‘Energy crisis demands Pakistan to go solar’

Worsening energy crisis and rising prices of fossil fuels demand that Pakistan should go solar on war footing basis, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Sunday.

Commenting on serious problems our economy is facing due to ballooning oil import bill, he said the government and private sector should turn to solar energy replacing costly electricity, oil and gas. He said trillions of rupees could be saved if the society is encouraged to use renewable energy, especially cheap solar energy.

He said the use if renewable energy, especially solar, have seen a fast growth over the past few years. The use of renewable energy helps improving energy security and to mitigate harmful effects of climate change. Countries like Germany have long since jumped on the solar bandwagon and are now producing a third of their electricity from solar power.

He said as per some studies, Pakistan is a perfect candidate for solar power generation, considering the high levels of solar irradiation the country receives.

Yet, solar only contributes a meager 1% to Pakistan's energy mix against a potential of 2.9 million Megawatts according to Pakistan Alternative Energy Board. Shakoor said investment in solar technology can improve energy access, create jobs, increase income, improve trade balance and contribute to industrial development.

The socio-economic benefits of solar are astounding and its' impact can be maximized with sound macro-level policies. He said solar energy is obtained from the sun's radiation and it can be converted to electricity or heat. It is freely available and thanks to advances in technology, "we can now harness even more of the solar energy that is continuously available to us."