The Brief: Nirjan Rai on the Political Economy of Mainstreaming Renewable Energy in Nepal

Ep. Br#003 As the world gathers in Egypt for COP 27 this week, the discussion on climate change, its global impact, and the need to curb dependency on carbon-intensive sources of energy take center stage. Joining this spirit of climate consciousness and innovative rethinking, PEI colleagues - Saurab Lama and Nirjan Rai - discuss PEI’s 2021 paper “The Political Economy of Mainstreaming Renewable Energy in Nepal.” The two discuss the hydro-dominant narrative of Nepal’s electricity sector and the significance of other-than-hydro renewable energy sources in pursuit of its energy goals. They go further into the politics of institutions in the sector and how the extant interests and incentives in the sector are obstructing mainstreaming initiatives. They conclude with recommendations on the need to increase the electricity consumption of the average Nepali and to change the sector narrative that includes issues of climate change and energy security,  Nirjan is a researcher with over a decade of experience in designing, managing, and leading analytical studies on Nepal's energy and water governance. He helped establish Policy Entrepeneurs Inc and Niti Foundation, two Nepali policy research institutions, and has worked at the Asian Development Bank and The Asia Foundation. He is also a United World College alum and an Asia Foundation Development Fellow. The paper is can be downloaded from PEI’s website