Punjab

Solar power: Rs100m to be spent on 150 schemes in DG Khan, Rajanpur

New initiative to increase the number of beneficiaries to 5,000 consumers in tribal areas.

June 22, 2011

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

A sum of Rs100 million would be spent on 150 solar power generating schemes that will be launched in the tribal areas of DG Khan and Rajanpur districts to supply power to 3,000 consumers in the area.

The schemes would be executed under the Tribal Area Development Project (TADP), Muhammad Rasheed Anwar, the TADP superintending engineer, said on Tuesday.

He said that 108 solar power schemes had earlier been completed in 2009 and 2010 in the tribal areas of DG Khan. These schemes were operating successfully and supplying electricity to 2,000 homes, he said.

The new initiative would increase the number of beneficiaries to 5,000 consumers in tribal areas, he added. “Eighty per cent funding for the project would be provided by the government and the rest will be added in by the community.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2011.

COMMENTS (2)

kd bloch | 13 years ago | Reply Solar energy systems have already been developed, and they should now be adopted widely as a way of sustaining the economy of the country and improving the living standards of its people. Not only can solar systems meet basic needs of rural areas, but they can also reduce the pressure on conventional energy sources. Solar panels, geysers and cookers are a safe, pollution-free and other electricity sources. They can also replace the conventional use of wood or dried dung for domestic cooking, thereby solving significant health and environmental harms. Wood preservation is mainly important in rural areas, where it requires for fuel; the demand of wood is foremost to extensive deforestation. As a result of deforestation and other ecological changes, rainfall has decreased, temperatures have risen, water-table levels have fallen, and agriculture is suffering. At the same time, women and children, particularly they are suffering the health implications of inhaling smoke from dung and other materials. Solar power improves the living conditions of people in areas that have no other sources of electricity. It also allows rural people to carry out income-earning activities that need electricity, thereby contributing to the country's economic development, especially in rural areas. But TADP solar power has no more such ideal contribution to the development of tribal area community.

Pervaiz Lodhie | 13 years ago | Reply Solar Power is ideal for most areas of Pakistan. Solar Power takes lots and lots of sunlight and creates very small amount of precious energy. You cannot waste this precious energy by using it in high power or wattage using appliances. The best use of precious Solar Energy is for lighting only with very low power using LED Light bulbs. See how this is done on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6iI1pFTIo and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vipU4aVFeak You will get some good ideas.

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