Renewable Energy and Other Strategies for Mitigating the Energy Crisis in Nepal

The overarching aim of this research is to carefully review Nepal’s energy scenario from the technical and socio-economic perspective in order to determine the optimal near-term as well as long-term strategies to overcome the energy crisis. Renewable energy sources are pivotal to this research due to the abundant availability of these resources in Nepal. The long-term energy supply and demand forecast for Nepal over the next 30 years was obtained in Long-Range Energy Planning (LEAP) software. Other quantitative results were obtained using software packages, including PVsyst, Meteo, and HOMER. In many other cases, energy data collected from open literature,government and regulator reports were analysed. There are also several case studies considered in the thesis. The PV rooftop energy systems for Nepalese town and rural households can minimise the energy trade deficit with neighbouring India, enhance energy security, and improve local employment opportunities as well as improve utilisation of the local resources. In particular, a 3kW PV rooftop system was designed and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink, and the corresponding PV and IV curves were obtained, including analysing the effects of environmental temperature and solar irradiation. The design was followed by techno-economic feasibility, assuming typical households inthe Kathmandu valley. The study outcome is that the PV system for a residential building in Kathmandu is economically feasible, and it can provide nearly 6,000 kWh/year of energy. The potential energy efficiency improvements in the cement industry were studied using data collected directly at one of the major cement plants in Nepal. The cement production processes are very energy-intensive, and they have not changed for years. Since the energy costs in Nepal are abnormally high, they represent over half of the cement production costs. It creates substantial pressure to conserve energy and materials while reducing the carbon footprint. Other important factors that must be considered apart from energy issues are production efficiency and sustainability, and how to exploit innovations and encourage investments. The chaotic energy situation in Nepal is exacerbated by rather significant electricity distribution losses and frequent cases of electricity theft. These two issues are significant contributors to a widening gap between energy supply and demand. iv. Other such issues include overpriced and delayed hydropower projects, insufficient and outdated infrastructure, lack of energy conservation, deficient energy management, inadequately low efficiency of equipment, unsustainable energy pricing strategies, indecisive energy market regulations, reliance on energy imports, and especially inadequate exploitation of vast amounts of renewable energy resources. All these factors are also adversely affecting the geopolitical, environmental, and socioeconomic situation in Nepal. The developments in the energy sector in Nepal are also discussed in light of the relevant energy policies which have been adopted by the government over the past two decades. The results presented in the thesis can be used by the government regulators and energy policy planners, and possibly also by the public and private energy companies. It should be noted that the findings and observations in the thesis are also applicable to other countries with a similar development status and geography as Nepal

A Low-Cost Prototype for Edge-Computing Powered Smart Display Board

This study examines how Edge Computing technology, through the creation and use of smart notice boards, has changed the way that organizations communicate. Notice boards have historically relied on manually operated or wired electronic devices, which provide drawbacks like slowness, security flaws, and a lack of adaptability. But a new way of looking at notice board systems has developed with the advent of Edge Computing, which is driven by hardware like the ESP8266 server and communication protocols like MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport). We explore the advantages of Edge Computing in the context of smart notice boards in this study, emphasizing its capacity to support real-time data processing, improve security via local data management, login credentials, and provide users with user-friendly interfaces for content management. Smart notice boards can outperform traditional systems in terms of efficiency, security, and adaptability by utilizing the concepts of Edge Computing. &nbsp

Exploring the Nexus of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) in the Context of Emerging Trends and Customer Experience, Human Computer Interaction, Applications of Artificial Intelligence

The complexities of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design are explored in this research paper, along with their respective functions, areas of overlap, and the changing field of customer experience. In the digital age, where technology is developing at a rapid pace, designing innovative and user-focused digital products requires an understanding of the dynamic interplay between UI and UX. This research also examines how emerging trends in the UI/UX field will affect overall customer satisfaction. Additionally, this paper delves into applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the domains of human-computer interaction (HCI), user experience (UX), and emerging trends in these field

Automated Environmental Stewardship: A Ribbon-Cutting Robot with Machine Vision for Sustainable Operation

