The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing access to electricity for thousands of residents in Nepal, by distributing compact pedal generators to homes in rural areas.

Outside Nepal’s major cities, homes and villages are widely scattered, making the task of centralizing power very difficult. Local renewable energy sources are often unavailable or uneconomical, and to date, no affordable method has been found to redistribute power from more highly industrialized areas to more remote villages and homes.

The pedal generators will improve the employment and educational opportunities of rural people in Nepal by improving their access to electricity. The generator’s innovative design combines a pedal generator with battery storage and a distribution system.

“The PedalPower70m is a pedal generator that harnesses human energy to produce an extremely affordable, environmentally-sound source of power, which is ideal for use in remote areas where grid access is not an option,” said Chantelle Allen, program director for the ADRA office in Nepal. Thirty minutes of pedaling provides enough light to last for two weeks.

An estimated 200 homes will receive generators, impacting approximately 10,000 people. The program will also establish local production, distribution, maintenance, and international licensing opportunities for the pedal generator technology, originally developed by EcoSystems, a small transport and energy company based outside of Kathmandu.

The 24-month pilot project is expected to start in July of 2006, and will continue until June of 2008. Valued at EURO131,200, the project is funded by a grant from the World Bank.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.