Review of Gender and Social Inclusion in Renewable Energy Sector in Nepal

1.   Background

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all and SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.  Though energy is recognized as central to progress in all areas of development, there are many factors that obstruct women and socially excluded groups to access energy sources and benefit from energy services. A principal factor is related to remoteness followed by the scattered settlements whereby consultations including decisions are made in market centers and thus excluding the marginalized groups including women. Another factor is related to social relationships and power hierarchies which siphons the energy benefit-sharing mechanism to favoring male and elite groups. The third one is linked with financial constraints as most of the women hold either none or very little economic assets. Though the government provides financial support through subsidy upto 60 percent, the remaining costs for renewable energy systems for community and household projects are still unaffordable for the poor and marginalized groups.

This article attempts to highlight the gender perspective of the national energy situation. The article goes on to discuss interventions and national provisions for renewable energy projects and its implications on women and the marginalized groups. It also includes some recommendations for enabling higher levels of access to clean energy for the excluded population.

2.   Energy Development and Impact on Gender and Social Inclusion

Nepal’s energy consumption is heavily dependent on traditional fuels which contribute around 70 percent in the total energy mix. Nearly four million households still use traditional cooking stoves and firewood is the major source of energy for them to cook their meal (BEST 2017). Our rural women spend an average of 4 hours a day collecting fuelwood. Due to this practice every day more than 20 Nepali, especially women and children are dying due to indoor air pollution caused by use of traditional cookstoves (WHO,2016). However, the renewable energy sector has made tremendous impact in transforming energy access from household level to commercial scale by demonstrating the capacity of renewable energy as a solution not only for basic lighting but a solution with a capability to take a significant share in the overall energy mix of the country.

RE contributes about 3 percent in total energy mix, it has a huge impact on livelihoods of rural areas (MoEWRI 2018), about 18 percent of the total population, mostly in rural areas, enjoy electricity facilities from the off grid systems especially solar home and micro-hydro systems (AEPC 2017). Although the penetration of renewable energy has been in an increasing trend since past few years, the rate of adoption of the new technology of cooking and electricity may be different for female-headed households and disadvantaged groups as they are more likely to be poor and are less able to afford the the up-front cost of new stoves or electricity connections. Some of the beneficial impacts due to renewable energy intervention for rural people both men and women include:

·       Time saved from collecting biomass and reduction in household drudgery for women

•        Increased participation, especially of women in activities outside the home
•        Reduction in respiratory problems arising from exposure to biomass cooking
•        Improved education attainment due to access to electricity especially by the female children
•        Improvement in living conditions
•        Enhanced livelihood opportunities

3.   Inclusive Approaches in Renewable energy Sector

Renewable energy programs in Nepal have adopted a kind of inclusive approach for implementation since the beginning.  Some of the interventions being adopted in Nepal are:

-   Capacity building of local bodies, regional and local stakeholders and right holder’s organizations to make them accountable

-   Positive discrimination in selecting Banks/MFIs/ cooperatives to flow credit facilities ensuring credit access/facility to the target groups

-   Adoption of social mobilization process which will address targeted groups’ needs and demands as well as supports for the meaningful participation

-   Promotion of technology end-use for employment and income generation of targeted groups

-   Promote GESI responsive RET policy, strategy, periodic plan, rules and regulations and program and budget

-   Institutionalize GESI disaggregated (quantitative and qualitative) database system, regular monitoring mechanism/reporting, review/evaluation

-   Establish monitoring framework to manage disaggregated database at all level

-   Promotion of RET through different modes and means to extend access to rural women and men, and women and men from poor and disadvantage groups

-   Collaborate for Research and development to design and promote gender-friendly renewable energy technologies

-   Establishment of knowledge management system for GESI responsive renewable energy knowledge

3.1.                   Interventions for cooking and lighting

Household biogas and improved cookstoves have the potential to reduce indoor air pollution, improve the health of women and children, and reduce the time spent in collecting firewood. Providing electricity to communities and homes for tasks that are typically considered women’s work can promote gender equality, enhance women’s empowerment and increase women’s and girls’ access to education, health care and employment.

Rural electrification projects often seek to promote gender goals through benefits such as lighting, television, and appliances powered by electricity. This helps through extending the working day, facilitating access to information, improving the safety and quality of light, increasing the productivity of time in reproductive chores and expanding income-generating opportunities.