This paper provides a novel way for automating ribbon-cutting rituals that use a specifically constructed robot with superior computer vision capabilities. The system achieves an outstanding 92% accuracy rate when assessing picture data by using a servo motor for ribbon identification, a motor driver for robot movement control, and nichrome wire for precision cutting. The robot's ability to recognize and interact with the ribbon is greatly improved when it uses a Keras and TensorFlow-based red ribbon identification model which obtained accuracy of about 93% on testing set before deployment in system. Implemented within a Raspberry Pi robot, the method exhibits amazing success in automating ceremonial activities, removing the need for human intervention. This multidisciplinary method assures the precision and speed of ribbon-cutting events, representing a significant step forward in the merging of tradition and technology via the seamless integration of robots and computer vision

The Use of MATLAB Programming to Compare Experimental vs Modeled PEMFCs using the Nernst and Butler-Volmer’s Equation-Based Mathematical Models

For the analysis of  Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC’s) efficiency, the Nernst equation and Butler-Volmer's concepts were used. The mathematical models using both equations were developed in MATLAB and compiled. The results generated by the output current based on the input parameters of the experimental data were compared with the experimental results for the two modelled PEMFCs. The parameters temperature, pressure, hydrogen concentration, and oxygen concentration at different values of external resistance were used to determine the change in output current in both models built in MATLAB. This sensitivity analysis generated negative output current values and highly dissimilar values with the experimental results for the same input parameters for both models due to the less use of input parameters in the model. The results showed that the PEMFC's performance is affected by most parameters, and many influencing parameters must be used to develop a perfect mathematical model of the PEMFC.       &nbsp

Techno-economic feasibility analysis of a 3-kW PV system installation in Nepal

This study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of installing a 3-kilowatt-peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) systemin Kathmandu, Nepal. The study also analyses the importance of scaling up the share of solar energy to contribute to the country’s overall energy generation mix. The technical viability of the designed PV system is assessed using PVsyst and Meteonorm simulation software. The performance indicators adopted in our study are the electric energy output, performance ratio, and the economic returns including the levelised cost and the net present value of energy production. The key parameters used in simulations are site-specifc meteorological data, solar irradiance, PV capacity factor, and the price of electricity. The achieved PV system effciency and the performance ratio are 17% and 84%, respectively. The demand–supply gap has been estimated assuming the load profile of a typical household in Kathmandu under the enhanced use of electric appliances. Our results show that the 3-kWp PV system can generate 100% of electricity consumed by a typical residential household in Kathmandu. The calculated levelised cost of energy for the PV system considered is 0.06 $/kWh, and the corresponding rate of investment is 87%. The payback period is estimated to be 8.6 years. The installation of the designed solar PV system could save 10.33 tons of CO2 emission over its lifetime. Overall, the PV systems with 3 kWp capacity appear to be a viable solution to secure a suffcient amount of electricity for most households in Kathmandu cit

Mitigating the current energy crisis in Nepal with renewable energy sources

Nepal has been suffering from a serious energy crisis for decades. It has severely affected its economic, social and political developments. Owing to the continuously evolving energy situation in Nepal, and the recent progress in renewable energy technologies, this study aims to provide an up to date perspective on the current energy crisis in Nepal. In particular, the current energy production and consumption profiles are reviewed, and the main factors contributing to a widening gap between the energy supply and demand are identified. These factors concern delayed and overpriced hydropower projects, outdated and insufficient energy infrastructure, transmission and distribution losses, energy theft, deficient energy management, lack of energy conservation, low efficiency of equipment, unsustainable energy pricing strategies and unsatisfying energy market regulations. Other essential factors worsening the energy crisis can be attributed to specific geographical and geopolitical problems, the strong dependence on energy imports, and inadequate exploitation of the vast amounts of renewable energy resources. The status of existing and planned large hydropower projects is summarized. The recent policies and investment initiatives of the Nepalese government to support green and sustainable energy are discussed. Furthermore, a long-term outlook on the energy situation in Nepal is outlined using the energy modeling software LEAP in order to show how to exploit the tremendous renewable energy resources in Nepal. Our findings suggest that renewable resources are crucial not only for mitigating the present energy crisis, but also to ultimately provide energy independence for Nepal by establishing reliable and secure sources of energy