A stone-and-wire structure — built by hand without cement or power tools of any kind — is part of one of Peter’s sustainable, clean-energy hydrokinetic systems.
Powering the Schools – Peter Werth – Himalayan Currents
When I joined Nyisal School there was no electricity. There were only some lights which we can carry in hands. After we received the solar power, it was blessing days in school.
-Nyima Lhazom, teacher and Tibetan Medicine practitioner
Peter Werth is the reason Altitude Project exists.
During our trek to the Upper Dolpo in 2015, we stopped for a rest day in the village of Saldang. I needed to charge my camera battery, and the only electricity in the village came from the wind turbine and solar array Peter had installed on the school roof. While my battery charged, Pema, the school coordinator, and Kunsang, a teacher, invited me for tea and asked if I could help raise funds to cover their school’s shortfall.
That simple conversation sparked the beginning of Altitude Project.
Thank you, Peter, for the light, the inspiration, and the start of it all.
Children at Saldang School say morning Buddhist prayers as Peter’s New Wind Energy Solution‘s Firefly hybrid wind and solar system harvests wind and sun.
The wind turbine at Saldang
Peter Werth established Himalayan Currents to support sustainable energy and water projects in remote Himalayan villages. He provides in-stream turbine and hybrid solar/wind units to all of our schools. Until very recently, this was the only source of power in the village. His goal is to “provide clean green energy to schools, gumbas and health posts with minimal environmental impact on the Dolpa.”
Peter said of his first trip here, in 2012, “I was amazed at the villagers kind, gentle nature. They shared everything they had and openly embraced me as one of their own. The sense of community was amazing. They are extremely hard-working. They live on the margin of survival, and therefore everything they do is with a purpose. I found it hard to understand how people that live such a hard life can be so gentle and kind inside. I knew that I wanted to do more for these people who really have no advocates for their needs. I founded Himalaya Currents to be a focused NGO that would deal with energy and resource problems specific to the Himalayan environment.”
His dream was to “optimize and standardize a wind/solar hybrid system and a small hydrokinetic system for distribution throughout the Himalayas.”
He is a master at making the impossible happen, coordinating every detail to move turbines, solar panels, batteries, and 30-foot steel poles from across the world to these remote Himalayan villages. Ships, trucks, helicopters, and finally day long caravans of yaks and mules carry the equipment here. Thanks to his leadership, a skilled local team is now trained and equipped to install, maintain, and repair these life-changing energy systems, bringing light and power to grateful communities.
You can read more about him in a University of Connecticut article here.
Peter’s impact reaches across the region — supporting projects such as the Namdo School Lunch Program, the REED Teacher Training Program, and the restoration of prayer wheels in Pugmo and Ringmo. Each year, he also contributes significant funds to help sustain several school budgets, ensuring that education and community life continue to thrive.
Hybrid sytem at Namdo School
Empowering so many students!
All of the schools are powered by a Solar + Wind Hybrid System.
Tiling School ~30 students
Komang School ~35 students
Saldang School ~85 students
Ku School ~35 students
Tinje School ~95 students
Simen School ~35 students
Namdo School ~130 students
Chharka School ~60 students
Crystal Mountain School ~200 students
Powering the Gumbas (Monasteries) and Health Posts
All are powered by a Solar + Wind Hybrid System.
Karang Gumba – 10 Monks & Nuns
Samling Gumba – 20 Monks
Dachen Gumba – 40 Monks & Nuns
Nyisal Gumba – 30 Monks & Nuns
Shell Gumba – Widows
Dho Health Post
Jarana Hotel/Health Post
Solar panels and wind turbine at Chharka Health post
A Micro Hydro Project was installed at Pugmo Village.
Missing from this list is the Ringmo Hydro Project that experienced catastrophic failures from 2014-16. This was abandoned and the equipment re-purposed for lighting at the Phoksundo Gumba for late 2021.
Let there be light!
all images courtesy of Peter Werth
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
― Margaret Mead
He is a master of “orchestrating the many different entities to pull the logistics together, including transporting the turbine, solar panels, batteries, and the 30-foot-steel poles to Nepal – using ships, trucks, helicopters, and small aircraft”, then organizing the days-long caravan of yaks and mules needed to haul the equipment to the village! (You can watch a video of the wind turbine system’s journey from Hartford Connecticut to Saldang.)
Peter has trained and equipped a cadre of local people that can install, maintain and repair the systems. He says “The “Doctor “ Gyuanu Gurung and The “Professor” Bishnu Gurung are my A team”!
Peter is always ready to support other projects in the region; the Namdo School Lunch Program, the REED Teacher Training Program, and prayer wheel renovations at Pugmo and Ringmo are just a few. He contributes significant funds to several school budgets each year.