Vision of power system 25 years ahead

In 25 years the electric power system is expected to be clean, digital, decentralised and highly controllable, with power electronics and renewable energy at its core.

Expected features

• Renewable-dominated generation: most energy from hydro, solar and wind; coal and oil plants mostly retired. Nepal's grid will be hydro plus solar, exporting surplus power.
• Large-scale storage: pumped storage, reservoir hydro, grid batteries and green hydrogen will balance variable renewables.
• UHV and HVDC super-grids: ±800 kV to ±1100 kV DC and 1000 kV AC lines, multi-terminal DC grids and cross-border/regional grids (e.g. South Asian or Asian super-grid) for power trading.
• Power electronics everywhere: grid-forming inverters, FACTS, solid-state transformers and DC circuit breakers; the grid will be "inverter-based" with low physical inertia.
• Smart grid: smart meters, PMUs, IoT sensors, AI-based forecasting and self-healing distribution networks; consumers become "prosumers" who sell rooftop solar power.
• Electrification of transport and cooking: electric vehicles, e-buses and induction cooking increase demand; vehicles act as mobile storage (V2G).
• Microgrids and DC distribution: local microgrids able to island during faults; DC networks for data centres, EV charging and buildings.
• Advanced insulation and equipment: SF6-free GIS, HTLS conductors, superconducting cables in cities, compact substations.
• Cyber-security and resilience become as important as electrical protection.
• Market-based operation: real-time and peer-to-peer energy trading.

Overall, the future grid will be greener, more reliable and more flexible, with power flowing in both directions and controlled digitally.