100% renewable energy for Nepal

Solar Energy Potential Area in Nepal (Direct Normal Irradiation: kWh/m2/year): 100% Renewable Energy Nepal

The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) developed this climate and energy pathway for Nepal as part of the One Earth Climate Model research project in close cooperation with WWF Nepal, the Prakriti Resources Centre (PRC), the World Future Council, Bred for the World and with stakeholders in Nepal.

This report aimed to provide scientific input to future energy planning for the Government of Nepal as well as advise possible updates and/or specifications of Nepal’s National Determined Contributions (NDC). The report also aimed to inform policymakers, researchers, and practitioners of the extent of the intervention required for Nepal to reach its target of 100% renewable energy by 2050.

The scenarios for the energy pathways do not claim to predict the future but provide a useful tool with which to describe and compare potential development pathways from the broad range of possible ‘futures.’ The Nepal 1.5 °C (N-1.5°C) scenario is designed to calculate the efforts and actions required to achieve the ambitious objective of a 100% renewable energy system and to illustrate the options available to change the Nepalese energy supply system into a truly sustainable one. It may serve as a reliable basis for further analyses of the possible ideas and actions required to implement pathways to achieve the desired results.

100% renewable energy scenarios for electricity generation, energy demand, energy supply, and transport are included. The investments required to achieve these scenarios and the policies that will enable them are described for the specific scenarios.

The report includes simulations of the national grid capacity required now and, in the future, and the necessary linkages between different parts of the country’s power grid. The simulations support the assessment of the grid expansion requirements, the power-trade balance, and the investments required to strengthen the backbone of Nepal’s electricity infrastructure to ensure its reliability and resilience.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Technical Scenario for 100% Renewable Energy in Nepal by 2050 (2023) (Report)

Technical Scenario for 100% Renewable Energy in Nepal by 2050 (Nepalese) (2023) (Executive summary)

Online map links: