Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Solar Energy in Pak Homes, Schools & Factories

“I use the solar light for cooking at night. We save money because we had to buy candles and kerosene before. We also use it to charge our mobile phones.” Marvi, Yousaf Babar Village in Sindh, Pakistan


About 250 schools and 12,000 homes in Pakistani villages have so far been lit by solar lights. The program is funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DfID) to help flood-affected people in rural Sindh and Punjab.

Plan International Pakistan and the Punjab education department have rebuilt 400 schools destroyed by floods, and implemented solar panels in 250 schools that did not have electricity. In addition to the solar panel installation, the DfID funded project also provided water and sanitation, school furniture, school paper, schoolbags and uniforms, sports equipment and health education for 54,000 primary school children.

The solar lights cost about $15 each and give sustainable, free light for up to 10 hours after each charge, and can last for up to five years. The cost is recouped within a couple of months, providing excellent value for money, according to DfID sources.



The solar technology is also used for recharging mobile phones, which provide vital communication lifelines in rural areas, enabling people to keep in touch with family and community. The mobile phones are helping reunite displaced families and communities, and helping people to try to get back to a normal life.

In addition to growing number solar energy users in Pakistani villages, the city dwellers are also increasingly turning to solar to cope with frequent power cuts, and gas shortages. There is growing demand for low cost Chinese solar products such as solar street lights, solar garden lights, solar generators, solar heaters, solar water heaters and solar water collectors for industry, according to a report in Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper. Many consumers told ET they prefer solar over UPS (un-interruptible power supplies) and diesel or gas generators.

“Sales of solar energy panels have increased about 40 per cent compared to winter of last year. Sunshine in Pakistan remains for approximately 10 hours a day, which is enough to produce 1,000 watts per square meter. Producing electricity from the sun is very easy,” the paper quotes Tariq Nurani, a solar products dealer, as saying.

The Express Tribune story also features Khawaja Cotton Industries CEO Muhammad Amjad Khawaja who said he invested Rs 5 million for solar water boilers which helped deal with increasing gas load shedding in the textile manufacturing sector.

The rapid cost declines and increasing availability of solar equipment are enabling energy-starved but resilient Pakistanis to cope with the twin shortages of gas and electricity.

Here's a World Economic Forum story on solar revolution in Pakistan:

https://youtu.be/8IIJRuLAbOE




Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Shakti Solar Model For Pakistan

Pakistan's New FIT Policy For Alternative Energy

Media & Telecom Revolution in Pakistan

Pakistan Building 1000 MW Wind Farms

Pakistan Launches Wind Farm Projects

Renewable Energy to Solve Pakistan's Electricity Crisis

Electrification Rates By Country

Wind Turbine Manufacturing in Pakistan

Pakistan Pursues Hydroelectric Power Projects

Solar Energy for Sunny Pakistan

Wind Power Tariffs in Pakistan

Pakistan's Twin Energy Shortages

84 comments:

Feroz said...

Thank you for your kind efforts we really learn from you
Almost daily we get some good knowledge from you
You can add:
Two 180kw solar project on PEC& planning commission building
Two Mega project each 3MW on two hospitals

Anonymous said...

Mr. Riaz why is it that US and UK and western countries fund so many development projects in Pakistan whereas rich gcc muslim countries with surplus budgets hardly fund non arabic muslim countries? I am a muslim and I get this question asked a lot by non muslims because they think we hate the west which is not true at least in my case.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "rich gcc muslim countries with surplus budgets hardly fund non arabic muslim countries?"

Not true!

No one advertizes the GCC assistance like the US or UK help which gets lots of coverage in western media.

Pakistan is getting substantial help from Saudis and Emiratis for flood affectees.

Here are just a couple of examples:

1. Saudi Arabia is funding the local chapter of UNICEF to rebuild a massive water supply network in Pakistan devastated by ravaging floods at a cost of hundreds of millions of SRs, according to Arab News.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article554122.ece

2. Seven UAE-funded hospitals and clinics are being built in Pakistan at a cost of nearly Dh63 million, according to UAE's National newspaper.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/health/uae-to-fund-hospitals-in-pakistan

Shams said...

You are mixing up solar panel systems with $15 solar panel lights. Home Depot sells 55 lumen solar lamps for $30 each (could equate to $15 in Pakistani market). In comparison, just imagine - a 40W lamp is about 450 lumen.

Riaz Haq said...

Shams: "You are mixing up solar panel systems with $15 solar panel lights...."

Each solar light has a built-in solar panel which it uses to generate electricity to charge the batteries.

The villagers in Pakistan are getting these for free from DfID funds.

The value of these lights should not be measured in dollars but the significant positive impact they have on the lives of villagers. They reduce risk of fire from candles or kerosene lanterns, improve productivity and allow people to charge their cell phone batteries to keep in touch with their families and communities.

The good news is that the cost of solar products is rapidly declining as the Chinese flood the market. Solar panels, solar heaters, and energy storage devices are all becoming more and more available and affordable, just as the cell phones have. I expect significant relief for energy starved Pakistanis.

Riaz Haq said...

Feroz: "Two 180kw solar project on PEC& planning commission building
Two Mega project each 3MW on two hospitals"

Solar lights are a much bigger deal in terms of enabling Pakistan's vast village population that has little or no electricity.

Each solar light has a built-in solar panel which it uses to generate electricity to charge the batteries.

The villagers in Pakistan are getting these for free from DfID funds.

The value of these lights should not be measured in dollars but the significant positive impact they have on the lives of villagers. They reduce risk of fire from candles or kerosene lanterns, improve productivity and allow people to charge their cell phone batteries to keep in touch with their families and communities.

The good news is that the cost of solar products is rapidly declining as the Chinese flood the market. Solar panels, solar heaters, and energy storage devices are all becoming more and more available and affordable, just as the cell phones have. I expect significant relief for energy starved Pakistanis from a solar revolution.

Shams said...

Using solar lights for traffic lamp posts, or at home is not the same as using it on an institutional level. I have 55 lumen solar lights in my backyard but I do not claim myself to be solar-lighter. In fact I am opposing solar on the roof intiative of CSI at gubernatorial level.

Just so you know, T. Boone Pickens has shut off his support for wind and solar - after wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on wind farm in Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. His take - forget solar and wind, and go for natural gas.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20100112-T-Boone-Pickens-cuts-order-915.ece

Riaz Haq said...

Shams: "Just so you know, T. Boone Pickens has shut off his support for wind and solar - after wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on wind farm in Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. His take - forget solar and wind, and go for natural gas"

T. Boone Pickens knows nothing about the village life in developing nations where more than 40% of the people lack electricity.

His pursuit of profits and his opinions are in North American context. He wants to exploit abundant shale gas resources discovered more recently.

Pakistan, too, has lots of shale gas and other domestic energy resources like coal. But Pakistani government and public utilities have failed the rural people in Pakistan. Left to them, the poor villagers, especially those living far away from the electricity grid or the gas pipelines, will be waiting for ever to get their basic energy needs met.

Ubiquity of cheap solar products, just like cheap and ubiquitous cell phones, are the right answer in Pakistani villagers to help transform their lives in a reasonable time-frame.

Suhail said...

The villagers do not pay for the solar lighting and if it was not for free, they would not have got it installed. The ones you're talking about are UK funded. One can say that solar lighting is a better way of dispensing charity to poor villagers than Benazir Income Support Program or similar government sponsored schemes. I think the issue to address in your blog is that government poverty alleviation programs should spend on solar lighting instead of dishing out money which is eventually wasted or ends up in corruption.

I cannot see the prospect of solar lighting development as a sustainable business proposition in Pakistan (or anywhere) in the near future, unless solar panels become dirt cheap or oil & gas reach extinction levels and become prohibitively expensive. In Europe and America, solar energy is highly subsidized.

Riaz Haq said...

A few years ago, the big western corp dismissed the poor nations as a market for their products. All that changed with the massive uptake of cell phones by the poor in South Asia and Africa.

This has brought about a dramatic change in the thinking of big corp who now are developing and marketing actively to the "bottom of the pyramid" market. There's even be an HBS case study on it.

As to the pricing of the solar, the cost and price curves are following Moore's Law....it's getting significantly cheaper and more capable each year....it came down 27% year over year in India.

Last month, NY Times reported that the Indian government held its second auction to determine the price at which its state-owned power trading company — NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam — would buy solar-generated electricity for the national grid. The average winning bid was 8.77 rupees (16.5 cents) per kilowatt hour.

That is about twice the price of coal-generated power, but it was about 27 percent lower than the winning bids at the auction held a year ago. Germany, the world’s biggest solar-power user, pays about 17.94 euro cents (23 American cents) per kilowatt hour.
--------
Most Indian power plants are fueled by coal and generate electricity at about 4 rupees (7.5 cents) per kilowatt hour — less than half of solar’s cost now. In this month’s auction, the recent winning bids were comparable to what India’s industrial and commercial users pay for electricity — from 8 to 10 rupees. And solar’s costs are competitive with power plants and back-up generators that burn petroleum-based fuels, whose electricity costs about 10 rupees per kilowatt hour.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/business/energy-environment/in-solar-power-india-begins-living-up-to-its-own-ambitions.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&ref=todayspaper

Shams said...

The German example is pretty bad though. Germany's 23GW installed capacity is mostly comprised of rooftops though large plants are also in place. The feed-in-tariff for rooftoppers costs ONE billion euros per month to subsidize. So once again, I must say - forget it.

Just six months ago I figured that the place where 2 KW small solar systems are deployable were Pakistan's remote areas. Since then, technology has came up with 16-sq-inch (4x4 inch) solar panels that power individual 20W LED light bulbs pushing out 500 lumens, equal to a 70W incandescent bulb.

The new LED LCD 73 inch TV that I just bought consumes only 120W, and a fridge that I bought for my garage is running at 210watts.

So yes - some villagers may run a light or two, a TV and a fridge on solar, using individual solar panels. But the moment you start shipping electrical power from the panel to a distance, all hell breaks loose, since my new toaster still runs at 1500 watts.

Solar shall remain good for trinkets for a long time, not for large power plants.

Au contraire, Pakistan has the largest number of transportation vehicles on CNG. It took Pakistan nearly 30 years to develop its CNG infrastructure at a cost of $10 billion (http://naqvigroup.com/transglobeshipping/exipromocng.html).

Riaz Haq said...

Shams,

Look at the Indian solar example which is more relevant and recent, not the German example which was done much earlier to encourage solar development many years ago. The solar economics are changing rapidly with the Chinese entry in a big way.

If "some villagers may run a light or two, a TV and a fridge on solar, using individual solar panels", that represents a huge improvement in their lives from the current situation, providing a huge impetus for human and economic development in Pakistan.

Suhail said...

Riaz:

There are thermodynamic (scientific) principles explaining that solar energy conversion to electricity has much lower efficiency compared to chemical, nuclear or mechanical energy conversion to electricity. It is not a matter of marketing strategy, social and economic issues only. Technological development is an important factor changing our lifestyles, but it follows scientific principles and not in violation.

You cannot, therefore, extend the logic of cell phones and computer chip development to solar electricity; it will be very inaccurate.

Riaz Haq said...

Suhail: "There are thermodynamic (scientific) principles explaining that solar energy conversion to electricity has much lower efficiency compared to chemical, nuclear or mechanical energy conversion to electricity....."

Let me refer you to a recent piece in Scientific American on this subject:

The sun strikes every square meter of our planet with more than 1,360 watts of power. Half of that energy is absorbed by the atmosphere or reflected back into space. 700 watts of power, on average, reaches Earth’s surface. Summed across the half of the Earth that the sun is shining on, that is 89 petawatts of power. By comparison, all of human civilization uses around 15 terrawatts of power, or one six-thousandth as much. In 14 and a half seconds, the sun provides as much energy to Earth as humanity uses in a day.

The numbers are staggering and surprising. In 88 minutes, the sun provides 470 exajoules of energy, as much energy as humanity consumes in a year. In 112 hours – less than five days – it provides 36 zettajoules of energy – as much energy as is contained in all proven reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas on this planet.

If humanity could capture one tenth of one percent of the solar energy striking the earth – one part in one thousand - we would have access to six times as much energy as we consume in all forms today, with almost no greenhouse gas emissions. At the current rate of energy consumption increase – about 1 percent per year – we will not be using that much energy for another 180 years.
-----------
The cost of solar, in the average location in the U.S., will cross the current average retail electricity price of 12 cents per kilowatt hour in around 2020, or 9 years from now. In fact, given that retail electricity prices are currently rising by a few percent per year, prices will probably cross earlier, around 2018 for the country as a whole, and as early as 2015 for the sunniest parts of America.

10 years later, in 2030, solar electricity is likely to cost half what coal electricity does today. Solar capacity is being built out at an exponential pace already. When the prices become so much more favorable than those of alternate energy sources, that pace will only accelerate.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=smaller-cheaper-faster-does-moores-2011-03-15

Anonymous said...

India is ramping up indeginous production in solar cells in a big way look up moser baer among tehrs.
does pakistan have a similar plan or like cellphones is it an 'import from dear friend china' strategy again

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "India is ramping up indeginous production in solar cells in a big way look up moser baer among tehrs."

Good for India. As of now, all solar panels in India are imported.

Here's a NY Times excerpt:

Developers of solar farms in India, however, have shown a preference for the more advanced, so-called thin-film solar cells offered by suppliers in the United States, Taiwan and Europe. The leading American provider to India is First Solar, based in Tempe, Ariz.

India does not have a large solar manufacturing industry, but is trying to develop one and China is showing a new interest in India’s growing demand. China’s Suntech Power sold the panels used at the Azure installation, which opened in June.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/business/energy-environment/in-solar-power-india-begins-living-up-to-its-own-ambitions.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=todayspaper


Anon: "does pakistan have a similar plan or like cellphones is it an 'import from dear friend china' strategy again"

India, too, imports bulk of its cell phones from your "enemy China", running huge trade deficits.

http://www.riazhaq.com/2010/05/soaring-chinese-imports-worry-india.html

Anonymous said...

India, too, imports bulk of its cell phones from your "enemy China",

nope it manufactures most of them at home/(it is a net exporter of mobile phones):

http://www.livemint.com/2007/08/30162127/Mobile-phone-output-in-India-t.html

Shams said...

While no one is running over the other in pursuit of solar, a country as poor as Pakistan has already invested $10 billion in equipment for CNG use in transportation vehicles- all of which money is from investors and zero from the government. I do not know if the American public has invested as much in solar panels on rooftops which is all subsidy funded.

I agree that 10 years from now solar will be cheaper and good for Pakistan. For now Sindh's Younus Dargha is right in pursuing 25000 MW from coal power and I will happily cozily wait for that day while my electrical heater runs on fossil fuels.

Suhail said...

Technological development is not taking place in solar alone; it is being done in power generation from fossil fuels also. Previously the energy efficiency using engines or boiler/turbines was around 25% only. Now it has gone up to over 45% and the trend will continue. The high temperature flue gases from engines are still more feasible to convert to usable energy than low temperature heat from sun. However, if fossil fuels become costly because of depleting reserves, or (more likely) their use is restricted through legislation for environmental reasons, then solar power will certainly take over.

As Shams mentioned, we were discussing solar electricity as a business model but couldn't come up with a feasible one. I'll soon be starting another discussion with Shams for using solar energy for hot water generation which provides usable higher temperature heat with a 4-5 times higher energy efficiency than solar power generation. The hot water to be used in absorption type refrigeration systems for air-conditioning. In winters the same system (minus the chiller) is used for space heating. This seems more feasible in Pakistan compared to solar power generation. For the US similarly, where sunny conditions prevail and both cooling and heating required over the year (as in California), this will probably be a better use of solar energy compared to solar power generation. Shams can comment on this.

The point to note is that use of solar energy does not only mean power generation. There are other alternatives more in line with thermodynamic principles.

Riaz Haq said...

Shams and Suhail,

Even with the infrastructure, Pakistan is already suffering a serious CNG crisis.

Regardless of conversion efficiency, fossil fuels like coal, oil or gas are not as abundant as the sun, particularly in places like sunny India and Pakistan.

And villagers do not need much of an infrastructure to use solar.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "nope it manufactures most of them at home/(it is a net exporter of mobile phones):"

Livemint you referred to is an old 2007 Gartner forecast, not actuals.

The reality is that India imports most of its phones from China. Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, which makes phones in China, led the field in growth at 99.1% in India in 2011.

http://www.penn-olson.com/2011/07/05/india-mobile-market-growth/

Riaz Haq said...

UNICEF opens 35 news schools in flood-affected areas in Pakistan, according to Channel 6 news:

The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday announced that its Children's Fund (UNICEF) opened 35 newly constructed schools in the Pakistani province of Punjab, which was severely damaged by the 2010 floods.

With donor funding in the southern area of Punjab province, the new schools were handed over to the Punjab Education Department and opened with 4,500 pupils attending classes. The 35 schools are located in the districts of Muzaffargah, Rajanpur and Rahimyar Khan.

Most of the Government school buildings were either damaged or completely destroyed in the 2010 floods, prompting UNICEF to initiate a schools reconstruction program in the worst affected districts of southern Punjab and other parts of the country.

Temporary learning centers were also established to ensure that children did not miss their academic year, but prefabricated school structures with all amenities have already replaced the temporary learning centers, UNICEF said in an update.

"The Child Friendly Schooling approach is interactive and makes learning fun for children," said Karen Allen, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Pakistan.

"It has elements of health and hygiene through provision of safe drinking water and improved sanitation, early childhood and development for preparing young children for school, playground and equipment for healthy physical activities, psychosocial support for rehabilitation of trauma-affected children, involvement of parents and community, and many other unique features that makes education attractive," she added.

The Embassy of the Netherlands in Pakistan contributed $1.2 million for the construction of 24 schools, while the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) donated an additional $250,000, which was used to build seven schools. Funding for the construction of four schools was provided by Italy, Hungary and Sweden.


http://channel6newsonline.com/2012/01/pakistan-unicef-opens-35-new-schools-in-flood-stricken-province-of-punjab/

Riaz Haq said...

AEDB to launch one wind power project every month, according to Power Engg:

As part of an ambitious strategy of the government to bridge gap between demand and supply of electricity, the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) would launch one wind power project every month. "The 2012 will be remembered as the year of wind power in Pakistan as we are planning to inaugurate one project every month in the current year," an AEDB official told.

Last week, Federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jian jointly performed the groundbreaking of 50 megawatt wind power project, which would be set up in Jhimpir area of Sindh. The official said that Pakistan has vast potential to generate electricity through alternative energy sources, which is reflective from the fact that alone the Thatta district has the capacity of producing 15,000 MW wind power.

Sources in the board said the project is being executed in collaboration with a Chinese company : Three Gorges : which has been mandated to set up total 20 wind-farms of 50 MW each during next five years.

This is the company's first project in Pakistan, while in total, it is third wind power project initiated in the country, the sources added.

They said that AEDB has set a target to generate 1500 MW wind power by 2013, which seems achievable because of the serious and accelerated efforts of the government.

The government has introduced an 'effective and attractive' renewable energy policy, which is bringing foreign investment in the power sector, the sources said, adding "It is an achievement that renewable and wind energy sectors are attracting the highest amount of private investment as compared to any other sector of the economy."

Special attention is being paid on other resources to produce electricity like hydro, hydel and wind, which are cheapest modes of generating power.

Besides, the focus is being given on the Thar coal reserves to use in power production, they added.

The Thar coal reserves worth $ 25 trillion have potential to generate 5,000 MW electricity for at least 800 years to meet growing energy demand of the country.

While, the power generated from coal gasification is the cheapest than other sources like furnace oil, natural gas and hydel. According to a report, a single reserve in Thar has about 850
trillion cubic feet coal (TCF).


http://www.power-eng.com/news/2012/01/1576631431/aedb-to-launch-one-wind-power-project-every-month.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a Power Engg website report on renewable energy potential in Pakistan:

Pakistan's geography is most conducive to exploitation of solar energy as it is 6th most fortunate country in the world in terms of solar irradiance and where sunshine availability is 8-10 hours per day over much of the plans of Sindh, Balochistan and Southern Punjab.

Solar energy intensity in sunbelt of Pakistan is approximately 1,800-2,200 Kwh per square meter per day which is most favourable for exploitation of solar energy. Potential capacity for installation of solar photovoltaic power by some estimates is 1,600 GW, which is 40 times greater than present consumption. Based on range of currently possible conversion efficiencies in area of one sq km has potential to produce 40-55MW power and can generate revenue conservatively estimated at Rs 1 billion per month at current average tariffs of Rs 10 per Kw-hr.

Since solar power is available only during times of sunshine, it can at most meet up to 30% of daily consumption without need for energy storage such as in underground salt deposits. Wasteland and desert of Thar, lower Sindh & Balochistan are prime contenders to establish large solar farms with capacities of generating more than 250 gigawatts electric power to meet energy shortfall over coming decades, says expert Samir Hoodbhoy who participated in technology breakthroughs in robotics systems, semi-conductors and first mobile cellular system developed. He directed creation of Central Design Bureau of Pakistan Steel Mills in 1988-92.

Hydrokinetic and solar thermal are two most promising alternate renewable energy solutions that can be used to reduce Pakistan's rising $10 billion annual fuel imports and energy deficits and at same time preserve environment by not adding to hazards of increased carbon gases emissions caused by use of furnace oil and natural gas. Deserts of Tharparkar & Balochistan have potential for producing several hundreds of GWatts power.
--------------
Alternate Energy Development Board AEDB says Nokundi in Chagai district is one of world's most ideal wind corridors where wind speed is almost constantly 12.5% higher than average required for energy generation. Other parts of wind corridor includes a 300-kilometre-long area with wide open spaces from Dalbandin to Taftan, a town on border of Iran, Gharo to Keti Bandar in Thatta district of Sindh province which is 60 km long and 170 km deep corridor and estimated to have a power generation potential of 50,000MW. Similar is case of Lasbela district of Balochistan province, where wind energy at sustainable speed, good for power generation is available with little variation in seasons (five meters per second in winter and eight meters per second in summer).

Hoodbhoy says in Balochistan potential for wind generation is attractive, current unsettled political, socioeconomic conditions are disincentives for construction of large wind turbines and solar farms with capacities of 1MW. Under settled conditions, this region could easily become attractive carbon gas free energy producing center.

Mini wind farming projects (1-50 kWatts) along with small solar farms scattered over remote inaccessible areas presents attractive proposition that will help mitigate localized needs of electricity for lighting, communications, pumping water with tube wells for irrigation, domestic consumption. Larger wind power and solar power farms with individual production capacity of 0.5-500 MW developed along wind corridors and desert hinterland of Balochistan, respectively, have capacity to radically alter socioeconomic plight of Pakistan by resuscitating agricultural and industrial sectors.


http://www.power-eng.com/news/2012/02/22/wind-power-and-solar-energy-in-pakistan.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an Energy Matters report on solar lights for flood affected villagers in Pakistan:

A cheap Australian-designed solar light is changing lives in developing nations, including 80,000 refugees in Pakistan still struggling to rebuild after the country suffered devastating floods a year ago.

As we've reported before, the adverse effects caused by the estimated one billion people living off the grid in poor countries who use kerosene lamps for lighting often outweigh their benefits.

Kerosene can account for a third of a family’s monthly income and toxic fumes from the lamps, which are often included in aid packages, can cause a number of illnesses. Soot and carbon dioxide created when burning kerosene also adds to the world's carbon emission woes.

Recognising the problem, Melbourne inventor Shane Thatcher founded illumination Solar in 2010, and the Mandarin Ultra solar light was born.

The Mandarin Ultra can provide up to four times more light than a kerosene lamp from 12 super-bright LEDs, illuminating a room for up to eight hours on a full charge, which is sourced by exposing the Ultra’s back solar panel to sunlight for six hours or more.

At a cost of less than $10 per unit, the Mandarin Ultra is touted to be the cheapest, quality solar light in the world. It costs a fraction of competing designs because it was designed with the income level of the target customer and the generation of UN accredited carbon credits in mind.

"What makes the lights affordable is the generation of carbon credits as the lights are sold and used. We worked with our alliance partner, CarbonSoft (a Standard Bank joint venture) on the complex accreditation program," says Liz Aitken, illumination’s CFO.

The governments of Britain, the USA, Japan and the EU have all bought the new lights and supplied them to refugees via the International Organisation for Migration.

"We created this light for the billion people who live off the grid and survive on less than a dollar a day. Buying fuel for a kerosene lamp can take a third of their income, the kerosene fumes are polluting, and the lanterns often start fires," Thatcher says.


http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3098

Riaz Haq said...

China's solar push has cut solar energy prices down to 17 cents per KWhr vs 12 cents per KWhr for wind, reports Bloomberg:

For years, solar took a back seat to wind as China’s preferred form of renewable energy. Solar was less efficient and cost about four times as much per kilowatt hour of production. As raw materials costs for panels have fallen, that gap has narrowed, says Ming Yang, vice president for business development at Shanghai panel maker JA Solar (JASO). Today, producing a kilowatt hour of solar power costs about 17¢, he says, vs. 12¢ for wind, and prices are falling fast.

That’s gotten the attention of Chinese officials. “There’s been a big change in the mindset of policy makers,” says Yang, whose company is on track to sell “north of 20 percent” of its production in China this year, more than double last year’s share. Like most in the industry, JA has benefited from an initiative dubbed Golden Sun that offers state support to developers of solar installations. Although introduced in 2009, Golden Sun started to take hold last year, when the government approved more than 600 Mw of projects. NPD Solarbuzz says there will be about 1,000 Mw of new Golden Sun projects in 2012.

Like Europe, China has started requiring “feed-in tariffs”—guaranteed prices utilities must pay solar power producers for their electricity. Though the rate fell to 16¢ per kilowatt hour this year from 18¢ in 2011, with production costs falling the lower amount is plenty, says NPD Solarbuzz analyst Ray Lian. “If this rate is maintained, we expect to see another surge in installations,” he says.

A larger Chinese market should be good news for renewable energy worldwide, with growing demand from China helping shore up prices at a time Europe is reassessing its solar energy policies. On Feb. 23, German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said his country would cut its assistance by as much as 29 percent. Although U.S. producers such as First Solar (FSLR) have made little headway in China, the country’s growth “will open up a much-needed source of demand,” says James Evans, a senior analyst with researcher Bloomberg Industries in London. A bigger Chinese market “will continue to allow the cost of solar technology to come down,” Evans says, “even without the European subsidized markets.”


http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-15/firing-up-chinas-solar-market

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an excerpt of an AFP report on solar adoption in Pakistan:

Arif Allaudin, who heads the Alternate Energy Development Board, would like to see more of that help coming from renewable sources, saying there was a 2.4 million megawatt potential for solar energy alone in Pakistan.

Niaz Ahmed Kathia, director of private company Alternate Energy Systems, said abundant and free sunshine was the answer to Pakistan's energy woes.

"Energy is our biggest issue, more than terrorism, and if we replace our one million tubewell pumps with solar ones, we can save 7,000 megawatts," Kathia told AFP at the demonstration of a solar well in the capital.

The majority of Pakistan's tubewell pumps, which pump out underground water, run on the strained national grid or on diesel power.

There is no pretence that solar power is the only answer, but this month the prime minister ordered the government to provide solar electricity in remote villages far from the national grid.

The government described renewable energy as the "investor's choice" and said the private sector has offered to produce 1,500 megawatts a day.

In the mountains of Kashmir there is no gas pipeline and in the cold winter months electricity bills are prohibitively expensive.

In Azam's hometown of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, solar panels light up a public park and mosques.

Solar street lights are also being installed slowly in cities such as Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.

Pakistan's first on-grid solar power station, capable of producing 178.9 kilowatts, began test operations in Islamabad this month with a grant of $5.4 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

"It is a seed for thousands more solar power plants," Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, a former chairperson of the Pakistan Engineering Council told AFP.

This winter Pakistan suffered a two billion cubic feet a day shortage of natural gas -- usually the mainstay of millions delivered to homes and industry via pipelines -- sparking protests and forcing factories to lay off labourers.

The trouble is remedial plans are only at an embryonic stage.

"We plan to promote the use of solar geysers as the gas shortage is becoming acute," petroleum and natural resources minister Asim Hussain said.

"The gas companies would install solar water heaters at consumer premises and deduct the amount in installments in the gas bills," he added.

Power generated during sunlight hours can be stored in deep cycle lead acid batteries to power lights, radios, televisions and fans at night.

Norwegian company Telenor says it has set up 50 solar-powered cell sites, mostly in remote areas, capable of reducing 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per site by saving over 940 litres of diesel a month.

