BIOGAS IN NEPAL: A Socio-Technical Perspective of Energy Innovation

BIOGAS IN NEPAL: A Socio-Technical Perspective of Energy Innovation

Domestic biogas digesters spread rapidly in Nepal from the 1990s as a renewable energy technology that reduced pressure on extracting fuelwood from forests. Very little social science research exists on this energy development story, and the chapter describes research undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic to situate the technology’s adoption within practical and symbolic effects for households. It questions the view of energy as primarily technical, or as a commodity, by exploring people’s perceptions of social value, and identifies limitations of energy transition thinking which neglect broader contexts of sustainable livelihood innovations, including intergenerational narratives of change.

Ben is co-chair of the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network working with DFID-ESRC-EPSRC projects. He is also an environmental/energy anthropologist concerned with research and teaching on the social dimensions of energy systems, developing an understanding of the potential for energy innovation by engaging community based local knowledge and skilled practice.