This will also reduce the monthly power bills manifold
FAISALABAD: Numerous industrialised nations have installed significant solar power capacity into their grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources, while an increasing number of developing nations have turned to solar power to reduce dependence on expensive imported fuels. Unlike fossil fuel based technologies, solar power does not lead to any harmful emissions during operation, but the production of the panels leads to some amount of pollution. In the future, solar power would be the world’s largest source of electricity.
In Pakistan, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park is under construction in Bahawalpur with the capacity to generate 1,000 MW. There is a dire need to build more solar power plants in the country because it is the cheapest source of energy. Photovoltaic systems use no fuel, and modules typically last 25 to 40 years. Thus, capital costs make up most of the cost of solar power. Operations and maintenance costs for new utility-scale solar plants are estimated to be nine per cent of the cost of photovoltaic electricity, and 17 per cent of the cost of solar thermal electricity.
I would like to suggest that the government declare Mithi, the headquarter of Tharparkar district in Sindh, the ‘Solar city’. For this initiative, rooftop solar power plants should be installed in houses, educational institutions, shopping centres, industries and commercial establishments, enabling them to generate power on their own. Generating their own electricity, consumers will be able to feed unused electricity back into the grid and they will be compensated for it. This will also reduce the monthly power bills manifold. For setting up a one-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant, each household should be provided a 40 per cent subsidy by the government. By doing this, we can achieve a healthy economy and a healthy environment.
Engineer Mansoor Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2016.
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