Windfarms Moving Inland

Helsinki,Finland

Surveys have begun to find suitable sites for wind farms away from coastal areas and islands. With the fast development of the technology of wind power generation, new opportunities and new locations are opening up.

Alliances of local government that have banned together to cooperate in regional economic development are looking for sites that are not only windy enough, but also where operations will not disturb local residents and where the environment would not be unduly harmed.

Currently, the focus is on environmental factors, according to Heidi Saaristo, a landscape architect with an alliance of municipalities in the south west of the country.

Earlier Profitability for Wind Power Plants

Research indicates that land-based wind power stations could be profitable sooner than thought, writes the newspaper Turun Sanomat. According to a survey carried out by the Aalto University, wind power stations could be showing a profit in about five years' time.

If the survey prediction proves to be correct, state energy subsidies for new power stations could be reduced from next year onwards and be unnecessary by the year 2015. This would cut state expenditure by hundreds of millions of euros.

Maritime wind farms would be not affected, according to researcher Jani Laine at the faculty of Energy Technology at Aalto University. State aid for such plants couldn't be phased out before 2020 at the earliest.

Legislation on renewable energy is currently being discussed by parliamentary committees. The state has agreed to finance energy subsidies for wind power plants for no more than 12 years.

HAPPY VIJAYA DASHAMI 2067

नेपाली मोडेलको पश्चिम सेती

हालै पश्चिम सेती आयोजनाको कार्यालय बन्द भएको समाचार प्रेषित भयो । यस आयोजनाको इन्टरनेट वेबसाइट पनि बन्द हुनाले के कति कारणले कार्यालय बन्द गरयिो, प्रस्ट छैन । अझ अस्ट्रेलियास्िथत मूल प्रवर्द्धक कम्पनी स्नोई माउन्टेन्स् इन्जिनियरङि् कर्पोरेसन -स्मेक)को वेबसाइटमा समेत यस आयोजना सम्बन्धमा केही पनि उल्लेख नहुनु आश्चर्यजनक छ ।

यस आयोजना सम्बन्धमा नेपाल सरकारले गरेको सम्झौता संविधानको धारा १५८ अनुरूप संसदीय अनुमोदन नगराइएकाले संविधान उल्लंघन हुनाको अतिरत्तिm संसद्को अधिकार पनि हनन् भएको जिकिरका साथ सार्वजनिक सरोकारको रटि निवेदन सर्वोच्च अदालतमा दायर गरएिबाट यस आयोजनाका धेरै शुभेच्छुकहरू हतास बनेका थिए, राष्ट्रघात खोतल्नेहरूले गर्दा आयोजना कार्यान्वयन नहुने चिन्ताले । तर, यस सम्बन्धमा संसदीय अनुमोदन अनावश्यक ठहर्‍याउने त्रुटिपूर्ण फैसला आएपछि यो आयोजना कार्यान्वयनमा जानुको साटो कार्यालय नै बन्द गरयिो ।

यस पंक्तिकारलगायतका अधिकांश आलोचकहरूले यो आयोजना कार्यान्वयन नहोस् भनेर कहिल्यै चाहेका थिएनन्, नगण्य अपवादबाहेक । मुलुकलाई फाइदा हुने नै भए पनि संविधान मिचेर, संसद्को अधिकार कुण्ठित पारेर फाइदाको पछि लाग्नु हुन्न, संवैधानिक प्रक्रिया पूरा गरनिुपर्छ भन्ने मात्र धारणा थियो । अझ यस पंक्तिकारको विश्लेषणमा, सम्पन्न सम्झौता अनुरूप कार्यान्वयन गर्दा देश र जनतालाई तात्त्विक रूपमा लाभ हुने देखिन्न । त्यसैले सुदूर र मध्यपश्चिमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्रका जनता अनि समग्र मुलुकलाई वास्तविक रूपमा लाभान्वित हुने गरेर निर्माण गरनिुपर्छ भन्ने धारणा थियो र छ पनि । तर, यस सम्बन्धमा सतही रूपमा बुझ्नेहरूले र बुझेर पनि बुझपचाउनेहरूले यस्तो अभिव्यक्ति दिनेलाई विकासविरोधीको बिल्ला भिराउने गरेका छन् । संविधान मिचिएको र संसद्को अधिकार कुण्ठित भएको सन्दर्भमा अरू दलहरूले चासो नदेखाए पनि एकीकृत नेकपा माओवादीले हालै एक विज्ञप्ति प्रकाशित गरेको सराहनीय छ ।

Transforming power : Micro-hydro projects light up homes

Locals of Baluwatar and Naumale, in a remote basin 28 km northwest of the district headquarters Dullu, have seen their lives transformed since a micro-hydro system was installed. CFL bulbs have replaced the hazardous kerosene lamps in their homes, women have been freed from the drudgery of milling grain, and men no longer need to struggle to irrigate their fields.

The micro-hydro project was constructed under the Food for Work scheme of the World Food Programme with the participation of the locals. Although designed to generate 22 KW of electricity, it produces only 11 KW as of now. The project has lit up 145 households of Baluwatar and Naumule villages. A household pays just Rs 70 a month for unlimited use of electricity.

The change is obvious in Naumule basin. In this small developing town, houses have refrigerators, televisions and mobile phones. They also have fax and copier machines. "We could not have imagined this life two years ago," says Ratna Prasad Jaisi, operator of the power plant.