Nepal, Dec. 24 -- Biogas plants were once quite popular in Nepal's rural and peri-urban areas. It was common to see a small, circular concrete pit in nearly every household. Families generated biogas (methane) mostly from buffalo, cow and ox manure, as well as from toilet and kitchen waste, and used it for cooking. Given its easy installation, durability and accessibility, successive governments promoted biogas by providing subsidies to nearly 450,000 households over the years in order to encourage clean energy use and discourage fuelwood extraction. However, the technology has lost its allure, with half of the biogas units across the country either stranded or in disrepair.

According to a new study by the Renewable and Sustainable Energ...