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Sustainable Water for Gorkha: Smart Solar-Grid Hybrid for Community Resilience

Implementation Date

May 1, 2017

By

Prithivi Narayan Drinking Water and Sanitation

City

Gorkha

story image

Description

The Prithivi Narayan Drinking Water and Sanitation Project in Gorkha, Nepal, faced significant challenges: unreliable grid electricity and severe damage from the 2015 earthquake. This led to inconsistent water supply, impacting community health and well-being.

To address this, a 75kW solar power system was installed as a supplementary source. However, due to a lack of end-user awareness and technical understanding, the solar system is currently underutilized.

This use case aims to establish a long-term fund to implement a "Smart Solar-Grid Hybrid Power Mechanism." This mechanism will optimize the combined use of solar and grid electricity for the water pumps, ensuring a reliable and sustainable water supply. The problem solved is the current underutilization of solar assets and the ongoing power unreliability, which collectively hinder consistent access to drinking water.

Impact & Result

Maximizing the 75kW solar system will reduce grid reliance, saving ~26 metric tons of CO2eq annually. This promotes sustainable water and lowers the project's carbon footprint. The 75kW solar system installed in Gorkha is estimated to produce approximately 105,000 to 110,000 kWh of clean electricity annually. This significant energy output is instrumental in maximizing the solar system's potential, substantially reducing grid reliance for water pumping operations, and contributing to the project's overall environmental and economic sustainability. Increased solar use will cut monthly electricity bills by over NRs. 99,000 (~USD 740). The prize fund will ensure long-term financial sustainability and high ROI by optimizing existing solar assets and reducing operational costs for a reliable water supply.

Solution Spotlight

The Solar-Grid Community Water Solution transforms unreliable water access in Nepal by implementing a smart hybrid power mechanism for community water pumps. Many existing solar pumping systems are currently underutilized, leading to costly reliance on fossil fuels. Our innovative solution intelligently combines solar and grid electricity, ensuring continuous, sustainable water supply for communities. This not only dramatically reduces CO2 emissions and operational costs but also provides a replicable model to optimize thousands of underperforming solar water projects across the nation, fostering environmental stewardship and enhancing community resilience.

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