Renewable energy

Many rural areas in the country still lack access to electricity for want of funds which renewable energy can overcome

Since we are running out of gas, it is heartening to see the government taking steps to adopt solar energy. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, who is also the chancellor of public-sector universities in the province, announced on Wednesday that 10 major universities in Punjab would be switched over to solar energy in the first phase of a scheme, saying this would save the government Rs256 million annually. The governor was speaking at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding under the project to equip all public-sector universities in the province with solar power. He said the cost of conversion to solar energy would be borne by private institutions. He said the use of solar energy in universities would help reduce the consumption of other forms of electricity by about 20%. He recalled that earlier the provincial government launched a pilot project at the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, and it fetched an annual saving of Rs17.08 billion.

However, the governor did not say whether the savings resulting from the switchover to solar energy would be transferred to the Higher Education Commission to shore up the sagging education budget. In the 2019-20 budget, the HEC was allocated Rs58.5 billion for recurring expenditure against an estimated expenditure of Rs103 billion, which was lower than Rs66 billion allocated in the fiscal year 2018-19. In the previous fiscal year, the HEC was allocated Rs29 billion for the development budget against the demand for Rs55 billion. It would be in the fitness of things to shift the savings made in one sphere to spheres where there is a shortage of funds.

Solar, wind and tidal energy is clean because these energy sources do not cause environmental pollution. They are also renewable. In countries like Pakistan – which have bright sunshine for most part of the year – renewable energy is a good option to reduce their hefty oil and gas import bills. Many rural areas in the country still lack access to electricity for want of funds. Renewable energy can fill this gap.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.