Traders say demand has certainly risen. A 170-litre (37-gallon) capacity solar geyser starts from 27,000 rupees ($300) and a 218-litre version for 32,000 rupees as a one-time cost.

"Solar geysers can reduce gas bills considerably. The technology is not only environment friendly but also pocket friendly," said vendor Shakil Ahmed.


Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Energy+starved+Pakistan+eyes+solar+power/6365467/story.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an excerpt of an AFP report on solar adoption in Pakistan:

Arif Allaudin, who heads the Alternate Energy Development Board, would like to see more of that help coming from renewable sources, saying there was a 2.4 million megawatt potential for solar energy alone in Pakistan.

Niaz Ahmed Kathia, director of private company Alternate Energy Systems, said abundant and free sunshine was the answer to Pakistan's energy woes.

"Energy is our biggest issue, more than terrorism, and if we replace our one million tubewell pumps with solar ones, we can save 7,000 megawatts," Kathia told AFP at the demonstration of a solar well in the capital.

The majority of Pakistan's tubewell pumps, which pump out underground water, run on the strained national grid or on diesel power.

There is no pretence that solar power is the only answer, but this month the prime minister ordered the government to provide solar electricity in remote villages far from the national grid.

The government described renewable energy as the "investor's choice" and said the private sector has offered to produce 1,500 megawatts a day.

In the mountains of Kashmir there is no gas pipeline and in the cold winter months electricity bills are prohibitively expensive.

In Azam's hometown of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, solar panels light up a public park and mosques.

Solar street lights are also being installed slowly in cities such as Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.

Pakistan's first on-grid solar power station, capable of producing 178.9 kilowatts, began test operations in Islamabad this month with a grant of $5.4 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

"It is a seed for thousands more solar power plants," Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, a former chairperson of the Pakistan Engineering Council told AFP.

This winter Pakistan suffered a two billion cubic feet a day shortage of natural gas -- usually the mainstay of millions delivered to homes and industry via pipelines -- sparking protests and forcing factories to lay off labourers.

The trouble is remedial plans are only at an embryonic stage.

"We plan to promote the use of solar geysers as the gas shortage is becoming acute," petroleum and natural resources minister Asim Hussain said.

"The gas companies would install solar water heaters at consumer premises and deduct the amount in installments in the gas bills," he added.

Power generated during sunlight hours can be stored in deep cycle lead acid batteries to power lights, radios, televisions and fans at night.

Norwegian company Telenor says it has set up 50 solar-powered cell sites, mostly in remote areas, capable of reducing 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per site by saving over 940 litres of diesel a month.

Traders say demand has certainly risen. A 170-litre (37-gallon) capacity solar geyser starts from 27,000 rupees ($300) and a 218-litre version for 32,000 rupees as a one-time cost.

"Solar geysers can reduce gas bills considerably. The technology is not only environment friendly but also pocket friendly," said vendor Shakil Ahmed.


Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Energy+starved+Pakistan+eyes+solar+power/6365467/story.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a pvtech.org story on solar powered wells in Pakistan:

Syncronys International has announced it has received an order valued at US$4.5 million to install 400 solar powered well pumps in Pakistan.

Although financing and insurance is still pending, the company envisions around 9,000 additional solar well installations throughout the region over the next three years.

Rex Gay, Syncronys CEO, said. "We are very gratified to be able to utilize our technology to provide reliable, durable, and simple to use solar pump systems to supply water for rural Pakistan communities.”

Syncronys offers a comprehensive product and technology strategy to provide a wide range of green energy applications, Micro Utility, Micro Grid and Smart Grid initiatives on any domestic and international level.


http://www.pv-tech.org/news/syncronys_to_receive_us4.5_million_order_from_pakistan_for_400_solar_powere

Akber said...

sir, can u please highlight the fututre prospect of solar refrigeration in Pakistan??what are the plans and their implementations??

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a BR report on 50MW Chinese coal plants in Pakistan:

Established in 1990, Ghazi Fabrics International manufactures and exports yarns, including the Panther brand, to the Far East and European markets. Set up as the first composite unit of its kind and scale in the country, the Company's manufacturing units currently have an installed capacity of over 50,000 spindles ranking it among large spinning/weaving companies in the country.

The Company also operates a sister concern, Ghazi Power, which maintains a 20 megawatt captive power plant. Not sufficing with innovations within the textile sector, the Company is also venturing into cattle breeding and other initiatives. Director, Ghazi Fabrics, Kamran Arshad shared with BR Research, the mindset behind the progressive Company. The following are excerpts from this encounter:

BRR: What are the major milestones for the Company?

Kamran Arshad: In 1990, after acquiring land for setting up the facilities, we became the first company at that time to establish three textile mills in a single location simultaneously. Starting off with such a large base also brought along some teething concerns, as we did not have room to be able to learn from our mistakes before expanding. Partly as a result of this, we did not grow at the same rate as some of the other significant players. On the other hand, we are among very few companies that have never defaulted. We have always maintained good standing with all lenders and financial institutions and we are a very strong contributor to the national exchequer in the form of taxes.
----------
BRR: Has the Company considered coal based power generation?

KA: As a matter of fact, we are considering that and what we have found is that coal based power generation is feasible, if there is sufficient steam utilisation. If that happens, the tariff is similar to that offered by SNGPL. In China, there has been a recent shift in government policy regarding coal based power plants. Earlier that government had been promoting the establishment of such power plants, but now after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the Chinese government has ordered that all coal based power plants with a generation capacity of fewer than 50 megawatts, should be shutdown within two years.

As a consequence, these power plants are selling at half the price of a new plant. We believe there is an opportunity for Pakistan here and I am personally quite sure that some entrepreneurs will venture into bringing a power plant here from China. The composition of the coal produced in this country, be it from Thar or from Chakwal; is quite comparable to the Chinese variety so these power plants will require a few if any modifications.


http://www.brecorder.com/brief-recordings/0/1220006/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's Express Tribune of disproportionate impact of energy crisis on small textile mills:

The energy crisis has hit Pakistan’s textile industry badly, but not all textile companies are hurt: the largest players are doing just fine, relying on a combination of the advantages of their economies of scale but also government-sanctioned privileges not available to smaller industrial players.

At least part of the reason why the bigger companies are doing better than the smaller ones appears to be the natural advantages that come with being a larger player, such as having a vertically integrated business model.

Kamal Yousaf, CEO of the Kamal Group of Industries, a textile conglomerate based in Faisalabad, says that part of his group’s advantage over smaller rivals in their ability to harness synergies within the group. The weaving, processing and dyeing, garment manufacturing, and trading arms all work as a unit, helping the group weather price hikes in raw material or other issues.

The Nishat Group, meanwhile, benefits from the fact that it owns the fourth-largest bank in the country – MCB Bank – allowing it to avoid cash flow issues and raise capital for efficiency improvement projects. Nishat Textile, therefore, never has a problem in paying wages to its employees and was able to raise Rs1 billion to invest in a 6.2-megawatt power generation unit that runs on biomass. Electricity produced in this manner is expected to be about 6% more expensive than that provided by the grid, but is far more reliable at a time when Punjab’s industry is especially hampered by severe power outages that last several hours a day.

And many larger textile mills are able to purchase large stocks of raw materials that insulate them from price shocks. More than half the cost of producing a piece of clothing is often still the cost of cotton, even for some of the largest players.

Yet at least part of the advantage appears to be built in by the government. One of the biggest reasons why larger textile mills, particularly in Punjab, have been able to do well is that most have installed captive power plants that – despite operating at one-third the efficiency of the grid’s power station – are getting gas supplies to produce power at a marginally lower cost than what they would get from the grid.

However, these captive plants have been getting gas even at the expense of the rest of the grid, meaning that even while the largest and richest textile exporters save a few pennies on their production costs (power accounts for 3% of all costs for the larger firms), all of Punjab is going through massive power outages because the power plants that supply electricity to ordinary citizens and smaller industries are getting less gas, sometimes even no gas.

Meanwhile, smaller textile players have less reliable power from the grid, a supply that is made more intermittent by the fact that the fuel for the grid’s power goes to their larger textile rivals. At the same time, banks charge the smaller players higher interest rates, since they are viewed as bigger risks for not having their own captive power supply.

“The smaller guys cannot afford to run their factories on diesel generators,” said Muzammil Aslam, managing director at Emerging Economics Research....


http://tribune.com.pk/story/426553/while-small-players-get-squeezed-textiles-big-guns-are-doing-just-fine/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a BR report on 35% increase in power generation machinery imports in Pakistan:

Import of power generation machinery witnessed a surge of some 35 percent during the first quarter of fiscal year 2012-13 (FY13) over the same period of last fiscal year owing to power crisis in the country. Importers said that despite all efforts, the government and power generation companies seemed failed to resolve power crisis. Therefore, continuing power shortage forced the general public, industrialists and exporters to acquire their own power generation machinery.

Presently, they said, industrialists are the major buyers of power generation machinery to produce their own electricity as the energy crisis is directly hurting the production and export of industries, resulting in huge losses and unemployment. Industrialists also want to free their industries of the ongoing energy crisis to avoid losses, they added.

Importers said for last many years the government is claiming to end power crisis, however power shortage issue stays unresolved. According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the import of power generation machinery rose to $254 million in first quarter of FY13 compared to $189 million in the corresponding period of FY12, depicting an increase of 34.50 percent or $65 million in three months.

Month on month basis, the import bill of power generation machinery for September 2012 rose by 33 percent to $80.37 million as compared to $60.52 million in the same period of last fiscal year. Importers said bulk of power generation machines is being imported from China followed by US, Japan, UK, however China is the largest supplier of power generation machinery and contributing over 70 percent share in Pakistan''s generator import.

Chinese generators are available in all specifications and are cheaper than the US, Japan and UK brands, therefore general public prefers Chinese generators. "We are expecting that import of power generation machinery may witness some rise in coming months owing to persistent long power outages across the country," importers said.

Although, the country is facing severer power crisis with hours'' long loadshedding, Punjab is the most affected province, where domestic and commercial consumers are worst hit. Usually, Punjab''s different cities especially Faisalabad is seen in the grip of power riots, they said. The situation in Karachi - the economic hub of the country - is slightly better than Punjab but not satisfactory as people and industry also suffering from loadshedding. Therefore, Punjab is the main market for power generation machinery as compared to Karachi, which generators'' sale is slow. Since 2004-05 the country has been witnessing a massive surge in the demand and import of power generation machinery. It has spent over one billion dollars on the import of power generation machinery during the last fiscal year (2011-12).


http://www.riazhaq.com/2012/05/educational-attainment-in-india.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a Nation report on solar lighting for a Sindh village:

KARACHI - Pakistan still has thousands of villages that are not electrified and routine activities of villagers therein are limited to sunlight. Nevertheless, in a unique project, 115 households of Jhimpir area of Thatta district have been electrified through solar energy. The project has been implemented by the Centre for Environment & Development (CEAD) with the support of the USAID’s Ambassadors Fund Programme. The villages covered by the project are off grid and received electricity for the first time through solar systems. The area has moderate weather and average sunshine availability ranges from six to eight hours. The area is most suitable for the use of 40-watt solar house system that fulfils the requirements of the average household size for about four to five hours during the night time. Each solar unit consists of two energy savers of eight-watt, one for room and one for courtyard, and one portable emergency light to be used during night-time, one mobilephone charger to charge mobile phones that help the beneficiaries to have effective communication.CEAD Chief Executive Prof Qalander Shah said that people residing in far-flung and off-grid areas still used kerosene lamps and other forms of energy, especially during night-time for their security as well as of their livestock and other belongings. However, these communities use kerosene lamps for only a couple of hours because kerosene oil is costly and harmful for health as smoke emitted by it causes asthma and eye-related diseases.Observing that all economic activities were directly dependent on energy, CEAD Director Dr Ali Murtaza Dharejo and said that with provision of 115 household solar systems, life of Jhimpir families would be changed. The solution is long lasting and sustainable as it is based on renewable resources. He said that solar energy was not only cost-effective but also environment-friendly and was without any operation and maintenance cost. He said that the provision of solar systems at the household level would certainly bring far reaching benefits to communities, who earlier had no source of electricity. He added that the use of kerosene oil for lighting brought many health problems and as a result, poor people in rural areas were struck down with many diseases.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/karachi/10-Dec-2012/over-100-jhimpir-households-electrified-through-solar-energy

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a report on Punjab govt's Ujala solar lights scheme:

Punjab Govt Ujala Solar Lamp Kits Scheme For Students Launched by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif as under this scheme around 5,000 students of Pakistan government schools in the whole Province Punjab can get solar energy kits and table lamps so this will help then in studying in the day and night during load shedding in Punjab.

In the first session of this table lamps and Solar kits distribution scheme there are 36 districts of Punjab us under consideration. This scheme is given a name of “Ujaala Scheme” as it will bring light in the students life so they are not disturbed by the load shedding even in the load shedding hours at night they can study and this will help in strengthen our country.

After the first phase in the second phase the same number of Lamps and Solar kits will be distributed among those who are new comers and are most junior. So those students who are in 9th class and obtained 50 to 55 percent marks in the annual board exams will be able to get these lamps and solar kits which also has chargers and bulbs in it. These solar system are so much power full that it can provide up to 18 consecutive hours light if there is a sunny weather not rainy or cloudy.

Students will be able to get these lamps an solar kits in the next month that is December the schedule for the distribution of solar kits are not yet announced by the any officials but officials just declared that it would be in December anywhere. These Solar Energy kits have these silent features

Solar PV 30Wp
Battery 12 V, 30 Ah SLA Gel type Battery
Battery charger
LEDs 3×5 W each of 100 lumens
Charge Controller 10 A with LVD (Low voltage disconnect)
Load Limitter
DC Wires with LED Holders
Mobile Phone Charging facility
System Autonomy 3 days
Reverse Polarity protection provision


http://ilm.com.pk/education-news/news/punjab-govt-ujala-solar-lamp-kits-scheme-for-students-launched/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an ET report on German solar panel manufacturing investment in Pakistan:

FAISALABAD:

German renewable energy company CAE plans to invest more than €100 million (Rs12.9 billion) in setting up the first solar panel manufacturing facility in Pakistan, and the second of its kind in Asia.

In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Shahzada Khurram, the only Pakistani director of the company, shared its plans of becoming a leading supplier of renewable energy equipment in the country. “Pakistan is going through one of the worst energy crises, and it is time to think about renewable energy as a way to make good money in the sector,” said Khurram.

