
How Nepal got the electricity flowing - nether
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2017/0116/How-Nepal-got-the-electricity-flowing?cmpid=editorpicks&google_editors_picks=true
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sbierwagen

      But because she and her husband had invested $500 – two 
      months’ worth of his salary as a police officer – in an 
      inverter, or power backup device,
      
      Their aim was to create a market for inverter importers 
      and the alternative energy lobby
      
      The drain on supply is significant: Not only does the use 
      of inverters increase the load when electricity is 
      available, as people are using electronic devices and 
      charging the inverters at the same time, but 30 percent of 
      the energy is also lost between the time an inverter is 
      charged and the time it powers light electronic devices 
      during blackouts.
    

The joys of interpreting journalism written by nontechnical people. Reading
between the lines, I'm guessing they're using "inverter" to mean big UPS
systems-- a charger, battery bank, and output inverter. Calling the whole
thing an "inverter" is like calling a car an "alternator".

