| Title | Geothermal energy update of Nepal |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mahendra Ranjit |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | hot springs, Nepal, Humla district, Kermi hot spring, Singa hot spring, Nundhaki, Bulbul Taal, Paudwar, Chame, Organic Ranking Cycle (ORC) technology |
| Abstract | Nepal has witnessed a steady progress in geothermal activities during this update period. Dozens of new geothermal localities have been identified across the country with four springs with surface temperature above 80 degrees Celsius including the largely ignored Kermi hot spring in Humla district where the steaming water takes the form of a flowing river. A book on the hot springs in Nepal, the first of its kind, outlines the profile of a majority of hot springs and intends to motivate people from different sectors towards the need to promote the use of geothermal energy resources in Nepal. The country has also seen notable achievement in the development of infrastructure in many thermal locations mainly with the support of local communities and to some extent, the provincial governments. The significant sites are Darmija, Singa and Paudwar (Myagdi district), Bulbul Taal (Surkhet district), Nundhaki (Sankhuwasabha district), and Chame (Manang district). A hydrotherapy center has been established in one of the country’s leading hot springs at Singa. A few scientific studies and surveys have been conducted for the first time in Nepal. These include a survey involving patients in the Singa hot spring to examine the understanding, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of people taking on water. An experiment was carried out on the stand-alone hybrid solar – geothermal Organic Ranking Cycle (ORC) technology for power generation at Bhurung hot spring with surface temperature 69.7 degrees Celsius. Likewise, another feasibility study was conducted at Paudwar hot spring with surface temperature 66.2°C and mass flow rate 6.48 kg/second for the same purpose using ORC technology. Both the studies indicate that it is economically feasible to harness the hot spring water for power generation under different scenarios. A study on design, and analysis of geothermal cooling systems has been concluded at Mahottari district in the Terai Region of Nepal. The designed geothermal cooling system was found to be much more efficient than a traditional air-cooled cooling system having a theoretical coefficient of performance (COP) around 6.77 and the experimental coefficient of performance around 4.63. Enzymatic screening and molecular characterization of thermophilic bacterial strains isolated from a hot spring located at Bhurung, Myagdi district has confirmed that the isolated Bacillus sp. is a true thermophile and could be a source of various thermostable exozymes which can be exploited for pharmaceutical and industrials applications such as leather, food and waste processing. All these activities indicate the growing interest to extend the use of hot spring waters beyond bathing and laundering. |