CAE, based in Germany, is owned by four partners, one of whom is Khurram. The other three are Renier Kertess (German), Anton Josef Hotz (Swiss), and Luigi Tassell (Italian). Khurram met them during his time as a student in Germany and Mexico. Khurram himself is from a family that has a background in textile manufacturing.

CAE plans to introduce a type of solar panel that has not been used in Pakistan before and is not manufactured anywhere else in Asia except one place in China. It will build a factory in Faisalabad on land that has been given to it by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad. In exchange, the university gets a 10% share in the company’s Pakistani subsidiary. Manufacturing is expected to start by the end of the year.

Solar energy prices are rapidly becoming more competitive with thermal energy sources. Several global experts believe that 2013 will be the year that solar energy becomes economically viable even without any government subsidies.

The problem with solar panels in Pakistan has hitherto been the fact that the upfront set-up cost is beyond the reach of most customers, even though the costs thereafter are miniscule. To smooth out that the cost curve, CAE has partnered with Faysal Bank and Meezan Bank to offer consumer financing options for people looking to install solar panels in their homes and offices. CAE claims it will offer a 25-year warranty for its products, allowing its customers to get extended time periods on their loans, which will reduce monthly payments.

“We are aiming to make sure that any person who installs the house solar system will have monthly instalments equal to their current monthly electricity bill,” said Khurram. Given the fact that grid electricity in Pakistan is cheap, but unreliable, it is likely that many will find that proposition highly tempting....


http://tribune.com.pk/story/491194/renewable-energy-german-firm-to-set-up-first-solar-panel-plant-in-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an Express Tribune report on 300 MW solar power project in Pakistan:

QUETTA:

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Balochistan government and CK Solar Korea for installing a 300 MW solar power plant near Quetta, Provincial Secretary Energy Fuad Hashim Rabbani said on Saturday.

The project will cost around $900 million and will be completed by 2016, he said, while addressing the media.

Rabbani said the government has procured 1,500 acres of land in Khuchlak and Pishin on lease. “This project will help overcome the shortfall of electricity in Balochistan,” he added.

The project will provide green energy particularly in areas where is no conventional electricity option, the energy secretary said.

“Currently, the local population of targeted areas are using kerosene lanterns, which is hazardous to the health and non-economical due to the intermittent price hike,” he remarked.

He said that electricity to medical facilities such as hospitals, Basic Health Units and installation of solar street lights were amongst major benefits of the project.

“The government is planning to install 20 solar powered water pumps in 10 districts of Balochistan for water supply schemes,” Rabbani said.

Responding to a question, he conceded that farmers were suffering due to long hours of load-shedding and assured that steps would be taken to provide electricity to the farmers.

He said that work on Loralai-DG Khan 220 KV and Dadu-Khuzdar 220 KV power supply lines would be completed next year.


http://tribune.com.pk/story/529000/solar-power-plant-balochistan-govt-inks-deal-with-korean-firm/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a Daily Times report on solar lights in Pak villages:

Creating a new micro-finance system to empower women with a unique blend of production of much-needed renewable energy to electrify over 50,000 power-deprived villages of Pakistan is the best ever innovation so far being implemented successfully by Bukhsh Foundation in various villages of Punjab.

Over 100,000 villagers are the direct beneficiaries of this project under which solar lanterns have been provided to around 50 houses each in 40 selected villages of Punjab where electricity was an imaginary thing for people, even in this modern era of second decade of the 21st century. Hence the project has achieved 10 percent of its target, 90 percent is left to reach the mark of lighting one million lives.

The project titled Lighting a Million Lives (LaML) has been implemented successfully in 10 villages of Sahiwal, besides achievements in Lodhran, Minawali, DG Khan, Dera Ismel Khan and other villages.

The cost of the project in one village is $5,500 (over Rs 50,000).

Besides lightening their house and proving these villagers the facility to continue their household work with an ease at night, mobile charging units have also been installed and sustainable employment opportunities have been created for over-40 needy women of these village. These women are now known as “roshna bibi” or “light lady” in the village. These chargeable lanterns remain active 6-8 hours depending on selection of light strength mode. Light charging system have been installed in the house of light ladies and this charging system is connected to the solar panels installed on the rooftops of their homes.

Each light lady charges Rs 4 to charge the lantern with the solar system every time and out of this amount she deposits Re 1 to a bank’s account for repair works, while the rest of Rs 3 is her earning. She earns around Rs 1,000 a day to support her family. Most needy women – mostly widows – have been selected to make them self reliant under this micro-credit project, launched with the help of various donors. The villagers have been provided lanterns free of cost.

Buksh Foundation, a concern of HKB Group, was established in 2009 with its two offices in Lahore – in Shahdara and Township – to provide soft loans of up to Rs 100,000. Later, Buksh Energy, a sister concern of the foundation, was also established, when CEO Faiza Farhan met with Indian Nobel laureate Dr Pachauri, who is also the director of Teri Technical Energy Resource Institute, at an energy summit in New Delhi.

India’s Teri institute was already working on this project and they had provided electricity to some 260-plus villages in the last few years.

Now, this model is also available in Uganda and Bangladesh.

With some innovations and local wisdom, Ms Faiza brought this project to Pakistan. Now, Teri is the technical partner of Buksh Energy. Out of total 40 villages, Coca-Cola provided funds for lightening of 15 villages in Sahiwal, Jahangir Tareen supported 14 villages in Lodran, USAID supported 15 villages in Bahawalpur and Imran Khan Foundation supported three villages – one each in Mianwali, DG Khan and Dera Ismael Khan. Engro Corp, Silk Banks, Bank Alfalah and UBL are some other donors....


http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013%5C05%5C21%5Cstory_21-5-2013_pg7_16

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a CleanTechnica story on 500MW solar power plant in Cholistan desert in Pakistan:

The chief minister of the Punjab government in Pakistan has just announced plans for the development of a 500 MW solar energy project in the Cholistan region — a project that will apparently be completed with the aid of the Canadian government.

While much remains unknown about the project, a few details are known — the project deal involves the Canadian government, the project will be completed in two phases, it’s not clear exactly how the Canadians will be involved, and the first phase will see 200 MW of capacity go online before the second phase is finished. The chief minister also announced plans for a 1 GW electricity generation scheme at the same press conference


http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/12/500-mw-solar-energy-project-developed-cholistan-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

Here's another microhydro success story in rural Pakistan:

BAHRAIN, Pakistan, March 14 (UPI Next) -- Installation of a micro-hydropower station on a stream in Serai has brought electricity to the people of the remote village in the highlands of the Upper Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan for the first time.

Residents of Serai, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Malakand Division, about 60 miles north of the Swat district capital of Mingora, say the introduction of electricity has provided them with benefits most people take for granted, such as allowing them to walk at night without fear of tumbling off steep paths to their death.

Similar power plants are in the works for the area, a move that could pave the way to solving Pakistan's increasing energy shortage.

Micro-hydropower stations require less water than do conventional hydropower stations, so a single family can install one producing 5 to 10 kilowatts for personal use.

The power station was built by the European Union and the Sarhad Rural Support Program, a development organization working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

"A total of 240 micro-hydropower plants are to be installed with a production capacity of 21.7 megawatts in the parts of Malakand Division that have no access to electricity from the country's national grid," Zahid Khan, a Sarhad program project manager overseeing the installation of the plants, told UPI Next.

Most micro-hydropower plants in Pakistan can produce 5 to 100 kilowatts. The next size up, mini-hydropower plants, produce between 100 kilowatts and 1 megawatt. Small hydropower plants produce between 1 megawatt and 10 megawatts, while large plants can produce much more.

Energy experts in Malakand Division are urging government and non-government organizations to use micro-hydropower projects to tackle the country's increasing energy crisis.

Serai's 80-kilowatt power plant is among the first to be successfully installed, providing electricity to more than 700 households.

"It is something of a miracle. This is the first development project installed here. We are the most neglected and ignored people in Swat," Serai elder Abdul Qadoos told UPI Next.

"People say electricity is the source of every social development."

Another elder, Zareen Gujar, also praised the introduction of electricity.

"Our women, who used to perform household chores by torchlight, will now be able to work longer under brighter light from electric bulbs," he told UPI Next.

"Our women are now learning to use electric irons to iron our clothes too.

"We in Serai have never seen any development activity since this country came into being, as we had no roads, no middle school or high school, not even a dispensary. We have been living a life of deprivation."

Serai is in rough terrain and climbing up to houses can be difficult.

"At last, we are not blind during the darkest nights. Many of our people have died after falling at night," Gul Zada, a local community leader, told UPI Next.

"We have streetlights installed now to walk freely in at night."

Zada said no official or non-government organization had shown villagers the power potential from the water around the village.

The power plant was completed in nine months at a cost of $105,000, of which about $9,000 was raised locally....




Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2014/03/14/Micro-hydropower-station-lights-up-remote-Pakistani-village/81393210835701/

Riaz Haq said...

ISLAMABAD (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Amid a worsening energy crisis, Pakistan has approved the use of grid-connected solar energy, rooftop solar installations and mortgage financing for home solar panels to boost uptake of clean energy in the country.

The government has also reversed course and eliminated a 32.5 percent tax imposed on imported solar equipment in the country's 2014-2015 budget. The reversal aims to bring down the cost of installing solar panels.

The approval of net-metering – which allows solar panel purchasers to sell power they produce to the national grid - is a major breakthrough that could spur use of solar energy and help Pakistan's government cut power shortages in the long run, said Asjad Imtiaz Ali, chief executive officer of the Alternative Energy Development Board, a public organization.

"The initiative will help scale up demand for solar energy across Pakistan,” he said, “and we hope the increased demand will also result in sufficient decreases in the price of solar equipment.”

Ali said the government decided to cut newly imposed taxes on the import of solar panels following pressure from business owners, the public and media.

And the decision to allow solar generators to sell their excess generating capacity means “consumers can now install rooftop solar systems and sell the extra energy to the national grid,” he said.

Currently, Pakistan's rural areas face blackouts of over 11 hours a day while urban areas suffer up to eight hours of daily power cuts. The total power shortfall stands around 6,000 megawatts.

Safeer Hussain, a registrar at the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, said consumers who intend to sell solar-generated electric power to a distribution company would need to register with his authority.

“Net-metering is a sophisticated system and the applicant would be responsible for the installation of the equipment used for interconnection,” he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/06/us-pakistan-solar-idUSKBN0KF0TY20150106

Riaz Haq said...

The 1.25 MW installation in the Punjab province connects to the grid and becomes the largest single utility-scale installation in the country.

Chinese solar firm Phono Solar – a subsidiary of the SUMEC Group – has connected Pakistan’s first large-scale PV plant to the grid.

The 1.25 MW installation was completed this week in the hot and humid Punjab province under the “Go Global” policy backed by the Chinese central government.

Spread across 16,000 square meters, the plant is expected to maximize the high levels of solar insolation in the region to produce an estimated 1,745,000 kWh of solar power annually, and will meet the power demands of 110 local villages.

Phono Solar won the bid for the installation nine months ago, and over the course of the installation formed a team with local partner Green Volts Technologies, which brought a cost-effective approach to the operation as well as much-needed local knowledge.

The plant will take advantage of Pakistan’s recently introduced Upfront Generation Tariff, which was created to support the country’s fledgling solar PV sector. China’s “Go Global” policy intends to encourage greater investment in the solar sector via working with local engineers and technicians and training them on manufacturing and engineering procedures.

"The successful grid connection of the first MW-level PV power plant in Pakistan has brought full recognition of overseas markets for engineering and general contracting capabilities of SUMEC; especially in renewable energy fields," said SUMEC president CaiJibo. "Most of the equipment used in this project is made in China, and I am proud that our equipment has successfully supported the ‘Go Global’ policy and obtained affirmation of new overseas markets."

Last month the Pakistan government approved the country’s first net metering program as it attempted to ease the power burden on the power grid, while in December Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Opens external link in current windowscrapped the 5% customs duty on imported solar panels in an attempt to bolster foreign investment in the country.



Read more: http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/phono-solar-completes-pakistans-first-mw-scale-pv-plant_100018206/

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan's northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province plans to supply solar power to 5,800 off-grid households in 200 villages, promoting clean energy amid conventional electricity shortages.

The provincial government has earmarked 400 million rupees ($3.94 million) for the nine-month solar project, which will equip up to 29 households in each village.

The scheme is part of the Green Growth Initiative launched a year ago in Peshawar by former international cricket star Imran Khan, who is chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which governs the province.

The initiative aims to boost economic development in a way that uses natural resources sustainably, by increasing uptake of clean energy and forest cover, for example.

The provincial government plans to hook up at least 10 percent of the 40 percent of the province that is off-grid in the next three years with solar power and small-scale hydroelectric plants, said Atif Khan, provincial minister for education, energy and power.

It is already setting up micro-hydro plants - which harness running water and do not require dams - in the mountainous north of the province, while off-grid households in the south will be provided with solar energy.

The government will pay 90 percent of the cost of the solar equipment, with the rest shouldered by households.

Families will receive a 200-watt solar panel, two batteries and other accessories to run a ceiling fan, a pedestal fan, three LED lights, and two mobile phone charging slots.

NO MORE 'BEGGING'

In total, the project will generate 1.2 megawatts (MW), in the first stage of a wider plan to provide all off-grid households in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with solar energy.

Across the province, total demand for electricity in grid-connected areas is 2,500 MW, but they receive only 1,600 MW from the national grid run from Islamabad, the country's political center.

“We will exploit renewable energy resources and produce our own electricity, after which we will not need to beg from the center,” said Imran Khan.

---

“The government should start building small dams in the province as this would not only help generate enough electricity but also provide water for irrigation and drinking,” he (ANP's Senator Zahid Khan) said.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/us-pakistan-energy-solar-idUSKBN0LM0OR20150218

Riaz Haq said...

Module manufacturer Aleo Solar enters the Pakistani solar market in cooperation with energy provider GreenIndusTree. Electricity supply in Pakistan is very unreliable and for this reason many households use diesel generators during the daily power failures that last several hours. To solve the problem of energy shortage, Aleo Solar now delivers PV-modules for 18 solar plants with an overall performance of 100 kW.

With solar power, households are able to produce power sustainably as well as reducing fuel costs, while depending less on them. "Power cuts are a daily occurrence in Pakistan, even in major cities – and both industry and private homes are suffering as a result. The country has a population of around 200 million and is one of the up-and-coming emerging markets in Asia, but the demand for energy cannot be met.”, reports Dr. Kaiser Chaudhary, Managing Director at GreenIndusTree. Comparing peak demand and maximum installed capacity, the country suffers from a rather large energy deficit of up to approximately 6 to 7 GW.

