An analysis of energy use in the urban residential sector of Nepal | |
| Author | Chhetri, Prabina |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ET-10-19 |
| Subject(s) | Energy consumption--Nepal City dwellers--Energy consumption--Nepal |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Engineering in Energy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | To discern the energy consumption pattern of urban residential sector of Kathmandu valley, bottom-up engineering approach was adopted under which sample survey according to the population distribution was done. Overall annual energy consumption in the residential sector of the valley was obtained after estimating the annual electricity, LPG and Kerosene consumption in three different categories of dwellings, namely, Permanent, Semi-permanent and Temporary. Based on the consumption pattern and the current trend, room to save energy from this sector were assessed and hence, various candidate energy efficient and renewable energy options were analyzed. The capital investment, the generation capacity and the carbon dioxide emissions that can be avoided with those options were then estimated. Share of LPG in the residential sector of the valley was found to be higher than others with about 49% dominance as compared to 46% share of electricity and 5% share of kerosene consumption where the annual electricity, LPG and kerosene energy consumption were estimated to be 367.7 GWh, 1655.7 TJ and 134 TJ respectively with the overall per capita energy consumption of about 2.61 GJ. Refrigerator, Fluorescent lamps, Television, Incandescent lamps and rice cooker being the major electricity consumers were targeted for the energy saving opportunities. Replacing the existing lighting system with the efficient ones can save up to 14.6 GWh of energy per year from the residential sector of Kathmandu valley. Promoting standards and labeling of the major electricity consuming appliances with various strategies can also contribute in the energy savings. Promoting solar water heaters can accrue the savings of 680 tonnes of LPG and about 10 GWh of electricity annually from the potential consumers. Biogas from the municipal solid wastes can serve around 25% of total cooking energy demand in this sector. With these options, carbon dioxide emission mitigation potential from this sector was also derived. This study showed that there is a significant potential of saving energy from the residential sector of Kathmandu valley by the help of various energy efficient and renewable energy options and harnessing them is necessary during this time of energy deficit in the country. However, government should come up with suitable strategies to popularize those technologies and make them financially viable. |
| Year | 2010 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kumar, Sivanappan; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Mohanty, Brahmanand;Marpaung, Charles O.P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2010 |