Biogas in Nepal: bringing social contexts of energy innovation into view

Campbell, Ben; Suji, Manoj

Abstract

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 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.

Citation

Campbell, B., & Suji, M. Biogas in Nepal: bringing social contexts of energy innovation into view. In B. Campbell, M. Cameron, & T. Subba (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of the Himalayas: Environments, Development, Wellbeings. Routledge

• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2024
• Book Title: The Routledge Handbook of the Himalayas: Environments, Development, Wellbeings
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2164796
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-International-Handbook-of-Himalayan-Environments-Development-and-Wellbeing/Campbell-Cameron-Subba/p/book/9781032586403
• Contract Date: Jan 24, 2024