Consultation workshop

Solar thermal standards for Nepal

Programmes

Strategic Group: Resilient Economies and Landscapes & Action Area: Economies

Venue

Hotel Vivanta, Kathmandu

Date & Time

20 August 2025

Contact

Pugazenthi Dhananjayan

Organizers: Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) , ICIMOD

About the event

To boost energy security, address climate change, and support sustainable development, Nepal sees solar thermal technologies as a promising solution for various needs like water and space heating, as well as for agriculture and industry. In 2024, the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), developed the Solar Thermal Roadmap and Implementation Plan, drawing on input from various key stakeholders.

Quality assurance for solar thermal products is limited in Nepal. There are no barriers to trading, leaving the market vulnerable to low-quality imports. Ensuring quality across the supply chain is increasingly important due to the growing number of global component suppliers. Additionally, the locally manufactured components and systems in Nepal currently vary in quality, making it difficult for potential customers to select the best product.

To address this issue, ICIMOD, in collaboration with AEPC, has decided to develop customised solar thermal standards for Nepal.

Objectives

This consultation workshop aims to involve all relevant stakeholders in the development of standards and quality criteria, the establishment of institutional capacities, certification systems and testing infrastructures for solar thermal systems in Nepal.

Based on international experience, guidelines for standards and quality criteria shall be developed for locally produced and imported solar thermal components and systems.
This workshop marks the start of this process, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Agenda

Time	Programme Description
09:00 – 09:15	Welcome address Laxman Prasad Ghimire, Director, AEPC Avishek Malla, Intervention Manager – Renewable Energy, ICIMOD
09:15 – 09:25	Background and objectives of the project Werner Weiss, AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC)
09:25 – 09:45	Institutional infrastructure for a stable solar thermal market Establishing standards and quality criteria for solar thermal systems are only the first step towards long-term quality assurance and fostering the development of a stable and trustworthy solar thermal market.
09:45 – 10:10	International and regional solar thermal standards Overview of international and regional standards and the possibilities of adopting these standards as Nepalese standards and developing our own standards.
10:10 – 10:40	Test laboratories and test methods
10:40 – 11:10	Break
11:10 – 11:40	Certification schemes for solar thermal products and systems
11:40 – 11:50	Existing standards, testing infrastructure and certifications in Nepal
11:50 – 12:20	Discussion of next steps and stakeholders’ involvement
12:20 – 12:30	Recommendations and a timeline for the development of solar thermal standards and implementing a quality infrastructure
12:30	Lunch