Nepal Infrastructure 
KATHMANDU: Kathmandu University (KU) organized an international workshop on renewable and sustainable energy to discuss opportunities and challenges in this sector.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Laboratory (RSEL) of KU organized a two-day international workshop on ‘Research/Problem Based Education for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Development’.
The workshop was organized in collaboration with the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ), Sri Lanka, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Bangladesh, on 6th -7th December.
The two-day workshop conducted under the Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART) 2021 project- ‘Instituting of research-based education systems for the development of renewable energy technology in circular economy (2022-2026)’ funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (MER) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
“The main aim of this workshop was to bring together different professionals working in the renewable and sustainable energy sector and discuss opportunities and challenges in sustainable energy development, technology transfer, and possible ways to strengthen research-based education emphasizing circular economy,” state a press release issued by KU.
The workshop was attended by more than 70 people from 7 different countries-Norway, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Austria, Nepal, USA (virtual), and Australia (virtual).
Various panel sessions were conducted during the two-day workshop followed by group discussions on various aspects of research/problem-based education and technology transfer for the development of renewable and sustainable energy.
Prof. Mark Z. Jacobson from Stanford University and Prof. Andrew Blakers from Australian National University in their keynote speech strongly put forward that, in Nepal, hydropower and solar, with a pumped hydro energy storage system is the best combination to fulfill all demands for energy at reasonable prices.
Another Keynote speaker Prof. Daniel Kammen from the University of California, Berkeley also put forward a similar perspective and the importance of learning curves to reduce the cost of the technologies.
Mr. Thor-Egil Eide, International project coordinator at USN gave an overview of the current international collaborations of USN. Prof.
Erik Trømborg and Thomas Martinsen, from the Norwegian University of Life Science, shared their experiences on Teaching and Learning Practices of Renewable Energy at the Norwegian university.
The workshop saw an impartment of knowledge and experiences on research/problem-based education, technology transfer, and sustainability-related issues.
There were unanimous voices on the need for effective research-based education for which personal communication, integrity in leadership, and collaboration among different stakeholders are essential.
In addition, proper incentives are essential and should be supported by both governmental and private agencies.
The workshop was closed with a note from Prof. Britt M. E. Moldestad from the University of South-Eastern Norway, coordinator of the project. She was very delighted for having such enthusiastic participation from all around the sectors and academia.
