Tapping Alternative Energy Sources in Pakistan
By Rafiq Ebrahim
Winfield IL
Pakistan is a developed country. It can no longer be classified as a developing country. This is not a preposterous claim of a starry-eyed Pakistani. There are nuclear power plants and sophisticated infrastructures that testify to this reality. But there are still many crises that the country faces and need to be addressed. Poverty, lack of clean water, shabby housing facilities for the poor, dearth of medical care, and quality education are the dark, disconcerting features of life that look one squarely in the face. Barring the elite and top government officials, an overwhelming majority continues to suffer immeasurably.
Insufficient energy is another grim problem facing the nation. It could have been eased considerably a long time ago if strategic dams were built, but because of political motivations such efforts have been hampered and obstructed. With abundant hydro-electric potential the country could have been well-lit and highly industrialized if it had been harnessed.
It is high time the authorities paid prompt attention to other sources of energy such as wind, coal and solar energy, and encourage those enterprises which have started producing and delivering electricity to various factories and homes by tapping them. Energy from sunlight could have been harnessed a long time ago. All the regions in Pakistan are blessed with ample sunlight. At least in this respect Pakistan has been very lucky and rich.
According to an article in DAWN of April 30 th, 2015, which also drew a large number of comments from the readers, it is heartening to know that with the cooperation of China, Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, built by the government of Punjab for private solar power generation companies will be operational pretty soon. This facility is located in Bahawalpur and has more than 6,500 acres of land with supporting infrastructure for utility-scale solar power projects. The article mentions that ‘two companies have come together to be the first investors in the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, and, according to their own reports, are already energized and feeding the grid.’ These two companies are QAS, the local partner and sponsor of the project wholly owned by the government of Punjab, and TBEA Xingjiang Sunoasis Ltd., the Chinese Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor and also the Operation and Management Partners.
It seems that al last the government has focused its attention on solar energy. On May, 29, 2012, the first-ever solar power on-grid power plant was installed in Islamabad, thanks to a special grant aid project worth approximately five and a half million Pakistani rupees from Japan International Cooperation Agency under Cool Earth Partnership. If all goes well and the government is not lethargic it could generate about 356 KW of electricity that would light up countless homes in remote villages. Solar power plants will soon be built in all provinces with aid from China and efforts of private sector energy companies. To encourage private companies, the government has also eliminated newly-imposed taxes to bring down the cost of installing solar plants.
Beaconhouse installed a pilot project in Lahore way back in 2010 that had the capacity to generate 10KW power.
The Sindh government is conducting research to install water- filtering plants to make sea water palatable through solar energy. But the question is when will this project actually materialize? At present it seems the efforts are half-hearted, as is the case with other important undertakings.
A number of companies, like Nizam Energy, Shaheen Enterprise and Solar System Pakistan(Pvt) Ltd., have started their operation; some are just sellers of solar equipment while others are actually engaged in producing solar energy.
Nauman Khan, a panel importer and CEO of Grace Solar Pakistan, is reported to have said that the elimination of taxes could triple solar imports in 2015.
According to a report, The State Bank of Pakistan and the Alternative Energy Development Board have recently allowed the Bank to finance rooftop solar installation with home mortgage. Bank Alfalah, under its ‘Green Market’ initiative, would spend five million Pakistani rupees on rooftop installation. It is predicted that in the next few years, about 7,000 villages will get electricity in Pakistan by harnessing solar energy.
Another gain of harnessing solar energy is that it can cut down carbon emission to a great extent.
All these promises can only be fulfilled if the government wakes up from it slumber and takes prompt action.
Presently ,even the most developed countries like the US are harnessing solar energy, bringing electricity to the most remote parts of the country, lighting up thousands of homes at a very low or negligible cost.
Besides the first solar plant built in 1982 that generated 1 MW of electricity, two of the largest solar plants in the world – Desert Sunlight and Topaz Solar Farm, about 400 miles to the west in California - generate 550 MW each. Together their impact on carbon emission is equivalent to taking 130,000 cars off the road while providing 340,000 homes with clean energy. Twenty-nine other solar projects have been approved for public lands, and eight are currently under construction in California and Nevada. These states get plenty of sunlight which is perfect for millions of photon-hungry solar panels.
Since the Obama administration advocated clean energy as its priority, millions of 2’x4’ panels have been installed. These panels are covered by a thin film of glass that absorbs sunlight and captures electrons, creating an electric current that flows into wires in the back of each module. The energy is converted from DC power into usable AC power by inverters and is sent to the grid via a nearby substation. Each panel generates approximately 100 watts.
In the past, panels were made using silicones, which yielded more energy but were very expensive and were difficult to mass-produce. The First Solar, based in Tempe, Arizona shied away from silicon and instead produces thin film panels with cadmium telluride, which is cheaper than silicon.
Solar City, which designs and installs residential solar panels, has made it possible for individuals to drastically lower their electric bills through PV panels attached to their roofs and at prices that are extremely low.
Solar is now a 15 billion business in the USA employing more people than coal mining, and its cost continues to decrease.
Poor man's energy
Solar energy may be termed as the poor man’s energy because it provides electricity in their homes which were previously in perpetual darkness. Imagine a home in a village without even a fan in hot summer; laborers sweating during the day at their jobs come back home and find no relief from the blistering heat. This sad picture could be erased if more and more solar energy is harnessed to light up homes and make life bearable. Given encouragement and financial support , the private sector could build more solar plants in Pakistan.
