Energy is one of the driving forces for development. Energy consumption pattern gives the basis under which a country is categorised as developing, developed or under developed. Nepal, with 83 per cent of its population in rural setting, is showing positive growth in energy consumption with annual increase in commercial and renewable resources standing at 15.5 and 21 per cent respectively and the traditional sources at two per cent over the last decade.

The traditional biomass still shares a mammoth 86 per cent of the total energy consumption while the percentages of commercial and renewable sources of energy are 13.7 and 0.4 respectively. Coming to fuel consumption, the traditional fuelwood contributes 83 per cent of the total energy requirement. The high rate of population growth (2.25 per cent per annum) and lack of alternatives has forced 80 per cent of the rural population to rely on open forest resources to meet their ever-increasing energy needs.

At present, the total supply of fuel wood is estimated at around 6.5 million tonnes whereas the demand is 15.4 million tonnes. Population growth, economic and social development and the desire for comfortable life have further increased the demand for energy. In the Nepali context the pressure is high on the biomass-based resources, which makes up for most of the energy needs. In the previous decade alone, the rural energy consumption has shot up from 45 million gigajoules (Gj) to over 300 million Gj.

Nepal generates almost 500 MW of the energy from different hydropower stations. Nepal’s hydropower potential is 1309 million Gj. An official estimate shows that 28.1 million tonnes of dung would be available per day for the production of biogas. Similarly, the total solar energy that might be harnessed in Nepal is 0.18 TOE (another unit of energy) per square. This figure is quite significant when compared to 0.15 TOE for USA and 0.09 TOE for Western Europe. The total solar energy potential in Nepal is estimated to be around 26.6 million MW.

The impact of current trend of energy consumption can be expressed in terms of its impact on health, environment and economic loss. Air pollution is a result of excessive energy consumption in any area. Air pollution is correlated with environment and human health. Smoke from combustion of bio and fossil fuel has an adverse impact on the health of living beings inviting diseases like lung infection, eye infection, tuberculosis, asthma and cardiovascular diseases. Emission of noxious gases like CO2 and CO also raises the threat of global warming.

Both government and non-governmental help is needed in formulation of plans and policies to increase renewable sources of energy, which is the only long-term solution to energy crunch. More alternative energy technologies should be explored. In this light, the government should emphasise long-term, renewable energy policies. Calculating potential energy resources alone is no use unless actual benefits of increased energy production reach the common people.