
Sephu plant will serve as an addition to the 180 kW grid-connected ground-mounted solar photovoltaic power station in Rubesa (near ), which became operational in October 2021. The Sephu plant is currently under construction over an area of 65 acres in Yongtru village, situated in the . Upon its completion, the overall installed capacity of the facility will reach 22.38 megawatts and is expected to be complete by March 2025. It was initially planned. [pdf]
Households could be powered for a year by the solar plant at Rubesa, given the average household in Bhutan uses 1,567 kWh of electricity per year The pilot project, a 180-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) plant was built at Rubesa village, in the western district of Wangduephodrang.
"Solar plant such as this can augment hydropower supply to meet our rapidly increasing domestic electricity demand, especially in winter months," he said. Electricity in Bhutan is mostly generated from hydropower, a renewable energy source, unlike fossil-fuel driven power plants that are major contributors to carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
The project was executed by the Bhutanese government’s Department of Renewable Energy in collaboration with the Bhutan Power Corporation, a public utility. It received funding support from the Japanese government and was supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Bhutan. Is this the start of a solar energy rollout in Bhutan?
The pilot solar plant at Rubesa, Wangduephodrang, revealed a need for skilled workers and expertise in Bhutan (Image: Bhutan Power Corporation) An additional problem is that the current low cost of power means people are not incentivised to explore solar energy, according to Adhikari.
In Bhutan, the majority of the population live in rural areas, where energy is subsidised. Even those in cities are charged around BTN 3 (about USD 0.04) per unit (kilowatt-hour). To encourage local people and business to adopt solar power, the Bhutan Electricity Authority is looking to draft ‘Feed-In Tariff’ regulations.
Phuntsho Namgyal said that the solar plant in Rubesa is part of the country’s plan to diversify its energy sources and enhance energy security. In 2019, the International Renewable Energy Agency carried out a Renewable Readiness Assessment of Bhutan.

10 kW solar system in Pakistan costs around Rs. 1,000,000, including installation, mounting structure, AC and DC wires, breakers, solar panels, and a solar inverter.. 10 kW solar system in Pakistan costs around Rs. 1,000,000, including installation, mounting structure, AC and DC wires, breakers, solar panels, and a solar inverter.. For a 10kW hybrid solar system, you can expect to pay approximately PKR 1,500,000 to 1,80,000. These costs are inclusive of batteries and hybrid inverters as well as net metering. [pdf]

Sephu plant will serve as an addition to the 180 kW grid-connected ground-mounted solar photovoltaic power station in Rubesa (near ), which became operational in October 2021. The Sephu plant is currently under construction over an area of 65 acres in Yongtru village, situated in the . Upon its completion, the overall installed capacity of the facility will reach 22.38 megawatts and is expected to be complete by March 2025. It was initially planned. [pdf]
The Sephu project will be Bhutan’s largest solar facility. Credit: Bhutan ministry of energy and natural resources The Bhutanese government has started construction on the country’s first utility-scale solar farm, the Sephu solar project, which boasts a capacity of 17.38MW.
“We did the studies on renewable energy management master planning in 2016 and the reports say Bhutan has a capacity for 12 Giga watts of solar energy and 760 MW of wind so we have a lot to tap as there is a lot of opportunity for solar energy solar power to grow in Bhutan. There is a lot of potential and I think this is the right step.”
The Bhutanese government has started construction on the country’s first utility-scale solar farm, the 17.38MW Sephu solar project.
The Prime Minister Dasho Dr Lotay Tshering was the Chief Guest. Bhutan Solar Initiative Project (BSIP) set up under Royal Command has implemented two Solar PV Projects in Thimphu. 250kW Rooftop Centenary Farmers Market (CMF) and 500kW Ground mounted at Dechencholing.
In 2021, the first planned mega solar power plant, a 30 megawatt, in Shingkhar Bumthang was dropped because the community refused to give clearance for various reasons. The plant was expected to generate 46.19 million units of energy annually with an annual revenue generation of Nu 233.725 million.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Loknath Sharma said, “Sephu solar plant is the first medium solar farm in the country.” The minister said that Sephu solar plant marked the beginning of achieving a 500-megawatt energy target through solar power in the next three years. He said that the plant project is undertaken by the ministry.
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