LAHORE - The PML-N government is moving in the right direction by utilising all alternate and renewable energy resources, however, there is a need to wind-up gradually thermal power plants across the country to save over $8 billion being spent annually on oil import bill in the power sector.
Tuwairqi Steel Mills Limited Engineering (TSMLE), Country Head Zaigham Adil Rizvi stated this in a seminar on energy at a local hotel on Sunday. He added that $8 billion saving could help jack up Pakistan foreign reserves. He said, Pakistan could save this hefty amount of $8 billion per annum just by switching over to solar resource, as country used fossil fuels to generate around 65 per cent of its electricity, citing that hike in oil prices in international market would automatically raise the electricity tariff.
Quoting a World Bank report, he said that around 44 percent of households were not connected to the grid in Pakistan, while more than 80 per cent of these were in rural areas, and around 45 per cent of homes in rural areas were still using kerosene as a primary or secondary source for lighting.
The TSMLE Country Head said, “India has gained over 1,000MW through solar system and we are still hovering near 50MW, while Bangladesh government with the financial assistance of World Bank has electrified over one million homes through solar energy and another one million are being electrified through this off-grid system.” It was need of the hour, he said, the government should legislate and make it compulsory for shopping malls, multi-story buildings and governmental offices to install solar systems at their premises as well as encourage people to set up solar panels at their homes to counter power outages in the country.
Rizvi welcomed Punjab government initiatives of establishing 100MW Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park at Bahawalpur, which could become an example for other provinces to follow in future. Unfortunately, he added, Pakistani manufacturers rely on imports for components of solar power system, as negligible ratio of solar cells or photovoltaic panels were being manufactured locally, as solar panels were being imported from Germany, Japan and China, and batteries were also imported and manufactured locally.
The cost of components for solar home systems remained high and needed to be given subsidies like government had subsidized many other components of engineering, he said and suggested the government to provide at least 20 per cent subsidy on solar home systems so that common people could be attracted and consequently overburdened grids across the country could be relieved. In this regard, he said, commercial scheduled banks could play a pivotal role in making solar system popular in the country.
Rizvi said that installation of solar power was a one-time expenditure and government should encourage people to adopt solar system especially those living in far-flung areas to avoid power outages and other issues like over-billing and increasing per unit price. Conversion of a single home to solar power might cost Rs 400,000 right now but if government gives subsidies to manufacturers, solar home systems could become affordable for common people that could provide uninterrupted electricity for 25 years, he added. Rizvi mentioned the TSMLE had so far electrified parliament lodges at Islamabad, Shadman Mall Plaza at Lahore, Danish Schools in various cities, Beaconhouse building in Lahore and various flood-affected homes at Muzaffargarh by installing solar panel system.