[:en]OUR CORRESPONDENT
LAHORE: The concerned energy sector representatives have emphasised greater exploitation of Pakistan’s solar power potential to swiftly transition away from fossil fuel-based electricity production and end acute economic sufferings of masses due to heightened power tariff.
They were speaking at a panel discussion held as part of Solar Power Conclave & Technology Excellence Awards-2024. The Energy Update organized the event in partnership with the Ministry of Energy (Power Division), Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB), and Pakistan Solar Association here at a hotel.
The relevant experts who spoke on the occasion said that greater reliance on abundantly available solar power all over the country could guarantee protection of Pakistan’s energy security
The speakers at the conclave also emphasised the need for proper regulation of Pakistani renewable energy market to prevent the fleecing of unsuspecting consumers at the hands of unregistered dealers who brazenly sell substandard solar power products due to lack of regulations.
Speaking as the chief guest at the conclave, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that Pakistanis were extremely worried over exorbitant electricity bills, which caused tremendous economic hardships to the masses.
“The people of Pakistan are rightly distressed over inflated electricity bills and it is the government’s responsibility to be fully answerable before the people over this grave injustice,” he said.
The KPK Governor said that the energy crisis has been deepening in Pakistan, which must be addressed at the earliest. It has caused huge problems for the people. The government must swiftly work towards resolving the energy crisis to provide relief to the masses.
The Governor said that the government should responsibly utilise natural resources. It must use solar and wind energy to provide cheap electricity to the people, especially from the lower-income households.
He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has always worked to provide cheap electricity to the people in the country. “The Sindh government has been producing electricity from natural resources from the Thar coal power plant and Jhimpir wind power plant,” he added.
He emphasized the need to provide off-grid solar power solutions, urging the people to invest in the energy sector in the country.
Earlier, Managing Editor, Energy Update and Chairman Organizing Committee Naeem Qureshi delivered a welcome address.
During a panel discussion, Faizan Ali, Member of Prime Minister’s Solarization Committee, said the committee has prepared a proposal to induct 10 Giga Watt electricity through solarization into the system in the next 10 years. “The proposal will be submitted to the Prime Minister in the next few days,” he said while adding that the PM will then decide whether it will be generated through a distributed scale or at a utility-scale.
“The distributed scale is the way to go as the least cost option with greater benefits,” he said, adding that the government would not have to invest as the private companies will invest and produce the electricity.
Faizan Ali further said that the government needs to encourage people to self-consumption of solar power rather than exporting units through net metering. “The government may reduce buyback from Rs 27 to Rs 15 per unit, and instead incentivize the consumers in installing batteries,” he added.
PPIB Managing-Director, Shahjahan Mirza, hoped that the conference organised by the Energy Update go a long way in achieving the government’s goal of maximizing clean power production to lessen reliance on imported fossil fuels for electricity production.
He said the PPIB stood fully committed to promoting the solar power as the viable option to increase clean energy production and decrease the electricity tariff for the end-consumers.
He said the PPIB would also support greater role of private sector in utilising Pakistan’s clean energy resources for establishing a multi-buyer electricity marker after transitioning from the current system where only government entities buy the electricity.
Engr. Faiz Bhutta lambasted Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as the mode of power generation, saying that distributed solar systems must be embraced and implemented quickly. “At present, there is no concept of virtual power plant in Pakistan, which have been successfully functioning in developed countries,” he said, adding that it will help optimize usage and performance of batteries in the country.
Muhammad Ahsan from Astro Energy and Usmaan Waheed from Sungrow, Waseem Qureshi CEO and CTO ENERCAP Holdings also spoke at the panel discussion, moderated by Waqas Moosa from the Pakistan Solar Association (PSA).
Earlier, Engr. Agad Nazir, a representative of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), presented a research study on Pakistan’s contribution to carbon emissions. “The public-private partnership (PPP) in the energy sector is good, but the roles of the government and the private companies have been overlapping,” he said, adding that the roles need to be redefined to perform the tasks effectively.
He said that Pakistan has committed under the Paris Agreement to increase renewable energy to 30% in Pakistan by 2050, in addition to 30% of hydropower, which will combine to fulfil 60% of the total energy requirement through clean energy sources in the country. “At current pace, we are nowhere near the path towards achieving this target,” he added.
Besides, Usman Siddique from Solis Pakistan, Engr. Mian Fahad, Country Director Growatt, Mubarak Hussain Country Manager Huawei, and Fahad Ali, Country Director Goodwe, spoke at length about their products and cost-efficiency.
Later, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi distributed awards among representatives of 29 companies for showing excellence in various categories of domestic, commercial and industrial scale solar power systems.[:]