are working in Barpak, so Gorkhaly Foundation representatives will follow up with them to coordinate efforts since they have put in a generator, etc.
  • AEPC
  • Had an in-person meeting of organizations providing energy access; were expecting more agencies to attend, like Mercy Corps and WFP, but they weren’t able to attend; hope they will be available for the next meeting
  • At the meeting, they introduced the director of AEPC and highlighted the work done to date and the post-earthquake assessment
  • Discussed the relief and rehabilitation packages the gov’t is planning to distribute
  • One from India, will start w/in the next week
  • Want to provide additional ICS, and solar home systems (solar tukis)
  • 9,550 stoves
  • 10,000 solar lanterns
  • 10,000 power stations (?)
  • Next week will be sending out the notice
  • Everyone present in the meeting talked about need for coordination among players and need to align efforts
  • Request for AEPC to take a lead in coordination; request that there would be reporting on progress by different partners
  • Will be a requirement for reporting; decided that they will have the in-person meeting every other week
  • Gorhaly Foundation
  • Working to evaluate and address energy needs in Barpak – diesel generator installed inBarpak, servicing a number of households
  • Looking at two considerations on the energy side – reduce operating costs by complementing it with PV
  • Then down the line looking at partnerships to rehabilitate the micro hydro, part of this is being done as we speak
  • Want to build business cases and proposals – combination of grants, equity, and more
  • Instove
  • Raising funds to replace an autoclave system in Nepal
  • Have an institutional stove that can cut fuel usage and emissions – email Fred for additional details if interested
  • WRC – no update
  • BioLite
  • Looking for partnership on daily use stove, cuts smoke by 90% - email Ethan for additional details if interested
  • Dlight
  • Working closely w/ Empower Generation – got a big donation from Solar City, 6,000-7,000 units and home systems being distributed to partners on the ground (Oxfam, MSF, Save the Children, IOM, Mercy Corps, etc.)
  • One Dlight partner is currently on the ground, if anyone wants to meet w/ him that would be great
  • Orders still coming through: 50,000 units total going into Nepal to aid the response
  • Want to make sure that their lights don’t hurt the market by supporting free distribution; most of the lights have an Empower Generation flyer on warranty, partners need to honor the warranty and ensure that those who receive the lights have the best quality
  • Need everyone’s support to ensure warranties
  • This response was four years in the making – Kate was at IRC for those 4 years doing humanitarian response
  • Whole humanitarian community has recognized the need and opportunity for solar
  • Have had a lot of people reach out directly – DFID, World Vision, Mercy Corps
  • Encouraging partners to map on Gham Power map, also attend AEPC meetings
  • Practical Action
  • Attended the in-person meeting along w/ AEPC, GIZ, SunFarmer, Danish Embassy, 3 private sector representatives, CRT/N
  • At the meeting, results were discussed from an assessment across 12 districts about immediate relief requirements on lighting and electrification (see in-person meeting notes from 6.3.2015)
  • Practical Action is working on 200 watt solar lighting systems
  • Looking at markets: had a results based financing stove program in place; are trying to adapt it now to get people to adopt improved stoves
  • Looking to help establish markets for about 20,000 stoves: there was funding in place and the donor wants to adapt it using existing financing mechanism
  • Importance of local coordination to make decisions and decide when to shift from distribution to market-based systems