Center for Rural Technology

Name

Center for Rural Technology

Legal name

Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N)

Website

https://crtnepal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Technology Development and Clean Energy Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Permitting, Siting & Environmental Impact (EIA/NEPA) Advisory (EUAMANAB)

Keywords

• Clean cooking technologies
• Renewable energy solutions
• Cookstove testing services
• Rural development programs
• Gender inclusive energy

Headquarters

HQ city

Kathmandu

HQ country

Nepal

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NGO Grants and Donor Funding: CRT/N operates as a non-governmental organization primarily funded through international donors, development partners, and grant programs. Revenue is project-based, supporting technology development, testing services, advocacy, and capacity-building activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Center for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N) is a professional non-governmental organization that develops and promotes rural technologies focused on renewable energy, clean cooking solutions, improved water mills, and pico-hydro systems. Its flagship service is the Regional Cookstove Testing and Knowledge Centre (RTKC), which provides ISO/IWA-aligned laboratory and field-based cookstove testing (LEMS, WBT, CCT, KPT, IAP measurement). The organization also delivers community-based deployment programs, gender-inclusive energy initiatives (via GEWNet), and policy advocacy for the Government of Nepal's clean cooking and renewable energy missions.

Product overview

CRT/N operates as a single-purpose NGO offering technology development and promotion services rather than a commercial product platform. The core offering is the Regional Cookstove Testing and Knowledge Centre (RTKC), which provides laboratory and field-based testing services for biomass cookstoves. Supporting products include Improved Water Mills and Improved Cook Stoves developed through their technology upgrading efforts. The organization also produces publications and research materials on renewable energy technologies including pico-hydro systems, productive energy uses for women-led enterprises, and RET manuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RTKC: Regional Cookstove Testing and Knowledge Centre - established to strengthen cookstoves sector's ability to perform various tests and evaluate stoves, communicate, improve performance of cookstoves and fuels.
• GEWNet

Products and services

• Regional Cookstove Testing and Knowledge Centre (RTKC) A dedicated facility providing laboratory and field-based cookstove testing services, including Laboratory Emissions Monitoring System (LEMS), Water Boiling Test (WBT), Control Cooking Test (CCT), Kitchen Performance Test (KPT), and Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) measurements, aligned with ISO and International Workshop Agreement (IWA) Tier Reporting standards. Also offers Solar Performance Evaluation Process Test Station services for solar cookers and Solar Pump Evaluation. Serves stove manufacturers, research institutions, NGOs, and government bodies at national and regional levels.
• Improved Cook Stoves

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ women entrepreneurs supported through productive energy use programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GEWNet (Gender, Energy and Water Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2002GEWNet was established in August 2002 as an output of a National Consultative Workshop and is hosted by CRT/N. It serves as a platform for knowledge sharing, advocacy, and collaboration on gender-inclusive renewable energy and water access in Nepal, contributing to Clean Cooking Solutions for All by 2030 and SDGs.
• Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) / UN FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGACC, a public-private initiative led by the United Nations Foundation, supported CRT/N in establishing the Regional Cookstove Testing and Knowledge Centre (RTKC) to strengthen cookstove testing, performance evaluation, and knowledge sharing at national and regional levels.
• INforSE (International Network for Sustainable Energy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT/N is a member of INforSE, an international network of civil society organizations working on sustainable energy, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and global advocacy on renewable energy and rural development.
• Grameen ShaktiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner collaborating with CRT/N on renewable energy and rural technology dissemination programs in Nepal.
• Government of Nepal (AEPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT/N supports the Government of Nepal's Clean Cooking Solutions for All mission implemented by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), contributing to policy advocacy, standards development, and testing services aligned with national energy access goals.
• SNV NepalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT/N collaborated with SNV Nepal on the Increased Women Market Engagement (IWME) Programme, integrating women-focused energy access and enterprise development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• BURN Manufacturing: East Africa-based clean cookstove manufacturer and distributor with strong ISO/IWA-aligned testing focus. Comparable to CRT/N's improved cookstove and RTKC testing scope, but operates as a commercial manufacturer rather than an NGO.

Direct peers

• SELCO Foundation: India-based nonprofit focused on sustainable energy access and decentralized renewable energy for underserved communities, with strong emphasis on gender and livelihoods. Closely comparable rural-energy NGO model operating in South Asia.
• Practical Action: UK-headquartered international NGO that develops and promotes appropriate technology for poor communities, including renewable energy and clean cooking. Highly comparable to CRT/N in mission, rural technology portfolio, and developing-country implementation model.
• ENERGIA (International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy): International network on gender and sustainable energy that funds and supports CRT/N's GESI programming. Closely aligned with CRT/N's gender-and-energy mandate and a peer in advocating gender-inclusive energy policy.
• Grameen Shakti: Bangladesh-based NGO promoting renewable energy and clean cooking in rural areas through technology dissemination, microfinance, and women's enterprise — explicitly named as a CRT/N development partner and operating an adjacent rural-technology model in South Asia.

Others

• Clean Cooking Alliance (formerly GACC): Public-private alliance housed at the UN Foundation that funded CRT/N's RTKC. Not a direct competitor but a strategic ecosystem partner and standards-setter whose priorities strongly influence CRT/N's program pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Hivos: Dutch development organization funding clean energy, gender and climate programs, including CRT/N's GIE programme. Operates as an implementing donor with comparable thematic priorities but much broader geographic scope.
• Winrock International: Large US-headquartered international development NGO running clean energy, clean cooking and climate programs globally. Comparable in mission but operates at substantially larger scale and across multiple geographies.
• Practical Action Consulting: Consulting arm of Practical Action delivering energy access, clean cooking and climate advisory services to governments and donors — comparable to CRT/N's RTKC advisory/testing work but with broader geographic reach.
• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Large international development organization with active clean energy, clean cooking, and gender programs across Asia and Africa — named CRT/N partner via the IWME programme. Overlaps with CRT/N but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@centerforruraltechnologyne6410
• Facebookfacebook.com/crtnepalorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-rural-technology-nepal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Rural Technology