4.   Policy Landscape and Way Forward on Conducive GESI Environment in the RE Sector in Nepal

Since the early 20s the Government of Nepal has adopted different measures to ensure an environment that is conducive for women and the marginalised. These measures have attempted to integrate their agenda in all development activities. Here is an overview of some of these provisions.

4.1.Constitution of Nepal

The Constitution of Nepal has a strong focus on gender and social inclusion. The constitution mandates that there shall be “gender equality, proportional inclusion, participation and social justice”.

4.2.Rural Energy Policy

The Rural Energy Policy 2006 states that communities must be encouraged to manage rural energy projects, with representation of women, low caste (dalits), marginalized (janjatis), disadvantaged (utpidit) and backward groups. The policy also refers to building capacity of local bodies and increasing human resource. The Renewable Energy Subsidy Policy and Rural Energy Subsidy Delivery Mechanism, 2016 has specific subsidies targeted to women and the socially excluded groups, as follows:

•        Additional subsidy of US$ 25 per household will be provided to households with single woman, backward, disaster victim, conflict-affected, poor and endangered ethnic group as identified by the Government of Nepal.
•        For solar thermal technologies for rural areas, an additional US$ 200 will be provided if at least 50 percent of the target groups are single women, backward, disaster victim, conflict victim, endangered ethnic group.
•        For biogas and metallic cookstoves, an additional subsidy of up to US$ 40 is offered to single women, backward, disaster victims, and endangered poor households, ethnic groups.

4.3.Energy White Paper

The while published by Ministry of Energy Water Resources and Irrigation aims to enhance the living standard of impoverished, Dalit, endangered tribes, indigenous people and those living in cultural and touristic areas through the use of renewable energy. The government plans to install energy meters free of cost to impoverished people.     

4.4. Way Forward

The government of Nepal though its dedicated institution has made a number of significant strategic, policy and implementation interventions in order to transform the renewable energy sector to a new height. Demonstration effect, technology diversification, energy security and multiple use of resources have been identified as some of the key priorities adopted by the government but smart policy and implementation intervention is urgently needed to mainstream gender and social inclusion aspects in the renewable energy sector in Nepal. Some of the immediate actions recommended are as below:

·       Make sure equal participation of women and disadvantaged groups in the federal, provincial and local level energy plans and programs;

·       Involve women and disadvantaged groups in every steps of project cycle including feasibility study, installation and management of renewable energy projects

·       Mainstream gender issues and gender friendly policy provision including incentive mechanism in the federal, provincial and local level energy policy and delivery mechanism

·       Generate disaggregated data and use them in preparing plans and policies related to energy

·       Empower women to increase their access to credit, resources and their capability to influence decisions

·       Identify and highlight gender differences in energy needs and address issues of physical accessibility to energy

·       Recognize women’s involvement and their right to appropriate remuneration as per government norms in energy projects and programs;

References

AEPC Publications www.aepc.gov.np

ADB, 2015. Gender review of national energy policies and programmes in Nepal

Improving gender-inclusive access to clean and renewable energy in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank

ADB, 2018. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Assessment of the Energy Sector: enhancing social sustainability of energy development in Nepal, Asian Development Bank

Biomass Energy Strategy Nepal 2017; Ministry of Population and Environment Nepal

Kohlin et al., 2011. Energy, Gender and Development are the Linkages? Where is the Evidence? The World Bank

Winrock International (2013) “Final Report on Baseline Study to Develop a Clean Development

Mechanism or Voluntary Carbon Project for Improved Cooking Stove Project,” Kathmandu, 2013.

(2) (PDF) Household Time Requirements for Producing Cooking Fuels in Rural Areas in Developing Nations. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318745645_Household_Time_Requirements_for_Producing_Cooking_Fuels_in_Rural_Areas_in_Developing_Nations [accessed Dec 09 2018].

WHO 2016, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212609016300334 (accessed Dec 09 2018)

MOEWRI 2018, Ministry of Energy Water Resources and Irrigation; White Paper on Energy, water resources and irrigation sector’s current status and roadmap for future.

Written by: Mr. Ram Prasad Dhital is Energy Expert and member  of Advisory Group of GEWNet, CRT/N