China sees closer cooperation with Nepal in renewable energy

LANZHOU - As a major producer and user of renewable energy, China has shared its experience in the sector with its neighbor Nepal through international exchange and technological transfer in recent years.

Sundar Bahadur Khadka, an expert from the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) of Nepal, is currently visiting Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province, to study the technologies and applications of renewable energy.

"I hope to bring China's technology and experience of renewable energy to Nepal, so as to boost our own research and utilization in the field," said Sundar.

"We have developed a wide range of renewable energy products, from solar water heaters and cookers at the early stage to photovoltaic power stations and lamps today," said Zhou Jianping, head of the Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute (GNERI), which specializes in the research and development of renewable energy.

"This is our portable battery bank. After being charged for four hours in the sun, it can fully charge at least three mobile phones," said Qiao Junqiang from the institute, when introducing their latest battery bank, a black panel about the size of a tablet device.

Apart from the portable battery bank, the solar lamps developed by the institute enjoy popularity in the market. Since last year, multiple orders have been placed by businessmen from Nepal, Pakistan and beyond.

"The lamps can provide light for seven hours at night after being charged in the day," said Zhou.

In the first half of this year, Zhou and Qiao, at the invitation of relevant organizations in Nepal, paid a number of visits to the country together with their teams to give guidance to locals in installing solar water pumps and lamps and discuss further cooperation in renewable energy.

Recently, the GNERI has signed a memorandum of cooperation in areas such as solar energy technology and renewable energy management with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development and the AEPC.

The institute has trained more than 1,900 technicians and government officials from over 130 countries since the 1990s, according to Zhou.