Solar-powered house: The force is strong with this house

Rather than wait for an electricity connection, Ali Naqvi opts for solar energy.

KARACHI: In Defence Phase VIII, there is a house that runs entirely on solar power — the only house in the country that can lay claim to having this feature.

When architect Ali Naqvi started designing his house, the electricity utility offered no connections in the area. Rather than wait, he decided to go green. His decision proved worthwhile later when the utility offered him a connection for Rs1.4 million. "I was forced to install solar panels," he tells The Express Tribune. "I'm happy now, though — it's a one-time investment and I don't have to worry about hefty electricity bills every month."

According to Naqvi, the most important thing when running a house on solar energy is to be very conscious about your power consumption. "Discipline is important. We don't let things run unnecessarily," he explains. "There's a schedule for everything and we make sure that appliances such as the water pump and the iron aren't switched on at the same time."

Spread over 1,000 yards, the house has double-glazed windows to keep it cool. In daytime, sunshine makes its way to every nook and cranny of the house, leaving no need for lights except at night.

Naqvi clarifies that the solar panels themselves only need the bare minimum of maintenance — they just need to be washed once a week to remove dust, which can affect their performance. "The panels also have to be placed at an angle to get the best results," he adds. "The sun rises from the east so they should face that direction."

Affordable energy?

"Solar energy is not just for the elite class — it is for the middle and lower classes," claims International Greenergy Limited director Zafar Alam, who received the contract to install the solar panel's at Naqvi's house. "Around 40 million people in Pakistan live without electricity; perhaps solar energy is the only and the cheapest way to provide them power."

A decade ago, few homeowners could afford to install solar panels — not only was the technology expensive, there were issues of inefficiency too. Today, however, Alam insists that it is more affordable, adding that running two fans and two bulbs on solar energy will cost around Rs150,000 in installation fees, with only the need to replace batteries every two years. While people like Naqvi may point out that it is a one-off investment that balances out over the long run, it hardly seems affordable for most of the population in the country.

Powering the future

Alam still believes, however, that solar power has potential. "There are constant improvements in the technology, the private sector is playing its part and investors are ready to promote it but the government needs to provide incentives to the solar industry in the country," he stresses. "The need for energy is desperate. To make it accessible and affordable for everyone, banks must step in and finance it the same way they finance cars and other luxury items."

Convinced that the government is concerned about the country's power woes, Alam points to Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif's approval of a project to convert 4,000 primary schools in the rural areas of the province to solar energy. An enthusiastic advocate of this renewable form of energy, he said that solar panels should be installed in all government school, colleges and universities, ensuring an uninterrupted power supply.

"Every year, the electricity requirements increase, adversely affecting economic growth," he asserts. "If we have sufficient energy, the economy will grow as well."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2015.