RAJESH KC/MY REPUBLICA.COM How much for these generators?... I need one to recharge my inverter

It's hard to be optimistic when the power goes off from 4-10AM and then again from 2-8PM. It's hard to see the bright side of things when sitting in the cold, dark contemplating the country's future.

And, worse is yet to come. They tell us the Kulekhani reservoir is empty and the rivers are running dry. From next week, brace yourselves for 16 hours of power cuts a day. NEA's load-shedding schedules will just list the hours that there will be power: 10PM-4AM and 2-4PM. Easy to remember.

Still, we at Nepali Times are optimistic that Nepal will pull itself out of the darkness. There is no point cursing the darkness, let's look at the bright side and try to make the best of things. We have picked some gadgets that will make this winter more bearable.

ALL PICS: CHONG ZI LIANG Let the sun shine in With such lengthy power cuts inverters don't get time to re-charge, so another option that many are starting to look into is solar power. Though the initial set-up is quite expensive, solar represents a clean renewable source of energy. Solar can generate enough power to fuel computers and tvs.

Noteboooks with stamina Even the best laptops cannot cope with the eight hour power cuts. But not all notebooks are created equal and some have better endurance than others. Mac book (Lasts at least 5 hours) Evo store, Durbar Marg Starts from Rs 99,000 Acer Aspire Netbook (Lasts 4 hours) Mercantile Durbar Marg Approx: Rs 45,000

Solar Tuki Energy International, Jwagel Tel No: 5011019 These 5 Watt long-lasting solar lights with LED bulbs cost around Rs 5,500

Inverters Using inverters is like using a pump to suck water out of the mains. It cannibalises energy when there is power, and actually increases the load in the system. But when there are no other options, even this is OK. IMTC ranges from 50-5,000Watts and costs Rs 3,500-Rs 45,000 Tel No: 5531023 Intel power, Prakash Gold and Usha Zenta at Electronic TCL&Intel PABX ,100-200 volts, prices from Rs 3,000 Tel No: 4431978

Solar inverter Eco-vision, Bhatbhateni Tel No: 4418203 These solar inverters are available at Eco-vision, Lotus Energy complex and range from 150VA-900VA and cost between Rs 17,900 and -Rs 77,000. Solar Power Energy International, Jwagel Tel No: 5011019 Ranges from 21 -130 Watts and costs between Rs 24,000 and Rs 90,000. 25 year life guarantee for solar panels and 1 year guarantee for the whole system

Mobile torches Many of us use the mobile phone screens for light, but some ingenious dudes have designed a mobile phone that actually has a torch instead of a camera. Available at Nokia stores in Tamrakar Mobile Complex. Nokia 1650, Rs 3,700 Spice HM 555, Rs 4,000 Hello S 580, Rs 580

Light is all you need There are emergency lights and there are emergency lights. We have even seen emergency light systems that have sirens, flashing amber lights and even one with a CD player. Forget the gimmicks. The most cost-effective one we have seen is the Ricona. Small, handy and cheap. Ricona 220V-240V, 4-5 hours, Rs 800