Security of supply through storage batteries

"We want to provide homes and companies with solar storage systems as a quick and independent power supply", continues Dr. Chaudhary. The solar energy systems – which also contain 278 modules by Aleo Solar – were chosen as they are said to run efficiently, even under the extreme climatical conditions in Pakistan with outdoor temperatures of up to 45 °C. Starting in April, GreenIndusTree will install the 18 solar power systems in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan. To help the homes achieve independence from power cuts and the availability of diesel, GreenIndusTree furthermore uses solar storage systems with a capacity of 5 to 10 kWh.

"The current solar projects are just the beginning", explains Günter Schulze, Managing Director at Aleo Solar. "The energy consumption in Pakistan is increasing continuously and is predicted to reach 35 GW by 2018. The many of hours of sunshine and the favorable irradiation angle make Pakistan perfect for using solar power."

Promotion of solar power with feed-in tariffs

A feed-in tariff for private homes will be announced over the next few weeks. Since the beginning of 2014, NEPRA, the electricity regulatory authority in Pakistan, has promoted the solar power input from PV plants with a capacity between 1 and 100 MW. The feed-in tariff depends on the location of the plant, due to differences in solar radiation. In the north of the country, every kW/h fed in will be reimbursed with around 22 Pakistani Rupees (PKR) for 10 years, which corresponds to around 15 €-ct. After this time, system operators will receive PKR 9 or 6 €-ct. for 15 years. In the south, the feed-in tariff will be PKR 21 or 14.6 €-ct./kWh, followed by PKR 8.7 or 6 €-ct./kWh.

http://www.sunwindenergy.com/pv-helps-fight-power-cuts-pakistan

Riaz Haq said...

Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park: World's largest solar park in #Bahawalpur, #Pakistan #solar #renewables http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2pdnn9

Pakistan and China are on their way to building the world’s largest solar farm, with the completion of a 100 Megawatt, 400,000-panel pilot power project, the first solar power plant ever built in Pakistan. Spread out over almost 500 acres of flat land in the Punjabi desert and known as the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park (QUASP), the $130 million project took just three months for Chinese company, Xinjian Sunoasis to build. And it is just the first part of a larger project, the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to Chinadialogue, when the project is complete in 2017, the same site could see a total of 5.2 million photovoltaic cells producing up to 1,000 Megawatts of electricity – or enough to power about 320,000 homes. Critics say the project will create new environmental problems while it solves others.

Read more: China and Pakistan are building the world's largest solar farm in the Punjabi desert | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Built in an area that used to be simply wilderness, and gets 13 hours of sunlight every day, it’s an ideal location for solar power. According to QUASP CEO, Najam Ahmed Shah, it will make energy in Pakistan much cleaner by displacing about 57,500 tonnes of coal burnt each year and reducing carbon emissions by 90,750 tonnes yearly. It will also help Pakistan meets its goal of reducing hydrocarbon usage to 60 percent by 2025, down from the current number of 87 percent.

Related: New artificial leaf technology could revolutionize renewable energy production

But the project is not without its detractors. Some experts say the project is being built too far from where the energy will be consumed, and require the costly installation of grid infrastructure and subsequent maintenance. And others point out that renewable energy sources still have their own environmental impacts, such as water usage for solar power production. Solar panels need to be kept clean, which requires water to wash them. According to Chinadialogue, the water needed to clean the expected 5.2 million solar panels for the project would be massive – especially for a country like Pakistan that already faces water shortages.

And since the project is being built in a wilderness area, the construction and increased human activity will undoubtedly affect biodiversity and fauna and flora in the area.



Read more: China and Pakistan are building the world's largest solar farm in the Punjabi desert | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

http://inhabitat.com/china-and-pakistan-building-the-worlds-largest-solar-farm-in-the-punjabi-desert/

Riaz Haq said...

In #Pakistan, #solar water heaters help a town move away from wood http://reut.rs/1MoGS9m via @ReutersIndia

NATHIAGALI, Pakistan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - For the past year, a steady stream of villagers has been visiting Muhammad Naeem’s home in this quaint mountain town in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

They come for one reason: to see for themselves the benefits of his solar water heater.

"A solar geyser does not cause respiratory diseases, it reduces the burden of firewood collection, and it gets rid of kerosene expenses,” the roadside shop owner, 35, tells curious visitors. “My wife no longer burns fuelwood to heat water for cooking, bathing, and washing dishes or laundry.”

At least one of Naeem’s visitors walks away convinced.

"I don’t think anyone could resist owning a solar water geyser himself,” fruit farmer Ali Akbar told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It offers so many economic, health and environmental benefits.”

First introduced to Nathiagali six years ago, as part of an initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature - Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), roof-top solar water heaters are gaining popularity among the area’s villagers as a cheap, easy, and green alternative to wood and kerosene.

The heating systems comprise of a set of water-filled solar tubes, called collectors, connected to an insulated water tank above them.

The tubes absorb sunlight to heat the water inside them. As it heats, the water rises into the storage tank. At the same time, cooler water from the tank flows into the collectors to be heated, keeping hot water circulating through the system.

The units require no electricity to run, making them an affordable, convenient option for communities not on the power grid, experts say. Because they produce no smoke or fumes, solar heaters cut down on the respiratory illnesses associated with burning wood and kerosene.

And, crucially, the heating systems help conserve the trees in Nathiagali and three other towns surrounding Ayubia National Park, an area that is home to 4,000 families, most of whom rely on the local forests of oak, cedar and ​​coniferous pine for fuel.

SAVING TREES

The solar water heating technology first arrived to the towns around the park in 2009, as part of a $48,000 WWF-Pakistan Climate-Resilient Watershed Management Programme funded by the Coca Cola Foundation.

The aim of the project was to curtail deforestation in the area, where over 1,100 mature trees are cut down each year, local forest officials say.

According to Itzaz Mehfooz, a former sub-divisional forest officer, tree cutting has led to problems including soil erosion, landslides, and flash floods, particularly when torrential rains hit.

Riaz Haq said...

#Solar-powered schools built -- cheap -- in remote #Pakistan. #renewables http://upi.com/6105924t via @upi

UMERKOT, Pakistan, Sept. 22 (News Lens Pakistan) -- Building roads, electrical grids and even schools can be so costly in Pakistan's Thar Desert, a remote area of scattered settlements, that they often just don't get done.

But the one thing this arid region does have is plenty of sunny days.

With that in mind, a collection of non-governmental organizations has joined the government to introduce solar power into the schools – only about 4 percent of which have electricity.

So far, 14 green schools have been built, and eight more are planned. There is enough solar energy to run the fans and computers.

Moreover, the students have been provided with rechargeable lights that can be charged during school and then can illuminate homes after sunset in the deep desert – ensuring they have light to do their homework.

"Due to sandy tracks and far-flung areas, not having grid-connected electricity and resources, it was difficult to provide a better environment to children in these schools," Ali Akbar Rahimoo, executive director of the Association for Water, Applied Education and Renewable Energy, told News Lens Pakistan.

"Solar-powered water pumps have also been installed on dug wells to haul water from the depth of 300 feet, which have provided water for sanitation, hygiene and growing trees," he said. "This model has proved a ray of hope for marginalized people that their children can get a quality education and pave the way for a better future."

These green schools are also much cheaper, costing $1,000 to build compared to $7,000 for conventional buildings. The costs, so far, have been paid by local and international aid agencies.

"This is an environment-friendly and sustainable model to educate children in remote areas in Thar, as well as other arid and semi-arid areas of Sindh, Balochistan and other provinces of Pakistan," Manoj Kumar, a project officer with AWARE, told News Lens Pakistan, adding that this is the first time many of these students have been inside a classroom.

"Before, the government schools had no buildings, no classrooms and no toilets, especially for girls," he continued. "Summers and winter were hard on them."

Sallah Dars of Tar Dos village praised the new schools for giving students their first glimpse of a computer and access to clean water.

"It is like a miracle for poor parents," Dars told News Lens Pakistan.

Riaz Haq said...

#Solar-powered emergency mobile network developed in #Pakistan - E & T Magazine http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2015/sep/rescue-base-station.cfm#.VgNrN8zNmR4.twitter …

A solar-powered portable mobile phone network that can be used if standard communication channels are down due to natural disasters has been developed by Pakistani researchers.
Called the Rescue Base Station (RBS) for Pakistan, the system, developed by a team from the Information Technology University (ITU) in Lahore in cooperation with the University of California, is the first of its kind supporting standard mobile phones.

"When the RBS is installed in a disaster-hit area, people automatically start receiving its signals on their mobile phones,” said Umar Saif, ITU vice chancellor and an adviser to the project. “They can manually choose it and then call, send messages and even browse (Internet) data free of charge."

The network is powered by a compact antenna fitted into a lightweight box equipped with a signal amplifier, battery and a solar panel. The whole system could be either carried by rescue workers or even dropped from a helicopter to re-establish communication channels in disaster-stricken areas.

According to Saif, people within three kilometres from the station would be able to receive the signal. All they would need to do is to register into the network by sending their name, occupation, age and blood group to a dedicated phone number.

"This helps generate an automatic database of people in distress, and eventually helps both the rescue and relief teams and the victims," said Saif.

The network has not yet been tested in a real-life scenario but the ITU hopes to run first experiments within the next six to eight months.

The network could save lives in disaster situations by enabling survivors to connect with rescue workers and the government authorities.

Users would be able to get the information they need in just a few seconds by sending a text message to specific numbers appearing on their mobile phone.

“For example, if a person needs to contact a fire brigade, they text the words ‘occupation: firefighters’ to the relevant number,” said Saif. “They will then receive names and contact details for local firefighters in just a few seconds and can call for help.”

Funded through the Google Faculty Research Award, the RBS network is based on open source software and cost about $6,000 to develop.

The researchers envision the technology would be procured by mobile phone network operators to bridge outages in their coverage in disaster situations before their normal services could be restored.

Riaz Haq said...

#USAID, #Pakistan banks partner for $88 million small-scale #renewable energy projects financing https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/153912-USAID-banks-partner-for-88mln-energy-sectors-financing …

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday partnered with five banks to lend an estimated $88 million for the development of clean energy sector in Pakistan.

The US Consul General Karachi Grace Shelton presided over the signing of a partnership agreement between the USAID and Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, Faysal Bank Limited, Meezan Bank Limited and JS Bank Limited.

Under the 15-year partnership, the U.S. government agency agreed to settle half of the total bad loans. Approximately, $88 million in financing will be available to support the development of the clean energy sector.

Partner banks will be able to provide debt financing to small-scale clean energy projects undertaken by developers, companies or households. The loan is for purchasing energy equipment.

"The U.S. Government is excited to partner with some of Pakistan's leading private commercial banks and support the banks' efforts in promoting clean energy," said William Hammink, USAID Assistant to the Administrator for Afghanistan-Pakistan Affairs. "Under the program, small scale clean energy projects will be able to access long-term, Pakistani rupee financing.”

Hammink said the facility is expected to significantly improve access to financing for the smaller scale projects and encourage private investment in clean energy.

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Working with other US agencies, as well as donors and international development partners, USAID has focused its program over the last year on five areas essential to Pakistan’s stability and long-term development and reflective of Pakistani priorities: energy, economic growth, stabilisation, education and health.

Over the last year, USAID has streamlined the number of projects from approximately 150 to less than 70 and has also chosen to implement over half of all funding through local organisations in Pakistan – both government and non-government.

Riaz Haq said...

20,000 #Schools In Pakistan To Go #Solar. #renewables https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/14/20000-schools-pakistan-go-solar/ … via @CleanTechnica

The government of Punjab province in Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to install rooftop solar power systems on about 20,000 schools.

According to media reports, the chief minister of Punjab province, Shahbaz Sharif, recently reviewed the progress of the Khadam-e-Punjab Ujala Programme. The government-backed scheme aims to set up rooftop solar power systems at schools, health centers, and higher education centers such as Bahawalpur University.

The Punjab government has support from Asian Development Bank and the AFD Bank of France for this program. Solar power, and renewable energy as a whole, has found substantial backing from the Pakistani establishment over the last few years. The country continues to grapple with demand-supply mismatch in its power sector with consumers suffering from long hours of load shedding.

Pakistan’s dependency on imported electricity has increased as it imports 100 megawatts of electricity from Iran and plans to increase this volume to 3,000 megawatts.

Over the last few months several international project developers have announced plans to set up large-scale solar power projects following the successful implementation of the initial phases of the 1,000-megawatt Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park, also in the Punjab province.

The South Asian country is expected to continue to see such interest from international project developers as the solar power tariffs in the country are at a massive premium to the bids being discovered globally through competitive auctions.

In late 2015, Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) announced a 25% reduction in solar feed-in tariffs. Even at these reduced tariffs the developers of these projects are expected to get around 11.0/kWh. In neighboring India, however, tariffs discovered through competitive auction have fallen to 6.5¢/kWh, and more recently to 4.9¢/kWh.

Riaz Haq said...

Kentucky #Coal Mining Museum in Harlan County switches to #solar power to save money. #Trump #renewables
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/06/the-coal-mining-museum-in-harlan-county-ky-switches-to-solar-power/?utm_term=.7f227bf3ba69


Housed in a former commissary building and tucked into the hollers of Harlan County — the heart of Kentucky mining country — is a museum dedicated to all aspects of extracting coal from the state’s mountains.

Mining equipment decorates its walls, while a two-ton block of coal at the front door greets visitors. Children can climb on the museum’s 1940s model electric locomotive that once carried Kentucky men into the mines. An exhibit dedicated to Loretta Lynn (who wrote and who is the “Coal Miner’s Daughter”) sits on the third floor. Guests can even wander through an actual underground coal mine.

Not much about the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum screams modern. Its website — nay, websites — boasts early 1990s Web design, and its advertisement on YouTube appears to have been shot on a handheld camcorder. It sits next to City Hall on Main Street, the only thoroughfare of Benham, Ky. That’s to be expected from a museum dedicated to an old form of energy, which is what makes its own power methods so interesting.

The museum is switching to solar power in hopes of saving money on energy costs, as reported by WYMT and EKB-TV. The installation of solar panels began this week.

“We believe that this project will help save at least $8,000 to $10,000 off the energy costs on this building alone, so it’s a very worthy effort and it’s going to save the college money in the long run,” Brandon Robinson, communications director of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, which owns the museum, told WYMT.

