Nepal’s first electric vehicle charging station opened in Lumbini, and battery-powered rickshaws used for local sightseeing are the first to use them.
The station is operated with solar panels and completed a successful test run on Monday. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a team of four Japanese technicians worked non-stop for months to make the project possible, according to the project.
“The testing and commissioning was successfully completed,” said Tadoyoshi Okasawara, managing director of Isaka Electric Company of Japan. The charging station has been given to the Lumbini Development Trust, which oversees the development of Lumbini and adjacent sites associated with the life of the Buddha.
Chiranjeevi Thapa, Nepalese partner of Isaka Electric Company of Japan, handed the charging station over to Sanuraja Shakya, member secretary of the Trust.
A power house was built near the International Assembly Hall and the meditation center. In the vicinity of the power house there is a control room (electrical building) on an area 160 meters wide and 80 meters long.
An underground cable was laid for the power connection between the power house and the building services. The control room houses two 50-50 kV inverters from the Nichikon Company of Japan and 60 Korean lithium batteries.
The batteries have a storage capacity of 360 kW per hour. The direct current generated by the solar panels is fed to the charging station via a 50-50 kV and 100 kV transformer in the control room.
The charging station is located on the Lumbini-Taulihawa road and is connected to the power house by a 600-meter-long underground cable.
There are 12 solar panels each made by connecting 44 solar panels and two large solar panels each made by connecting 32 solar panels. There are a total of 592 solar modules with an output of 260 watts each.
The power plant generates 154 kilowatts of electricity, making it the largest solar charging station in Nepal.
The solar panels were imported from Japan, the construction goods from China and the Johnson Box (power control and supply devices) from Italy.
Kenji Nakau, an electrical engineer at Isaka Electric Company of Japan, said the station is the largest solar power generator in the country.
“There are plans to transfer the electricity generated here to the Nepal Electricity Authority if it is not fully consumed,” he said, adding that the electricity would be made available free of charge for a year.
After that, an agreement can be signed with the Department of Energy’s coordination to sell the electricity, including installing 250-kV transformers at the station, officials said.
“We have already tested the connection by plugging it into the agency’s 11,000-volt network,” said Nakau.
A time of day counter was also installed. The meter displays the units of electricity that are being transferred from the solar station to the utility company and the units of electricity received by the utility company when the solar station is not producing electricity.
Electrical engineer Sumit Adhikari said the charging station housed 16 vehicle chargers – 13 regular chargers that can charge vehicles with 7 kW capacity and three fast chargers that can charge a bus with 80 kW capacity and two minibuses with 40 kW capacity at the same time. It takes an hour and a half to two hours to quickly charge the vehicles fully.
Charging points for 75 electric rickshaws were installed at the same location. There is a car charger in front of the Lumbini Development Trust office.
Nine charging points have also been set up at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. There is a charger for buses and cars with an output of 80 kW and eight chargers for vehicles with an output of 40 kW.
The charging station was built as part of the Clean Energy Project with grant support from the Asian Development Bank. The power plant was built by the Isaka Electric Company of Japan with the help of the bank. The estimated cost of the charging facility is 130 million rupees, but delays and relocation of charging stations have resulted in cost overruns.
“Construction was delayed by almost a year and a half because work was suspended by order of the prime minister and because of the pandemic,” said Bhattarai. Construction should start in December 2018 and be completed in April 2019.
“The wish of visitors to travel in an electric bus in Lumbini is now being granted,” said Thapa.
“The charging station is expected to replace gasoline-powered vehicles within three years,” said Rajesh Gyawali, a member of the Lumbini Development Trust.
“It is a matter of luck for the people of Lumbini who are creeping towards development,” said Fachruddin Khan, a Lumbini-elected member of parliament for the province. “It will increase income generation and employment. Efforts should be made towards sustainability as this will help control increasing pollution. “
The electric buses that are supposed to make Lumbini pollutant-free are at a standstill due to the lack of a charging station. The Ministry of Tourism initially refused to accept the buses as agreed. The five brand new buses and 14 jeep vans have been parked outdoors in front of gate number two for more than a year.
Lilamani Sharma, senior vice president of the Lumbini Hotel Association, said the Lumbini Development Trust sent bad news by failing to operate the vehicles provided to facilitate transportation for domestic and foreign tourists.
The Trust decided three months ago to put the vehicles out to tender, but has not yet been able to do so. The vehicles were purchased for Rs.130 million as part of the Clean Energy Project with grant support from the Asian Development Bank.
The buses are designed to bring tourists and pilgrims from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa to Lumbini.
The taxis and buses would connect various Buddhist sites such as Tilaurakot, Ramgram, and Devadaha for easy transportation. “The ministry will deliver the vehicles to the Lumbini Development Trust within a day or two,” said Bhattarai.