Solarisation

With the economy on the stretcher, inflation hitting record-levels and a looming energy crisis, the best way forward for Pakistan is to shift towards sustainable means of energy. The Prime Minister’s announcement of solarisation with the vision that all federal buildings will operate on solar energy within the next four months is indeed a positive development and will help the government save a significant amount of money during a period of economic crunch.

The Prime Minister has asserted that these measures would help generate 300MW to 500MW of low cost power, reducing the import bill by billions of dollars each year. There must be a proper assessment of the energy use of each building in order to ascertain what type of solar system will be adequate. Officials must not rush the process and invest in a sincere manner. A major challenge will be to maintain the solar system as solar panels will require periodical cleaning and maintenance, otherwise it will affect longevity. Further, with this, a 5-year plan must be in place to replace installed solar panels since their capacity reduces by around 10% every year. If this becomes a success, the plan must be expanded across all four provinces to ensure that all government buildings are operating on some form of renewable energy. This will be particularly beneficial in Sindh and Balochistan, where conditions are sunny for most of the day. In K-P, where there is less sun, the government can perhaps experiment with hydro-electric power from glacial streams and rivers.

The initiative will help save taxpayers’ money but the government must look to reinvest in more sustainable alternatives. This will not just help reduce energy burden and stabilise the economy but also make Pakistan less dependent on countries such as Russia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2022.

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