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Integrating Solar PV with Pumped Hydro Storage in Nepal: A Case Study og Bengas-Rupa Pump Storage

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By Abijit Jirel

Spring 2022

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Nepal, as the world's second-richest country in terms of water resources, relies completely on hydropower facilities for electrical energy, yet there is not a single pumped hydroelectric power plant. However, two pumped hydropower plant are planned and proposed. One is Begnas-Rupa pump storage, and the other is Sisneri-Kulekhani pump storage, of which we will be studying Begnas-Rupa pump storage (picture below). The Project has obtained the survey license issued by Department of Electricity Development in Kartik (Nepal Electricity Authority, 2021). The Ministry of Forest and Environment has previously approved Begnas-Rupa Pump storage and is awaiting technical specifics. The Project is located at Pokhara Metropolitan City in the Kaski District, Gandaki Province of Nepal. There used to be load-shedding in Nepal, which lasted about 17 hours each day. It was later phased out upon the introduction of new management which maintain demand and supply chain in the residential and industrial sectors. However, power imports play a significant role. NEA's generation amounted for 31.77 percent of total available energy, while imports from India and domestic IPPs accounted for 31.31 percent and 36.92 percent, respectively (Nepal Electricity Authority, 2021). Furthermore, during peak demand, the marginalized cost of electricity is high, which has a substantial impact on a country's economy. Though pumped hydropower manages peak and off-peak demand, it is not an ideal solution because there is a cost of energy involved in pumping water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir. The main objectives of this research are to:

  • Integrate Solar PV to optimize pumped hydroelectric power plant

  • Use geoprocessing tools to locate the site for Solar PV

  • Cost benefits analysis of using energy generated from Solar PV to pump water

  • Comparing floatovoltaics (floating type solar panel) and land based solar panels.

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