Solar surge strains national grid
Pakistan's solar industry is experiencing rapid growth, but it faces significant challenges as more distributed solar systems are integrated into the grid.
Speaking at a seminar on "Sustainable Energy Solutions – Achieving Net-Zero Targets," organised by Shenzhen Hopewind Electric, Engineer Syed Faizan Ali Shah, a member of the Prime Minister's Pakistan Solarisation Committee, highlighted key concerns for the sector.
Shah warned of increased exports from net-metered solar systems, particularly during shoulder months when demand is lower, leading to grid stress. He also pointed out that grids in certain areas are heavily concentrated, while others remain underutilised.
"The grid is seeing a decrease in its minimum operational load, which presents challenges in managing reverse power flow, over-voltages, harmonics, and low reactive power," he explained. Power quality issues, curtailments, rising peak demand, and increasing tariffs are additional concerns.
Shah attributed the solar sector's growth to rising electricity prices and falling costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules.
The favourable regulatory framework, with increasing buy-back rates and shorter payback periods, has also played a crucial role in promoting solar adoption.
On the industrial side, the absence of red tape, coupled with tax breaks and zero customs duties on solar imports, has fostered the sector's expansion.
"Pakistan's utility-scale solar generation stands at 780 MW, with distributed solar producing 2,700 MW, excluding K-Electric's 600 MW," Shah said.
He added that captive solar generation capacity ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 MW. This year, Pakistan imported 13 GW of solar inverters and panels, indicating robust growth in self-generation and grid exports.
However, the solar industry has faced setbacks, including a ban on utility-scale solar projects and solar panel imports in 2018.
Licensing issues, low-quality imports, and the COVID-19 pandemic have also hindered progress. Shah stressed the need for grid modernisation to tackle these challenges.
"Advancements in distribution grid technology, such as digitising the network, transformer monitoring, and implementing SCADA systems to manage power flow, are essential," he said. Improved weather forecasting systems and incentivising the use of batteries and smart inverters can also help stabilize the grid.
Shah emphasised that residential batteries could store excess solar energy, which could be used during peak hours to reduce grid stress. "Batteries provide energy security and independence, reducing peak demand and offering grid stability," he added. Encouraging consumers to install solar panels according to regulations, maintain appropriate inverter voltage settings, and support utility monitoring of solar PV systems will further mitigate challenges.
China's solar transition
Meanwhile, China is transitioning from a solar manufacturing giant to a global leader in intellectual property (IP) innovation. Chen Wei, Executive Deputy Director of China's Photovoltaics Industry IP Operation Centre, shared insights from the 2023 Photovoltaics IP Development Report during the China IP annual meeting. According to Chen, China accounted for over 80% of the world's solar PV supply chain production in 2022, spanning polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules.
Chinese firms are increasingly investing in research and development (R&D), with some allocating 5% of their revenue to PV technology.
This focus has led to innovations in solar cell efficiency, a critical metric for converting sunlight into electricity. Chinese enterprises and research institutes are now key contributors to the best research-cell efficiency chart, which tracks the highest confirmed conversion efficiencies across solar technologies.
China's R&D efforts have also driven a surge in IP initiatives. Solar patent applications from Chinese firms rose from 40.8% of the global total in 2014 to 82.6% in 2021.
By 2022, China had filed over 175,000 cumulative solar patent applications, accounting for 48% of the world's total. The country now holds 33,970 valid patents in key PV technologies, including raw materials, wafers, cells, and modulesmore than the combined total of the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Europe.
Chen emphasised the importance of enhancing international patent protection through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and focusing on developing high-quality patents.
"We need to improve patent writing and manage portfolios strategically," he said.
With renewable energy projected to account for 76% of global power generation by 2050, solar is expected to play a major role. "China's solar IP operations have yet to reach their peak, but the future looks promising," Chen concluded.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP