ISLAMABAD: As electricity tariffs in Pakistan keep rising, former President Asif Ali Zardari stressed the necessity of increasing solar power generation in the country, according to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Thursday.
“Electricity is so expensive that ordinary people cannot afford it; we should focus on solar power generation,” Asif Ali Zardari said while talking to newsmen in Karachi.
“Instead of setting up solar powerhouses, we should help individuals have
their own solar system in their homes and on their farmlands,” Zardari
suggested, adding that to this end, the government should provide soft loans
to individuals.
If there is more energy than their consumption, it should be supplied to the
industrial sector, he said.
Pakistan has immense potential for solar power generation, but less than 2%
of the total energy consumed in the country comes from solar power plants.
The Government has not made substantial progress in fully utilizing the
country’s solar energy potential.
In 2015, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) introduced
Net-Metering Pakistan, an electricity policy for consumers to set up
Renewable Energy (RE) facilities. They can use their own electricity and
also can sell surplus energy to the National Grid.
However, the speed of Net-Metering adoption is very low in the country.
According to data available with Gwadar Pro, so far, 20,296 licenses have
been issued to consumers. Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has issued
5,431, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESC) 4,900, K-Electric 3,402,
MEFCO 2,130, FESCO 1,310, PESCO 1081, GEFCO 1073, BTPL 484, DHA-EME 396,
HESCO 47, SEPCO 24, QESCO 16 and TESCO only two.
Apart from Net-Metering, the adoption of Solar PV Technology is very high.
Solar energy is not only slashing power bills but also providing
uninterrupted electricity. Pakistan is processing RE (wind/solar) projects
of 1400 MW under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), of which 700MW
have been commissioned. They include four PV solar projects of 250MW.
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under a project entitled ‘Solarization
Schools & Health Facilities’ is providing solar power to 8,000 schools,
4,000 worship places, and 187 health facilities.
Under another project, the government is solarising business centers and
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) by setting up solar mini-grid
stations (Photovoltaic Solar System).
In addition to government initiatives, people who cannot afford to install a
proper solar power facility can use one or two solar panels to run DC fans
and other appliances during the daytime. Some people have also installed
solar-powered tube wells on their small farms to cultivate vegetables and
fruits.
Since the majority of solar panels, rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries, and
inverters used in Pakistan come from China, the two countries need to expand
their cooperation in the photovoltaic industry.
