Time to Capitalize on Renewable Energy in Afghanistan

Wind energy

The whole world is embracing wind energy, and plants can be found everywhere today. UNDP is working with the the Afghan Government's Rural Development Ministry and local communities to embrace this clean and sustainable source of power.

A wind power project set up by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme changed the lives of people in Sang-e-Nawishta, a suburb to the south of Kabul. The project has two wind turbines that generate enough energy to bring light and clean water to every home.

No more dirty water carried up the hill in battered jerry cans. No more diarrhea. No more school books left unopened in the corner once the sun goes down.

The turbines are locally made and can be maintained by local people. It is no wonder this simple, cost-effective project has won awards.

According to the Ministry of Water and Energy, Afghanistan has the potential to produce 67,000 megawatts of wind energy annually.

Abdul Qayom, a 10th grade student, writes on the blackboard in his school in Sang-e-Nawishta of Kabul.

"When there was no electricity we had no clean water. We used to bring water from a polluted stream and we had to carry it up the hill. Now we have electricity and use clean, pumped drinking water and our lives have improved - we no longer get sick. In the evening we used to use gas lighting, which wasn't good for studying, but now we can read and study at any hour of the day using the electricity."

video

Watch a video on wind power in Sang-e-Nawishta.

Solar Energy

Nangarhar University, on the outskirts of Jalalabad, is the second largest University in Afghanistan. Covering a whopping 40 hectares of land and serving 15,000 students, its tree-lined avenues stretch on for miles. But at night, the avenues are pitch black, leaving students and professors alike feeling unsafe. Public spaces are empty, and no one spends much time outside.

To change this, UNDP and the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme are lighting the university’s streets with solar power. 180 solar panels are being installed by our local partner, the Rural Energy Research Society (RERS).

Massood Moahed, the Vice Chancellor of Nangarhar University, welcomes the initiative and believes this will promote the use of renewable energy in their province.

"We didn’t feel safe before, but now we can have classes at night. Now students can study under the solar lights when the power is out, and I have even seen people playing sports.”

According to NASA, Afghanistan’s 300 days a year of powerful sunlight mean it has the second largest capacity for solar power after South Africa. But there is little awareness of this cheap, clean resource.

Official data from the Afghan Ministry of Water and Energy shows the 300 sunny days can produce up to 220,000 megawatts of clean energy.

In the past 10 years, UNDP Afghanistan has implemented nearly 100 small solar projects throughout Afghanistan.

video

Watch a video on the solar light project at Nangarhar University campus.

BIOMASS Energy

Biomass is biological material derived from living or recently deceased organisms. It most often refers to plants or plant-based materials which are specifically called lingo celluloid biomass. As an energy source, biomass can be used directly via combustion to produce heat.

A Biogas plant is not a complicated setup. A family with six cows and some spare land can install a medium size biogas system. Organic materials such as foodstuff remnants, animal dung and sludge can be fed into the biogas plant as substrate. Once the substrate is fermented, it is transported to a storage tank and can be retrieved from there for further utilization. The residues can be utilized as high-quality fertilizer.

Data from the Ministry of Water and Energy show there is a potential of around 4,000 megawatts of clean energy from biomass in Afghanistan.

UNDP Afghanistan has implemented 44 biogas plants across the country and they have all been proven successful.

Malem Dawood, a father of 21, is enjoying a better life with biogas power. He can save up to US$30 a month and no longer has to burn mountain bushes.

“There are fewer trees and bushes now than in past years,” says local resident, Malem Dawood. “People cut them down for firewood or sell them in the market.”

video

Watch a video on a local biogas plant in Darai Noor district, Nangarhar.

Hydro Power

Historically, the major renewable energy source for urban centres in Afghanistan was hydropower. But decades of war left the country's power grid badly damaged.

In the past decade, thousands of off-grid micro-hydropower plants have emerged in rural Afghanistan, improving the quality of life for many rural communities.

A micro hydropower plant built by UNDP in Piawasht village in Panjsher in 2015 turns the power of a local river into electricity to light homes, as well as the local school and clinic.

The Ministry of Water and Energy data indicates that Afghanistan has the potential to produce 23,000 megawatts of electricity from water resources annually.

Over the last decade, UNDP has built 240 micro hydropower plants across the country.

These plants are not only bringing tangible improvements to the lives of people who now depend on them for access to electricity, but also creating jobs for locals and improving their relations with local government. What is more, they are environment-friendly sustainable sources of energy.

Abdullah Huda Amiri, 43, is the electrician and micro hydro power plant operator in Piawasht village. Before the completion of the project, he was an ironmonger who barely earned enough for himself and his family. But since becoming a plant operator, his life has improved. He is paid about US$200 per month and the rest of the money collected is used for the maintenance of the plant.

video

Watch a video on the micro-hydropower plant in Piawasht village in Panjsher.