Robinson wasn’t blind to the incongruity of a coal museum being powered by solar energy, asserting that there’s a symbiosis between the two.

“It is a little ironic,” said Robinson, “But you know, coal and solar and all the different energy sources work hand-in-hand. And, of course, coal is still king around here.”

As Tre’ Sexton, owner of Bluegrass Solar, told EKB-TV, the runoff power collected by the panels will be fed back into Benham’s power grid. The entire town of almost 500 that bills itself as “The Little Town That International Harvester, Coal Miners and Their Families Built!” will be partially run on solar power.

“I know the irony is pretty prevalent,” Sexton told EKB-TV. “But all the same, it is making a big difference, I think, for not only the museum, which will probably eliminate a lot of their overhead, but the city in general.”

“We’re happy to be able to hopefully provide some power to the city of Benham that we’re not using here,” Robinson told EKBTV. “So it’s a great project; it’s a great effort.”

It’s difficult not to see a foreshadowing in the switch to solar power.

About 85 percent of Harlan County voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The disparity between Hillary Clinton’s and Trump’s campaign promises concerning energy almost assuredly played a factor in that vote.

While Clinton, speaking about renewable energy, infamously said, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,” Trump promised “sweeping deregulation” of the coal industry.

Trump’s plan struck a chord with some miners.

Former Harlan County coal miner Mark Gray, 58, recalled to the New York Times the moment a meeting was called at work: “They said we can’t go on with these regulations, we can’t go on with the way the government’s doing.”

Gray hoped Trump’s plan might help.

After all, coal mining was once a major American industry. In 1923, nearly 1 million of America’s 110 million citizens worked as coal miners. Now, the industry employs approximately 77,000 people, fewer employees than the Arby’s restaurant chain.

Riaz Haq said...

Rural Pakistanis Take to Solar After Power Cuts Deepen in Karachi
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Small-scale solar in Pakistan attracted $540 million in 2017, having received less than $100 million in each of the previous two years, according to a report published last month by the United Nations and and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Solar and wind energy contributed 3 percent to Pakistan’s electricity generation, or about 300 megawatts as of March, according to Arif Habib Ltd.

“Pakistan is one of the biggest frontier markets that has not been tapped,” Jeremy Higgs, co-founder at EcoEnergy, said during a trip to southern Pakistan.

-----------



https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-04-26/rural-pakistanis-take-to-solar-as-power-cuts-deepen-in-karachi

Solar companies have made inroads into Pakistan’s countryside
Blackouts are still common despite a rise in power generation
In a small tea shop along a dusty, unpaved road in the marketplace of Sujawal, a town about 93 miles east of Karachi in Pakistan, Imam Dino has hit upon a profitable idea. He attracts customers with a 24-inch television playing Bollywood movies through the day and by providing mobile phone charging sockets in a town that otherwise suffers long outages.

Power for the TV and charging points comes from a solar-panel system that he rents for 2,500 rupees ($22) a month. It’s been a sound investment. Dino makes as much as 3,000 rupees extra a month because of the attractions. Previously, he spent more to run a gasoline generator.

Rural Pakistanis like Dino are increasingly turning to renewable energy to circumvent the country’s notoriously unreliable power supply. Deficient generation and distribution shave an estimated 2 percentage points off Pakistan’s economic growth annually and faults in the national grid are exposed every summer as demand increases. That’s despite a rise in generation by 35 percent to 31,000 megawatts since 2013.

---
As customers like Dino are discovering, off-grid solar may be the answer. With global panel prices plummeting in the past five years, units powering fans and lights are being sold or rented in the nation’s poorest regions for 1,000 rupees to 3,000 rupees a month, according to distributors EcoEnergy and Nizam Energy. About 10,000 solar systems have been installed since 2013 ranging in size from 50 watts to 200 watts, enough to power six light bulbs and two fans.

One of EcoEnergy’s customers, Mohammad Ishaque, who farms sunflower and rice fields, pays 1,000 rupees a month for a 50-watt solar system. He previously used oil lamps and battery-powered torches.

“When we went for farming in the morning, it used to be completely dark, when we came back it used to be dark,” Ishaque, 69, said while smoking a cigarette and sheltering from the midday sun in the small village of Gul Muhammad Rao. “It’s daytime at night now.”

Meanwhile, at Nizam Energy’s office in Karachi, Chief Executive Officer Usman Ahmed boasts they aren’t crippled by the city’s shortages. Their headquarters is powered partially by solar panels on the roof, which he says is 30 percent cheaper than electricity from the grid. The off-grid market may double annually over the next three years, he said.

Back in Sujawal, Dino is happy with his returns.

“We are making more money, so it’s been great,” he said, as he mixed tea over burning coals for a packed room. Across the road, a competing tea shop with no electricity was empty.






Rural Pakistanis Take to Solar After Power Cuts Deepen in Karachi
---------

Small-scale solar in Pakistan attracted $540 million in 2017, having received less than $100 million in each of the previous two years, according to a report published last month by the United Nations and and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Solar and wind energy contributed 3 percent to Pakistan’s electricity generation, or about 300 megawatts as of March, according to Arif Habib Ltd.

“Pakistan is one of the biggest frontier markets that has not been tapped,” Jeremy Higgs, co-founder at EcoEnergy, said during a trip to southern Pakistan.

Riaz Haq said...

Complete Guide to setup Off Grid Solar System in Pakistan for Home Usage

https://dnd.com.pk/complete-guide-to-setup-off-grid-solar-system-in-pakistan-for-home-usage/143170

Solar Guide Pakistan: We have been searching online for information regarding Solar setup in Pakistan but we often end up with a lot of questions about how to calculate the load and how many solar panels are required. Single Solar Panel in Pakistan costs around 12,000 – 14,000 which gives a rated output of 250 watts at peak time. However, the prices of solar inverters vary from 11,000 – 120,000 depending on the brand and capacity.

This Article will Cover the following Topics:

Solar Panel Price in Pakistan
Solar Inverter Price in Pakistan
How to install a solar panel
How to connect Solar Panel to Charge Regulator
How to calculate your house load and decide how many solar Panels are Required
Complete setup of Solar Panel System for home


Simply plug it into the socket and save: Small photovoltaic systems for less than 60000 PKR should tap into the sun, without having to deal with craftsmen, authorities and energy suppliers. We tried it.

Since solar modules are cheap, the computational production costs for solar electricity are well below the average electricity price paid by private households in Germany. Even without feed-in tariff, therefore, one’s own solar power generation can count, namely by the self-consumption of self-generated solar power. Ultimately, you save costs by buying less electricity from the energy supplier. A mini-system should not only be much cheaper than a “real” solar system on the roof but also save time and annoyance: about assembly, registration with network operators and Federal Network Agency for feed-in compensation and for the replacement of the electricity meter.

For less than 4000 you get “regenerated” electricity meter with Ferraris technology, so the classic wheel.
Companies such as Go Green Solutions, Infinitum Energy, Minijoule and Sun Invention offer kits that essentially consist of the actual photovoltaic (PV) module and a suitable inverter. Depending on the offer, there are also fastening materials and connecting cables. The assembly of the parts, the assembly at the intended location and the electrical connection should take over the buyer or hire a craftsman with it. But here is already the first rabbit in the pepper: Already comparatively small additional costs jeopardize the economy, so the sense of investment. After all, saving only starts when the PV system has generated its acquisition, installation and possibly repair costs. That lasts even in the best case several years. In addition, acquaintance with the amateur connection to the power grid can cause serious technical problems and risks being taken to account for violation of norms and laws. However, a photovoltaic system can hardly be hidden: after all, solar cells must stand in the blazing sun if they are ever to pay for themselves.

Riaz Haq said...

A #solar-powered night #school for #Pakistan’s working children in slum. The school relies on solar energy to power its lights, fans, and IT equipment. https://qz.com/1341157 via @qzindia

Nearly 23 million children are out of school in Pakistan. Rohayl Varind wanted to bring them back.

So, in December 2016, the 23-year old social activist and educationist set up two branches of Slum School in Faisalabad, around 323 kilometres south of capital Islamabad, offering night classes to children.

The school does not accept cash donations. Instead, it seeks food, stationary, and laptops.

One other thing on Varind’s donations list, interestingly, is solar power-related equipment. Since its inception, the school has relied on solar energy to power its lights, fans, and IT equipment. “Where my Slum School is located, there is no electricity so I considered solar energy the best alternative,” Varind said. “It’s free and easy to install and use.”

A typical school evening runs from 7pm to 9pm, with Varind teaching the kids English, Urdu, math, and science. Each week, he splits his time equally between the two branches of the school, which have a total of over 100 students. Sometimes, volunteers—his friends and other activists in Pakistan—come in to teach computers, Taekwondo, graphic design, and other subjects.

Many of the children Varind teaches are child labourers. “They start working as house helps or maids. Many boys start working at paan (betel leaf) shops or tea stalls, cafés or restaurants as waiters or cleaners,” said Varind. “One thing is common in majority of child labourers is that they work the whole day and get free at night.”

Riaz Haq said...

This is how solar energy is transforming Pakistan

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/tea-haircuts-and-fish-bones-letting-the-light-into-pakistan

https://youtu.be/8IIJRuLAbOE

"There is massive opportunity for business," said Saad Ahmad, 26, chief executive of solar energy supplier Nizam Bijli, which has powered 1,300 homes since it started in 2016 and hopes to reach 1 million people by 2020.

"There is room for many companies to make a difference in the lives of these communities."
Nizam Bijli installs pay-as-you-go solar systems in homes and businesses, where customers pay 2,000 Pakistani rupees ($18) a month over 16 months for three bulbs, one fan and two USB slots to charge their mobile phones.

Ahmad believes this is affordable as families spend a similar amount on kerosene and charging mobile phones in nearby towns. The average income in Pakistan is about $1,450, according to World Bank data.

Ahmad is certain the only way out of Pakistan's energy crisis is to bypass the grid and leapfrog straight into low-carbon sources like wind and solar.

"The whopping costs associated with grid extension (and) low electricity consumption by rural communities dispersed over large swathes presents a barrier to investment," he said.

Pakistan already has one major solar park in the eastern province of Punjab, built with Chinese investment. Meanwhile, the parliament in Islamabad switched to solar energy in 2016 and sells excess energy it produces back to the grid.

Riaz Haq said...

Community-built #hydropower projects lighting up remote areas in #Pakistan, generating 5 to 100 kilowatts of power. Most micro-hydropower projects have a shelf life of up to 20 years but it's extendable. #renewable #energy #electricity https://scroll.in/article/888241/in-pakistans-mountains-community-built-hydropower-projects-are-lighting-up-remote-areas via @scroll_in


Two winters ago was the best winter Zulekha Begum can remember in her 42 years in Swat valley, 150 kilometres northeast of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. “It was the most comfortable winter; our rooms were nice and warm and we had hot water anytime of the day.”


For the first time last winter, her village of Jukhtai, in the idyllic alpine valley, received an uninterrupted supply of electricity thanks to the 65 KW of the micro-hydropower project that the Sarhad Rural Support Programme, an independent development organisation, helped install in their village of 2,300 people.

The Sarhad Rural Support Programme has been working in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since 1989 with the aim of reducing poverty and ensuring sustainable means of livelihood. And since 2004, it has built more than 250 micro-hydro units supplying off-grid communities with cheap, environmentally-friendly and uninterrupted power supply. With financial support from the European Union to produce over 19 MW of electricity, it has benefitted over 570,000 people.

Six years ago, in 2012, the EU (in collaboration with the Pakistan government) started a four-year programme to “revitalise” rural economy and promote renewable energy for sustainable livelihoods in Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This was later extended to 2018.

Pumping in 40 million Euros into areas affected by conflict and natural disasters, the project planned to cover 100 union councils of seven districts (Swat, Shangla, Buner, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Chitral and Malakand) to benefit 2.7 million people affected by conflict and floods.

This fitted closely with the work of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which was also planning on initiating over 350 units to produce 35 MW of electricity benefiting over 700,000 people by 2017.

In Pakistan, micro-hydropower projects have been led and popularised by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and the Sarhad Rural Support Programme, both of whom have been recipients of the Ashden international award for their work in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Pakistan’s Kashmir region.

“The way we work with the community is that the latter provides us with land, labour, time even local material like stone, and earth which comes to 20% of the cost while 80% is borne by the SRSP [Sarhad Rural Support Programme],” said Dildar Ahmad, Sarhad’s district programme manager. The micro-hydropower project at Jukhtai (in Swat), cost Pakistani rupee 8,152,154 ($64,275) and provides connections to 315 households and some shops.


According to the Sarhad Rural Support Programme, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government gave them 105 micro-hydropower projects to be completed by December 2018, of which they have completed 90, and the rest are 78% complete. All the EU funded projects were completed by March 2018. Overall, the Sarhad Rural Support Programme says that, since 2009, it “has constructed 332 micro hydro projects, as of July 2017, benefiting approximately 900,000 population in rural areas of Malakand Division and Northern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” (Oddly, the graphic accompanying this claim suggests only 331 projects have been completed.)

Riaz Haq said...

Imports of solar panels have risen from as little as $1 million in 2004 to a peak of $772 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017. While they have since dropped down to $409 million in fiscal 2019, the country’s imports of solar panels appear to be a strong upward trajectory, growing at an average rate of 15.9% per year in US dollar terms (22.6% per year in Pakistani rupee terms) in the five years between 2014 and 2019.


https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/05/04/solar-is-the-future-so-might-as-well-hurry/

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The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) was established as an autonomous body with the aim of promoting and facilitating the exploitation of renewable energy projects in Pakistan. It has been designated as a ‘one-window’ facilitator at the federal level for processing solar projects of all sizes.

The Government of Pakistan’s first steps towards firm support of renewable energy in its energy mix came in 2006 when it made the Policy for Development of Renewable Energy Generation (the 2006 RE Policy). The AEDB has been planning to develop cost-effective alternative and renewable energy-based power generation projects through private investors under the Renewable Energy Policy 2006 on the IPP model (independent power producer).

The Government of Pakistan’s role in all of this has been offering incentives to investors for solar power development in the country. Investors have been presented with rewarding financial incentives that are of key interest for them to come to this market. Provincial governments, particularly the Government of Punjab, have taken the lead on facilitating development of solar power in Pakistan.

