PURE Platform for Productive Energy Use: Insights, Progress and Achievements

Background

Nepal’s agricultural sector employs over 60% of the farmers, yet it contributes only about 24% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), primarily due to limited productivity and inefficient resource utilization. Of the 2.5 million hectares of land suitable for irrigation, only 35% has year-round access to irrigation facilities, and for hills and mountains the number is 87%. As a result, farmers remain heavily dependent on seasonal rainfall and are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Although both surface and groundwater resources offer significant potential, Nepal’s predominantly mountainous terrain poses major challenges for irrigation development, often requiring energy-intensive water-lifting systems.

To address these challenges sustainably, the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), with support from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), has developed the Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) Platform. This digital decision-support tool facilitates planning for renewable energy-powered river lift irrigation by integrating satellite imagery and field data. Through the combination of geographic, hydrological, and infrastructural datasets, the platform enables the identification of potential sites for irrigation development.

While the initial implementation of the PURE Platform has demonstrated promising outcomes, there remains a critical need to enhance awareness and strengthen the capacity of government agencies and sectoral stakeholders to effectively utilize its capabilities. This event aims to orient the AEPC staff on the updates of the PURE platform, its insights, achievements, and progress. By promoting its integration into planning processes at federal, provincial, and local levels, the initiative seeks to fully harness the potential of the PURE Platform in advancing irrigation services and contributing to Nepal’s broader sustainable development goals.

About the Event

This event serves as an interactive session between ICIMOD and AEPC to showcase the PURE Platform and its recent progress, updates, and achievements. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate the platform’s features, share insights from its development and application, and engage AEPC staff in discussions to explore its potential use in planning and decision-making.

Objectives

The objective of the event is to present the PURE Platform to AEPC staff, highlighting its key insights, methodological approach, progress, and achievements, and additionally fostering discussions on future actions and collaboration for its continued enhancement.

Expected Outcomes

The following outcomes are expected from this event.

• Enhanced understanding of the PURE Platform’s methodology, insights, and progress, among AEPC staff.
• Constructive feedback and shared discussion on future actions and collaboration.
• Identification of key areas for improving and scaling the platform.