With power outages lasting up to 13 hours a day and the price of diesel used to power generators soaring, Nepal has been growing market for Alternative Solar Energy resources.

Although solar panels are unaffordable for millions of poor Nepalese, the industry is confident the crisis will spur the country's frustrated middle-class to invest in the renewable energy. NGOs and the government have subsidized sales of solar panels to more than 750,000 homes in need.

We have got 10 percent increase each year in the number of houses using solar energy. This is the trend but as interest develops in urban areas after the fuel crisis, this industry will grow exponentially in coming years

Landlocked Nepal has historically relied on neighboring India for petrol, diesel and cooking gas, but these and other critical supplies have slowed to a trickle since a border blockade kicked off more than four months ago.

Overnight queues at petrol pumps are routine and a black market for smuggled diesel and cooking gas thrives, as government talks fail to resolve the crisis. Until now, solar firms in Nepal have targeted rural households cut off from the electricity grid.

Recently at Kathmandu trade fair on clean energy this month, People from varied classes booked solar panel for their home. People who are using Inverter are also directed to solar energy, as electricity is not sufficient to charge their inverter battery.

Sales of solar systems surpassed $18 million during the three-day event, with representatives of about 90 companies struggling to keep up with demand.

In Nepal reliable industry figures are not available, but estimates from the main manufacturers' association suggest annual transactions total around $140 million.