The goal that the federal government has set for the AEDB is to ensure 5% of total national power generation capacity to be generated through renewable energy technologies by the year 2030. That may seem like very little and very slow progress, but even that is coming along at a snail’s pace. In addition, under the remote village electrification program, AEDB has been directed to electrify 7,874 remote villages in Sindh and Balochistan provinces through ARE technologies (Alternative and Renewable Energies Technologies). However, there are certain hurdles unique to the industry that make this a difficult task and even 5% solar coverage a big undertaking.

“The future of Pakistan is in renewable energy and the solar industry is top most in this kind of energy. However, the problem in Pakistan is that the rental power station does not let the solar scene grow,” Saeed Hussain explains to us.

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan’s largest #motorcycle maker goes solar with 2.5 MW solar at Sheikupura plant. A large number of manufacturing and assembling units in the country were opting for #renewable energy (captive) generation to secure uninterrupted supply and cut costs. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/728485-pakistan-s-largest-bike-maker-goes-solar

A large number of manufacturing and assembling units in the country were opting for renewable energy (captive) generation to secure uninterrupted supply and cut costs. Alpha Beta Core CEO Khurram Schehzad said many companies had installed captive power plants to secure uninterrupted power supply and ensure efficiencies. “Earlier, the captive generation was gas-based, but now the gas is a scarce and expensive commodity, so companies are opting for renewable captive generation.”

Several other companies and manufacturing concerns including P&G, Service Industries Limited, Kohinoor Textile Mills, Fauji Cement Company Eni, and DP World have installed solar power generation to meet their energy requirements. In addition to this, several others have entered into bulk power procurement agreements with alternate energy producers, while a large number of sugar millers have already setup biogas plants.

Khurram said gas shortage, lower costs and commitment to a clean environment were compelling companies to switch to alternate energy resources. “Captive renewable energy offers short-term as well as long-term efficiencies while being environment-friendly. Corporate sector should play a leading role in this transition.” Pakistan enjoys a geo-strategic advantage for producing abundant amounts of solar energy.

Hence, solar technology could save millions of dollars for the country’s economic growth, while also offering various ecological benefits.

Riaz Haq said...

JinkoSolar signs 100MW module supply deal in ‘key market’ Pakistan

https://www.pv-tech.org/jinkosolar-signs-100mw-module-supply-deal-in-key-market-pakistan/

JinkoSolar has secured an agreement that will see its Tiger and Tiger Pro 530 / 535W modules be marketed and distributed in Pakistan throughout 2021.

The company has signed a 100MW module supply deal and formed a long-term development partnership with Pakistani solar firm AE Power.

Farhan Qurban, country manager of Pakistan at JinkoSolar, said the country “has had an impressive boom” in recent years and is currently “one of the key markets” for the company in Asia.

“The 100MW distribution agreement for 2021 between AE Power and JinkoSolar in the Pakistan market represents the first important step of the long-term partnership between the two companies,” he added.

To date, JinkoSolar has supplied up to 30MW of its Tiger Pro modules to Pakistan. The company is set to double production of the Tiger Pro series this year, thanks to the upcoming completion of the first 10GW phase of a new solar cell manufacturing base in Yunnan Province, China.

AE Power CEO Rana Abbas said: “The 100MW distribution contract for 2021 opens up ideal cooperation opportunities for construction companies and rooftop solar power developers in Pakistan in using clean energy at average prices.”

Pakistan aims to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.

--------------------

AE Power Focuses on the manufacturing of top quality photovoltaic modules and specializes in PV Technology innovation, application, and system development. The company is a KEY COMPONENT SUPPLIER and PROJECT DEVELOPER. AE Power’s global sales and marketing network Successfully provides end-users with accessible clean energy, whilst promoting its core brand values of STABILITY, DURABILITY, and RELIABILITY. We provide international and local warranty in Pakistan.

https://aepower.pk/about-us/

Riaz Haq said...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decision of allowing commercial banks to extend cheaper loans for conversion of tube-well operations to solar power for availing the net metering facility, the power distribution companies have started receiving an overwhelming response from such consumers across the country.



https://www.dawn.com/news/1679520



Under the provisions, the tube-well connections seeking net metering on a load up to 25kW will not require permission from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) for the grant of generation licence, Dawn has learnt.

The facility will not only convert most such connections on solar but also enable consumers to produce and use the electricity on their own besides selling the additional/surplus to the respective Discos. It will also control the technical and commercial losses (power losses either due to theft or technical reasons).

“The tube-well connections can be converted to net-metering but the response was not good due to considerable investment (around Rs2 to 3 million on each connection), lack of loaning facility and awareness. Now the SBP has announced a loaning facility on a six per cent markup for launching such small schemes,” explained Lahore Electric Supply Company’s Market Implementation and Regulatory Affairs Director-General Altaf Qadir while talking to Dawn.

Moreover, the increasing power tariff due to fuel price adjustment and other issues have forced consumers having tube-well connections to contact us in this regard,” he added.

The net metering project had been launched in 2016 countrywide. It allows any domestic, commercial, industrial and other consumers having at least a three-phase meter connection to be part of the power generation system by installing it on his/her premises (house, shop, factory, open spaces, etc). Under the arrangements, such a consumer may sell the additional energy to the respective power distribution company and make stocktaking (calculations) with it at the end of the month.

Since the system allows the consumers to generate electricity from one kilowatt to one megawatt, Nepra issues licences to the applicants residing in the service area jurisdiction of all distribution companies. Before issuance of the licence, the respective companies are supposed to receive, scrutinise and process such applications.

According to Mr Qadir, there are hundreds of thousands of tube-well connections in the service areas of all nine Discos including Lesco, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco), Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), Gujaranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco), Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Tribal Area Electric Supply Company (Tesco), Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco), Sukkar Electric Power Company (Sepco) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco).

It may be mentioned that most of such connections exist in a vast rural area of Mepco. The number here ranges between 60,000 to 70,000. Similarly, Lesco has 25,000 to 30,000 connections and most exist in the areas of its Kasur and Okara circles. Qesco, Gepco, Pesco, Hesco, Sepco and other companies also have a large number of such connections.

Answering a question Mr Qadir said Lesco has so far processed as many 6,000 net metering related applications out of which most (equaling to 100MW or so) have been issued generation licence by Nepra.

Riaz Haq said...

IMF program in Pakistan undermines renewable energy roll-out - Bretton Woods Project

https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2022/04/imf-programme-in-pakistan-undermines-renewable-energy-roll-out/

The unprecedented rise in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Pakistan’s off-grid and weak grid regions in recent years has been a windfall for vulnerable communities. Buoyed by the GOP’s decision to waive taxes on solar products in 2014, the growth reflects solar’s suitability for powering tube wells, water pumps and purification systems for drinking water and irrigation in remote and water-stressed areas. The primary beneficiaries of this boom have been poor farming communities – especially women – who have historically struggled with access to electricity and water. Solar technology, however, is still a largely import-based market, and growth is likely to be slowed with users unable to meet higher prices.

Riaz Haq said...

The Sindh government has decided to solarise 200,000 housing units in rural and urban areas across the province with the support of the World Bank, it emerged on Thursday.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1737553/minister-announces-provision-of-solar-energy-to-200000-housing-units

The decision was taken at a meeting between Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh and a delegation of the World Bank headed by its director Najy Benhassine at the energy department.

Mr Shaikh told Dawn that the panels would be installed in all districts of the province under the Sindh Solar Project.

“Over 200,000 houses/units will be solarised in both rural and urban areas of all districts as part of the provincial government’s major initiative to end the energy crisis,” he said.

The minister said that it was also decided that a subsidy of $160 per house/unit in rural areas and $110 in urban areas would be given.

“Initially. solar panels are being installed in 10 districts and the process will be extended to all other districts of Sindh,” he said.

The minister said the World Band delegation expressed its satisfaction over the pace of ongoing projects in the province’s energy sector.

He said the importance of generating green environment-friendly energy was increasing rapidly in view of climate-change impacts.

There were many opportunities for blue economy in this sector, he said. “The speed of wind in the sea is many times better than on land, so wind turbines can be installed on the sea and beaches to generate cheaper electricity,” he said.

Imtiaz Shaikh said that an economic zone could be established in coastal area, which would be an important milestone in the development of the coastal area. “The energy department will cooperate in developing offshore wind projects near coastal areas,” he said, and added that floating solar energy units would be created for economic development of the country.

He said that the energy department wanted to work with the Pakistan Institute of Oceanography to develop floating solar projects in coastal areas.

“Floating solar systems and offshore wind projects can expand blue economy opportunities through affordable energy,” he added.

The minister said that land for water-based green energy projects was several times cheaper and unlike most land-based solar plants there, floating arrays could be stationary.

To a question, he said that the provincial government had also decided to restructure the proposed Sindh Petroleum Company which would work for gas exploration.

He said that the SPC would give licences for gas and petrol exploration in the province, adding that a draft of recommendations regarding activation of the SPC and its rules and regulations had been prepared.

He said that the SPC along with the search for new gas reserves would also monitor the distribution of existing gas reserves.

Imtiaz Shaikh demanded a new natural resources agreement between the federation and the provinces and said that the new gas distribution agreement would help curb the sense of deprivation found in the provinces.

Riaz Haq said...

LONGi receives CSR award from Pakistan’s National Forum for Environment and Health

https://www.pv-tech.org/industry-updates/longi-receives-csr-award-from-pakistans-national-forum-for-environment-and-health/

LONGi has announced that it has received a CSR award from the Pakistani National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) and the CSR Club for its outstanding contribution to the country’s environmental status.

Established in June 1999, the NFEH is affiliated with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and its activities are supported by the Pakistani government’s Ministry for Climate Change.

Ali Majid, LONGi General Manager for Pakistan, received the award on behalf of the company, commenting: “We are delighted to receive this award from the NFEH and CSR Club. As a global leader in solar technology, we believe it is our responsibility to create a sustainable future for generations to come. We are committed to developing innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy consumption and we will continue to work towards a greener future.”

Riaz Haq said...

Unilever Pakistan announces its partnership with K-Solar


https://www.nation.com.pk/18-May-2023/unilever-pakistan-announces-its-partnership-with-k-solar


LAHORE-Unilever Pakistan has announced its partnership with K-Solar, a subsidiary of KE, to transition its operations to solar energy in Rahim Yar Khan and Karachi. This initiative represents a significant step towards achieving Unilever’s ambitious sustainability goals, including net zero emissions in its operations by 2039. Simultaneously, the firm will shed close to PKR 84 million a year in energy costs, facilitating the local economy by considerably reducing the strain on the national grid collectively generating approx. 2.3 million Kwh through renewable sources.

Unilever Pakistan’s Solar Captive Power Plant Phase 2 installation demonstrates their dedication to renewable energy solutions, leading to significant savings and CO2 reductions. At Futehally Chemicals Limited (FCL), the factory that manufactures Surf Excel for Unilever, the 362 kW system will save 496,035 kWh annually, reducing costs by approximately 18 million PKR and CO2 emissions by 233 metric tons. The 1000 kW installation at Rahim Yar Khan Factory will save 1,430,886 kWh, saving approximately 53 million PKR and a CO2 reduction of 662 metric tons per year. The 250 kW system at Rahim Yar Khan Estate will save 357,721 kWh, resulting in cost savings of 13 million PKR and a CO2 reduction of 165 metric tons annually. Unilever Pakistan’s investment in these projects reinforces their commitment to sustainability.

While Unilever’s own factories, offices, research labs, data centers, warehouses, and distribution centers account for only 2% of its total greenhouse gas footprint, the company acknowledges the significance of these emissions and is committed to eliminating them entirely. Abdul Hannan Ahmed Khan, Head of Supply Chain at Unilever Pakistan, expressed his enthusiasm for this collaboration, stating, “Unilever Pakistan is deeply committed to sustainable practices and minimizing our impact on the environment. This solar project is a testament to our dedication to combat climate change and create a brighter, cleaner future. By investing in renewable energy, we are not only reducing our carbon emissions but also driving positive change in the communities we operate in.”

Hashim Raza, CEO of K-Solar, emphasized the significance of joint efforts in realizing a sustainable energy future. He stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Unilever Pakistan on this journey. By combining Unilever’s leadership in sustainability and K-Solar’s expertise in renewable energy solutions, we are confident that we can make a substantial impact in reducing carbon emissions and promoting the use of clean energy sources.”


Riaz Haq said...

Solar grids bring relief to Sindh
19-kilowatt mini-grids powered by solar energy installed in Ishaq Jokoi


https://tribune.com.pk/story/2411592/solar-grids-bring-relief-to-sindh


Indus Earth Trust (IET), an organisation promoting green energy, has provided a life-changing solution for residents of Ishaq Jokio, a small settlement in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

The 19-kilowatt mini-grids powered by solar energy have transformed the lives of people, who have been accustomed to enduring long hours of power cuts during peak consumption in summer.

“Villages were selected according to a needs assessment survey, while the villagers provided the land where the 19-kilowatt mini-grids were installed. In this hamlet caressed by the sea breeze from the Arabian Sea, panels bred prosperity,” reported the China Economic Net.

According to the State of Industry reports from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), homes consume 50% of the total electricity delivered, and this demand is largely driven by cooling and lighting. The demand is estimated to increase from 106 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2020 to 234 TWh in 2030, representing a 121% increase due to the rise in temperatures from climate change.

Pakistan’s energy problems have been exacerbated manifold by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the global supply crisis. Pakistan’s fuel import bill surged to $23 billion in FY2021-22, a 105% increase from the previous financial year. The country’s per capita annual electricity consumption of 644 kilowatt-hour (kWh) is among the lowest in the world, which is only 18% of the world average, 7% of the developed countries’ average.

However, Pakistan’s efforts to embrace photovoltaics at all levels have started to pay off. Pakistan imported about $1.2 billion in photovoltaic modules in the last fiscal year, and in 2022, China’s photovoltaic module exports to Pakistan reached approximately $870 million, with a total installed capacity of 3.2GW, a year-on-year increase of 54% and 37%, respectively, said Liu Yiyang, Deputy Secretary-General and Press Spokesperson of China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA). The Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) forecasted that the country’s import demand for photovoltaic products this year will be around $1.8 billion.

“Pakistan’s Solar Energy Market is expected to record a CAGR of 2.5% during the period from 2022 to 2027, with Net Metering-Based Solar Installations and Power Generation growing by 102% and 108% respectively,” said a KTrade Securities analyst.

