Cook electric
Practical Action
• allow communities to manage and
control their own power supply.
There are now more than 800 micro-hydro
installations in Nepal. Most of these are
used for agricultural processing - such as
milling grain, hulling rice or crushing
oilseeds - but more than 100 also generate
electricity.
Electricity is considered a major, and often
the major, priority for development amongst
rural communities.
This emphasis is reflected in the fact that
during the general elections in 1991 and
1994 all the major parties adopted rural
electrification as a central issue in their
election manifestos.
Figure 4: Rice hulling machinery powered by micro-
hydro.
The capacity to manufacture and install
micro-hydro equipment is expanding rapidly
in Nepal. Awareness of micro-hydro's great
potential is also growing. Hydro schemes
generating up to IMW have now been
deregulated from Government control, so
that more rural energy provision by setting
up their own systems. communities are
taking charge of their
Figure 5: Bijuli dekchi low wattage cooker, with
instructions for use.
Figure 6: Cut-away sketch showing how the new heat storage cooker.
works.
3