It is cost-effective, reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
KARACHI: In order to cope with power breakdowns and the energy shortfall, many countries have started making use of geothermal energy to meet their power needs. However, in Pakistan, virtually no worthwhile effort has been made to exploit this source of energy, which is cost-effective, reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Philippines has exploited geothermal energy to reduce dependence on imported oil. San Francisco produces over 750 megawatts of electricity from geothermal energy. A large geothermal plant can power an entire city. Geothermal power requires no fuel and is, therefore, virtually emissions-free and not susceptible to fluctuations in fuel cost.
In our country, no incentives have been announced to attract investment in geothermal energy. We need to look into the possibility of exploiting this resource. We have to allocate this job to an established company that has experience in the exploitation of this resource.
Iqra Ejaz
Published In The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2012.
