Solar Energy Looking Towards State Ownership In Pakistan

The long term effects resulting from the industrialization of Earth  and  its  natural resources are beginning to crack the surface of our daily reality. While some are trying to minimize the damage by recycling, going green, eating healthy diets; one of the most effective practices to help mother Earth is by improving and conserving the daily quota of energy. A practical yet functional method in this regard is the use of Solar.

Solar energy is by and large the best developed and largely used method of energy conservation by companies and a normal Joe like us. Solar power works by deriving power from sun’s rays, falling on a series of panels which absorb and later convert them into energy for household and commercial use.

Pakistan, being located in the sunny belt, is lucky to have long sunshine hours and high insolation levels and is ideally located to take advantage of solar energy technologies. Solar mapping conducted by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA, in collaboration with USAID, has indicated a potential of 2.9 million MW in Pakistan. The country receives about 1,500 to 3,000 sunshine hours a year which makes solar energy an excellent solution to the country’s energy crisis. The mean global irradiation falling on horizontal surface is about 200- 250 watt per day. This amount to about 1500- 3,000 sunshine hours and 1.9 - 2.3 MWh per m per year.

Based on the above facts, Pakistan secures the perfect geographical landscape to support the use of solar energy; however redefining an entire electrical pathway to a solar powered system requires finances which are not affordable by all. Having said that, a number of steps have been taken in this regard that can, however, amount up to both monetary and ecological savings. Buksh Energy Pvt. Ltd (BEPL), a Pakistan’s pioneering ESCO (Energy Servicing Company) and a Renewable Energy Integrator has been playing an exceptional role to curb the energy crisis since 2009 by introducing workable, creative and cost & energy efficient solutions to its prospects. 

There has been a recent trend among urban residential consumers installing solar panels to augment grid electricity supply. However, this has been limited to less than two per cent of the population, partly because of the nature of investment. A solar home system compared to UPS and diesel generator is a long-term investment, deterring potential consumers.  In order to cater to the high upfront installation cost of solar, for the first time in the region, BEPL initiated a 6months to 3 years easy installments plan on Solar Home Solutions and Solar Hybrid kits, partnering with well renowned commercial banks. In addition to this the government has also reversed course and eliminated a 32.5 per cent tax imposed on imported solar equipment in the country’s 2014-15 budget. The reversal aims to bring down the cost of installing solar panels.

The present government has taken measures to increase solar diffusion in the country through commissioning of solar PV plants that will directly feed into the grid. In the next few months, Pakistan will add 100MW from the Quaid-e-Azam solar park in Punjab province to the national grid for the first time, with an additional 50MW to be added within a year. The project is part of Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, under which China plans to invest US$33 billion including in the energy and power sector. A recent update on solar, as on 8th July, 2015, Norway has also grouped with Pakistan and has planned to help the country to fight the energy crisis by commissioning three solar plants of 150MW each. However in order to further strengthen the ownership of this source of energy; the government is also looking to setup up local solar manufacturing industry, as we remain dependent on imports of critical raw materials and components from China and Europe. Also the government, this year, introduced the concept of Net Metering - which allows the residential / commercial consumers to sell power they produce to the national grid. NM can turn out to be a major breakthrough that could spur use of solar energy and help Pakistan’s government cut power shortages in the long run. 

This viable and inexhaustible source of energy needs to be captured and put to better use for the sake of the environment and the people of Pakistan. Given the economic conditions of our country and the power outages; the electricity crisis can be effectively overcome if sun’s energy is utilized at a commercially large level. This will not only help a common man to save a few rupees of his hard earned money but will also help Pakistan’s energy crisis and economic downfall.

In the last two years, a number of private companies have emerged as importers and distributors of solar equipment, catering largely to the urban and peri-urban market. BEPL operates on a decent scale, with a hands-on technical experience to provide exemplary maintenance services, resulting in strengthening customer confidence and reliance in the technology. Buksh Energy also supports the local energy infrastructure by positioning itself as a cutting edge leader for collaborative partnerships and alliances with foreign partners and investors in the energy domain, particularly solar, hydro, Municiple solid waste to energy solutions and biogas.

Increase in human population has undeniably increased the  need  for  its  harvest  too. Radios,  lights, chargers, calculators and now even cars are modified to capture the sun’s power. This decision to choose and employ a solar powered product over a traditional energy source is one step closer to a better environment. 

Solar is a fast growing technology as countries, both developed and developing, are making investments to increase the share of solar in their electricity generation mix. Pakistan also has undoubtedly large potential for utilizing solar energy and steps are now being taken to curb the energy crisis and to promote this technology. Off-grid applications of solar in Pakistan can certainly play a critical role in lowering electricity demand and lighting up homes in areas unconnected to the grid.