Clean Energy that Restores Forests and Empowers Women in Nepal

The Nepal Biogas Stoves Project

Clean Energy that Restores Forests and Gives Women Their Time Back

Time Savings

Clean Energy

Project Developer:

WOCAN

Percentage of Change for Women:

31%

Nepal

Certified

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The Story: Hours Saved, Opportunities Gained

In rural Nepal, women once spent hours each day gathering fuelwood from forests just to cook meals. The Biogas Stoves Project, implemented by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), changed that reality by introducing clean, efficient biogas cookstoves. With the W+ Standard, developed and piloted by WOCAN, women’s time savings were measured and verified — showing how access to clean energy not only reduces forest pressure but also unlocks opportunities for women to invest in income generation, community leadership, and personal well-being.

Quick Facts

Goal: Provide rural communities with biogas cookstoves to save women’s time, reduce deforestation, and expand opportunities for empowerment.
Location: Kavre and Sindhuli districts, Nepal
Metrics:

7,200 rural women replaced wood stoves with biogas stoves
31.1% increase in women’s time savings
Status: Certified, 224,064 W+ Credits issued

Standards & Certification: W+ Standard – Time Domain

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What We Did

Introduced biogas stoves: Installed household-level biogas digesters and stoves, reducing dependence on fuelwood.

Measured women’s empowerment: Applied the W+ Time domain to capture women’s hours saved and how they reinvested that time.

Built local ownership: Trained 20 community women as enumerators to conduct monitoring surveys.

Created benefit-sharing pathways: Partnered with HIMAWANTI to channel W+ revenues to women’s groups.

Results & Impact

Time liberated: Women reported an average 31.1% increase in time savings, no longer spending hours in forests collecting wood.

New opportunities: Freed-up time is invested in childcare, vegetable farming, community leadership, and even leisure.

Resilience strengthened: Diversified food supplies, income activities, and stronger community participation improved women’s capacity to adapt to climate risks.

Proven model: As the first pilot project for the W+ Standard, it demonstrated that women’s empowerment outcomes can be measured, verified, and financed through credit sales.