All across Nepal, and especially in Kathmandu, there is daily electrical system “load shedding” – which is a polite way of describing 10-14 hour blackouts across the city.
During the dry season, when there is not enough rainfall for full hydropower, the national utility company can only supply about 10 hours of electricity per day to portions of Kathmandu. To compensate for the blackouts, private companies have invested in battery backup systems to keep functioning during power outages.
Here, Niraj Gorkhali of Smart Solutions describes the battery system that allows his company to work, regardless of the grid power supply:
Note that this system can only provide an hour or two of backup during the worst of the load shedding because the power doesn’t stay on long enough to full recharge the battery array.
How could Niraj improve his battery backup system to have greater usage?
I spent a season in Nepal during loadshedding, and it definitely makes IT work more difficult. At least you get a few nice candlelit dinners.