Electricity Consumption: How To Increase Power Consumption?
Electricity Consumption
Electricity Consumption : The day of Lakshmi Puja is the day when most electricity is consumed throughout the year. But even this year, the demand for electricity on the day of Laxmi Puja could not exceed 1100 MW.
However, the demand for 300 MW of electricity will be reduced as the industry will be closed on this day. The demand for electricity has reached 1300 MW on other days of the industry.
At present, the installed capacity of hydropower generation in Nepal is exactly 1300 MW. While everything looks fine with the highest demand and supply figures, the actual energy consumption figures are alarming.
The reason for this is that at the same time last year, 25/26 thousand megawatt hours of energy was being consumed daily, but now it is less than 22 thousand megawatt hours. According to the average annual growth rate, more than 30,000 MW of energy should have been consumed daily at this time.
The amount of electricity supplied to the system and the peak demand does not do justice to the statistics of energy consumption. In order to increase energy consumption, electricity should be consumed continuously at other times as well. In other words, energy consumption increases only when electricity is consumed 24 hours a day. Which is not found to be happening now.
Now, 6,700 MW of electricity is being added from the 456 MW project promoted by the private sector from Upper Tamakoshi. The government has not made any concrete preparations to consume this electricity.
In this regard, Bijmandu has asked the outgoing executive director of NEA, Kulman Ghising, how to increase electricity consumption. His answer is in his own words:
The biggest challenge right now is how to increase consumption. Increase consumption to increase consumption; Consumption is not going to increase just to increase consumption. For this, infrastructure must be built first. If the infrastructure is built, industries consuming up to 500 MW are already preparing to come to Nepal.
After preparing the infrastructure, we can provide as much electricity as we want. The priority now should be 100% quality and reliable power supply. There will be no line tripping, no overload, we will provide quality electricity 24 hours a day.
The system had to be automated to provide reliable lines. The capacity of substations and transmission lines had to be increased. If 400 KV, 600 KV substations and distribution systems are built, leakage will be reduced and tripping will not take place. At present, 400 KV substation has been constructed in Dhalkebar. Nepal’s distribution system is being synchronized with India’s larger system. This will also make Nepal’s distribution system more reliable.
Energy backup is one of the must haves for reliable systems. India’s electricity is being used as a backup in Nepal. If not, 5,000 MW is consumed in other countries and 2,000 MW is backed up. We don’t have to back up like this. As India has a large system, we can get as much electricity as we need. Having a reserve of 2,000 MW is a huge expense.
Or the current consumption is 1300 MW. We have a peak demand of 1300 MW. There is not even one megawatt in reserve. When 1300 MW is consumed in a reliable and dependable power system, at least 300 MW of electricity should be in reserve. It is not possible to build a 300 MW reserve project right now. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. This makes consumer electricity expensive. We can keep India as a reservoir. Bringing electricity from India is like bringing electricity from a reservoir at no extra cost.
To guarantee reliable electricity supply is to guarantee that if the consumer suffers a loss due to voltage problem, he will be compensated. If Nepal’s energy sector builds this kind of confidence, then the industry will suffer.
Irrigation
For such irrigation, there is no loss even if a dedicated feeder is made at night and sold to the government at Rs. 2 per unit. Separate tariffs may be levied at other times. It can consume up to 500 MW of electricity wasted at night. It doesn’t take much time. It doesn’t cost much. Lift irrigation in the hills and underground irrigation in the Terai can be started within a year.
For this, just as we are electrifying the rural areas, we should also electrify the farms. Irrigation feeder should be connected to the field. If the government pays Rs 2 per unit, there will be no loss. It also helps reduce the impact of cobwebs on the economy by increasing agricultural productivity.
There is a lot of demand for irrigation now. The government has not been able to provide electricity to the farms. Only in Province No. 2, the grant from the Norwegian government has been spent on making irrigation feeders. In other states too, if irrigation feeders are built and lights are provided only at night, the electricity wasted at night will be consumed immediately.
Induction stove
Now electricity has reached the villages. Consumers should be given electric stoves instead of gas. The government can do this easily. Distributing 2/25 lakh stoves when the government wants is not a big deal. If you ask them to use the same induction, no one will use it. Here the government has to intervene.
This can be done by the Electricity Authority itself. This can be done if 5 billion is spent. Rs 5 billion is not a big deal for the Nepal Electricity Authority. When you buy a 2 million stove by tender, it comes to Rs 2,000. Consumers can be given 50 percent subsidy or for free. And only humans use electric stoves. It will also help reduce the trade deficit by reducing gas imports if the demand for electricity increases by 2/300 MW immediately.
Electric vehicle
Similarly, buying an electric vehicle is not just an incentive. In this too, the government should do policy intervention. If customs exemption cannot be given for electric vehicles, the same amount can be increased for diesel vehicles.
Then people are forced to ride electric vehicles. After getting used to using it for 2/4 years, no one returns to the diesel vehicle. If this can be done, the total consumption is 7,000 gigawatt hours now, while electric vehicles alone can consume 20,000 gigawatt hours at night.
Electric vehicle travel is 10 times cheaper. Charge the car at night and go to the office during the day. Charging at night can also make tariffs cheaper.
The government must make policy intervention in such matters. And only then the electricity consumption increases. No one should talk about discouraging investors from wasting electricity.
New areas of consumption
Nepal only imports fertilizers more than the price of electricity imported from India. If it can be produced in Nepal, it can be consumed in the industry that produces 200 MW of electricity. Imports of more than Rs 20 billion a year are also completely stopped.
Our mismanagement is also the reason for importing two trillion agricultural products. Apples bear fruit, rot if not eaten or sold during the season. But if 3/400 moisture centers are built across the country, more than 300 MW of electricity will be consumed and the amount imported from India will also decrease. Because we keep the products produced in Nepal in the moisture center so that they can be used later. It also helps Nepal build a self-reliant economy.
Nepal can also be made a hub of data storage. Google has data storage in Singapore. Storing data in a hot place consumes a lot of electricity. 500 MW of electricity is being consumed there 24 hours a day. As Nepal’s climate is cold, having such data storage in Nepal costs half as much. If Nepal can provide security for data storage, the world’s largest companies can have data centers in Nepal. From this, Nepal can consume a large part of electricity.
Tariff adjustment
Similarly, with the introduction of seasonal tariffs, the average person can have AC in summer. The NEA buys rainwater at Rs 4.80. Adding the normal price to it and giving it to the consumer costs Rs 6 per unit. If you want to get electricity for 4 months in the rainy season for 6 rupees, anyone can keep AC and fridge in their house. It also creates an environment where rainwater is consumed within the country.
For this, seasonal and time-wise tariffs should be levied. The tariff can be increased by Rs 2 in winter and Rs 2 less in rainy season. Tariffs can be levied separately in the morning, afternoon and night. This can lead to the development of a situation where electricity wasted at night can be sold at cheaper prices and rainwater can also be consumed within the country.
FAQ’S
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