A World Bank study in 2020 urged Pakistan to urgently expand solar and wind “to at least 30% of electricity generation capacity by 2030, equivalent to around 24,000 MW.” This provides huge opportunities for growth as currently, as of December 2022, Pakistan’s total domestic installed power capacity is 43,775 MW, of which photovoltaic installed capacity is 630 MW, accounting for about 1.4% only.

China’s efforts are also reaching millions of households in remote areas in the form of micro-power plants. Out of the $144 million foreign investment in PV plants in Pakistan, $125 million is from China, accounting for nearly 87% of the total.

“Pakistan and China are a perfect match for collaboration on renewable energy (solar PV) as China is a globally known giant when it comes to renewable energy technology, while Pakistan needs to move away from thermal to renewable for power generation,” stated a KTrade Securities solar PV industry report.

Recently, the Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) sent an official letter adjuring the federal government to ask SBP and other commercial banks to help in the solar imports through an annual limit of USD 800 million at a time when Pakistan is facing a renewable energy sector that is growing rapidly. The letter also urged the government to take steps to promote local manufacturing of solar panels to reduce reliance on imports and create job opportunities for the local population.

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan among 26 countries which added over 1,000 MW of solar electricity in 2022

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/13/spain-germany-poland-which-european-countries-added-the-most-solar-power-in-2022

Where are the major solar countries?
More countries than ever are real “solar contenders”, the report shows.

In 2022, the number of major solar countries - defined as those installing at least 1 GW annually - grew from 12 to 26. By 2025, the report predicts that more than 50 countries will be installing more than 1 GW of solar per year.

European countries make up 12 of the solar heavyweights, led by Spain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Italy.

Poland’s solar development has flown past expectations. It’s mostly due to a surge in small rooftop ‘prosumer’ systems that enable homeowners to be rewarded for producing as well as consuming energy.

Ranked by the amount of extra solar they installed last year, here is the full list of the 26 major solar powers:

1. China
2. US
3. India
4. Brazil
5. Spain
6. Germany
7. Japan
8. Poland
9. The Netherlands
10. Australia
11. South Korea
12. Italy
13. France
14. Taiwan
15. Chile
16. Denmark
17. Turkiye
18. Greece
19. South Africa
20. Austria
21. UK
22. Mexico
23. Hungary
24. Pakistan
25. Israel
26. Switzerland

Riaz Haq said...

Community solar subscriptions can reduce electricity costs for consumers - Profit by Pakistan Today


https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/02/25/community-solar-subscriptions-can-reduce-electricity-costs-for-consumers/

Rooftop solar installations have been a success story in Pakistan for the past few years, with more than 20,000 net metering licenses issued by the end of 2021-22, adding 450MW to the system. The 10x reduction in solar panel prices during the last decade, steep escalation in electricity tariffs, and net metering have made solar installation one of the best investments, with a payback of fewer than four years, while providing an excellent hedge against inflation and tariff escalation. Advanced LFP (Lithium Ferrous Phosphate) batteries, with 15 plus years life, are also becoming financially feasible for peak hours use with imminent peak rate hike.

Despite the success of rooftop solar, there is still much room for growth. There are 610,000 households in Pakistan using 700 plus units and 16.8 million households consuming 300-700 units on average per month. The country can easily achieve at least 10,000MW of rooftop solar installations on just 5 percent of these houses during the next five years by continuing with the current net metering and export rate incentives.

For households using 500–700 units per month, rooftop installations can be accelerated by providing incentives such as reinstating low-cost loans, removing current limitations on net metering, and eliminating 17pc general sales tax on solar equipment for 10KW or smaller installations. However, rooftop solar is not a practical option for lower-income households (300–500 units per month consumption) because of higher cost per kilowatt for a smaller system, financial constraints, roof space availability, rental housing, and apartment living.

This is where community solar comes in as a practical and lower cost solution for these households and industrial facilities. In the community solar subscription model, consumers either purchase or rent a small portion of a large solar farm operated by the utility or a private developer. For example, for a 100 MW solar farm located near an industrial zone, multiple industrial facilities can purchase 20pc of this farm’s capacity (20MW), providing equity investment, while the remaining 80pc (80MW) can be subscribed (rented) by 80,000 low usage household (300-500 units) customers with a limit of 1KW for each.

Because of economies of scale, the per kilowatt cost of these solar farms is 15-20pc lower than a rooftop system, thus reducing the purchase or rental cost. Also, since the industry will be providing equity investment, there won’t be a need to find large investors for these solar farms.

Riaz Haq said...

Solar power installations in Pakistan have seen remarkable growth, with an installed capacity of over 2,368 MW as of FY22, reflecting the rising popularity and potential of solar energy.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2420254/can-pakistan-capitalise-on-solar-as-it-becomes-popular


In recent years, Pakistan has witnessed substantial investments in solar power projects, both domestic and foreign. It has introduced a financing scheme for renewable energy to make financing available for consumers in the private sector to invest in renewable electricity generation. Until February 2022, SBP had provided Rs74 billion (about $400 million) in financing to over 1,175 projects with a combined capacity of 1,375 MW in renewable energy.

The World Bank also reports that Pakistan has a potential of 40 GW of solar power and has set a target of achieving 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Pakistan has been heavily reliant on fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas, for power generation. However, the power production mix has undergone some changes in recent years.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), as of 2020, fossil fuels accounted for approximately 63% of the total power generation, followed by hydropower at 29%, nuclear energy at 5%, and renewable energy at around 3%.

Despite its vast potential for solar energy, Pakistan has only scratched the surface of its capabilities. The country is blessed with abundant sunshine, making it an ideal location for solar power generation. Pakistan’s government, recognising the importance of renewable energy, has introduced favourable policies and incentives to promote solar energy development. The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) offers net metering and feed-in tariffs to encourage residential and commercial solar installations.

The increasing attractiveness of solar energy is expected to drive significant capital investment in Pakistan. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the renewable energy sector has already been on the rise. Solar projects, including large-scale solar farms and distributed solar installations, offer lucrative investment opportunities. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has also played a crucial role in fostering solar energy cooperation between the two countries.

Several challenges need to be addressed to fully harness Pakistan’s solar energy potential. These challenges include the high initial costs of solar installations, limited access to financing, lack of awareness about solar energy benefits, and inadequate grid infrastructure.

To overcome these obstacles, the current government is working on a new 25-year energy policy that seeks to have 20-30% of all energy derived from renewable energy sources by 2030. The policy also aims to reduce dependence on imported fuel products and increase the share of indigenous resources.

The current government has approved the Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy 2019, which provides incentives and facilitation for renewable energy projects. The previous government also faced challenges in implementing the National Electricity Policy 2021, which was approved by the Council of Common Interests in February 2021.

The policy aimed to ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supply for all consumers, but faced resistance from some provinces and stakeholders over issues such as tariff determination, power sector governance and distribution reforms. The shift towards solar energy as an attractive investment option signifies a significant turning point in Pakistan’s power production landscape. The country has ample solar resources that can be harnessed to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, enhance energy security, and contribute to environmental sustainability.

With supportive government policies, increased foreign investment, and technological advancements, solar energy has the potential to revolutionise Pakistan’s power generation sector.

Riaz Haq said...

Renewables developer Oracle Power PLC has signed a cooperation agreement with Chinese state-owned energy company PowerChina to jointly develop a 1GW solar PV project in Pakistan.

https://www.pv-tech.org/oracle-power-powerchina-to-build-1gw-solar-pv-plant-in-pakistan/

Located in Oracle’s Thar Block VI land – where it is currently developing a coal minefield – the project will be built in the southeast province of Sindh.

The agreement includes a feasibility study both companies will conduct, however, Oracle has not disclosed any date for the commercial operation of the solar project.

Power generated from the plant will either be integrated into the national grid or sold through power purchase agreements.

Oracle Power has been active in Pakistan lately where it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese state-owned China Electric Power and Technology for the potential development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a green hydrogen project in the Sindh Province.

Along with the construction of a green hydrogen facility, the MoU also includes the development of a hybrid project with 700MW of solar PV, 500MW of wind power and an undisclosed capacity for battery storage.

The 1GW solar PV project with PowerChina will be located 250 kilometres away from the proposed green hydrogen project Oracle aims to build in Pakistan.

Naheed Memon, CEO of Oracle, said: “The proposed development of the Thar Solar Project provides Oracle with the opportunity to not only develop a sizeable renewable energy project in Pakistan, but also to bring a long-term and sustainable business to our Thar Block VI asset.”

Riaz Haq said...

10,000mw solar power plants to be installed before summers 2023
These solar plants will generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity under the initiative, saving Pakistan's billions of dollars.


https://www.globalvillagespace.com/10000mw-solar-power-plants-to-be-installed-before-summers-2023/

The prime minister directed that work on the project begin immediately in order to bring respite to the masses before the next summer season begins.

These solar plants will generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity under the initiative, saving Pakistan’s billions of dollars.

In the initial phase, the electricity generated will be distributed to government buildings, tube-wells, and families that utilize less units of electricity.

He has also directed that a conference be held next week to solicit bids for the project.

The prime minister, who presided over a conference in Islamabad to bring huge relief to the people, stated that solar energy should be used instead of imported oil. The decision was taken with an aim to save the foreign exchange rate as the country would not need to spend billions of dollars on importing fuel for electricity generation.

He urged that the project be implemented as soon as possible by the relevant authorities.

The situation of loss in income and rising electricity bills makes a huge economic and financial burden on households. Skyrocketing electricity bills have blown the minds of consumers.

Consumers strongly condemned skyrocketed electricity bills in the month of August, even during long hours of unscheduled load shedding followed by blackouts by Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) and demanded that the federal government take up this burning issue immediately.

The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday suspended the collection of fuel price adjustment in electricity bills.

Justice Jawad Ul Hassan, while hearing the writ petition filed against the increase of taxes, directed WAPDA and NEPRA not to charge tax on consumers’ electricity bills. The judge also summoned the head of IESCO on September 15 and issued notices to the parties concerned to appear before the Court on the next hearing.


Riaz Haq said...

WAPDA & Al Maktoum's private office join hands for solar power development in Pakistan


https://www.globalvillagespace.com/wapda-al-maktoums-private-office-join-hands-for-solar-power-development-in-pakistan/


Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum have signed two strategic memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for the development of a floating solar power project of up to 1000MW on existing water reservoirs and the rehabilitation, upgradation, and capacity enhancement of four hydro power projects in Pakistan.

Chairman Lt. Gen. Sajjad Ghani (Retd) of WAPDA and Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum expressed their mutual interest and enthusiasm to collaborate on future, long-term projects in Pakistan’s energy sector, with a specific focus on developing renewable energy solutions.

The MoUs aim to create a cooperative framework between the Private Office and WAPDA, facilitating collaboration and exploration of investment opportunities in Pakistan’s energy sector, particularly focusing on WAPDA’s small hydro power projects.

Read more: CPEC’s first hydropower plant in Pakistan begins full operations

Both parties have agreed to collaborate on upgrading and rehabilitating hydro power projects in Renala, Rasul, Chichokimalian, and Nandipur.

The parties have mutually agreed to collaborate in assessing the technical and economic feasibility of these projects, as well as formulating an implementation plan.

Riaz Haq said...

Ambitious solar project to join string of coal plants in Pakistan’s Thar district

https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/ambitious-solar-project-to-join-string-of-coal-plants-in-pakistans-thar-district/

UK-based Oracle Power tells The Third Pole about a new solar project in the Thar desert, where the company is already exploring coal, as locals express scepticism about tall promises

Millions of solar panels are set to be mounted upon swathes of soil in Block VI of Tharparkar district’s coalfields in Pakistan – news that is making waves locally. Located 380 kilometres east of Karachi in Sindh province, these coalfields are divided into 14 blocks, but so far work has only begun in blocks I and II.

“It will be the largest [single solar plant in Pakistan] by a single entity,” says Naheed Memon, chief executive officer of the UK-based Oracle Power, the mining company behind this much-touted one gigawatt (GW) project.

If completed, the project could significantly help Pakistan to achieve its goal of deriving 60% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. However, this particular solar project is being built in the shadow of ongoing coal projects in the Thar desert. In fact, Oracle Power is developing both solar and coal in the province.

Thar’s coalfields cover an area of 9,100 square kilometres and contain over 175 billion tonnes of lignite – a poor-quality and commonly more polluting type of coal. These lignite reserves are among the largest in the world.


‘Greening’ the coalfields
The solar project’s pre-feasibility study was completed by PowerChina, a Fortune 500-listed construction group. According to an agreement signed between Oracle and PowerChina in April 2023, the companies will work together in conducting the project’s necessary surveys; it also allows PowerChina to help arrange project finance. Elsewhere, the agreement includes references to a green hydrogen production facility being jointly pursued, 250 km away from Block VI.

The agreement details Oracle’s initial technical plan for the 1GW solar project, which proposes that it be developed on the “peripheral land of the mining area, occupying less than 25 percent of the Thar Block VI, and generating power from the Thar desert from a completely renewable source”. It also says the solar plant will be “deployed outside the potential built up and impact area of any coal-related project in the future”.

“Solar in Thar is an important initiative,” says Cheng Qiang, a spokesperson for PowerChina. The company has completed one solar and 23 wind projects in Pakistan.

“We want to generate renewable power in the desert for other mining operations as well as the railway line that is in the pipeline; our solar project will offset carbon emissions from the coal that is being mined and used to fire the two power plants [in Block 2],” Cheng added.

We asked Azhar Lashari, research and advocacy coordinator at the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development, to put PowerChina’s carbon offsetting claims into perspective: “The narrative of ‘offsetting carbon emissions’ is controversial. It is nothing but continuing ‘business as usual’ and ‘greenwashing’ on the part of banks, companies and corporations like Oracle and PowerChina. How can a solar project neutralise the carbon emissions?”

Riaz Haq said...

Ambitious solar project to join string of coal plants in Pakistan’s Thar district

https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/ambitious-solar-project-to-join-string-of-coal-plants-in-pakistans-thar-district/

With a 30-year mining lease of Block VI, Oracle Power has wanted to set up a 1,320 MW coal plant since 2016, when this was included in a list of energy projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But this particular project has so far stalled due to financial hurdles.

Oracle’s Memon is adamant that the company is not turning its back on coal: “We are not abandoning hydrocarbons and our coal project is under development. We will complete it and are working with private investors.” Memon does concede, however, that financing continues to be a stumbling block.

The CEO also says that “dirty fuel cannot be eliminated completely” and that it “will be a gradual transition over the next few decades”. In the interim, she says, Pakistan is in “critical need of cheap, local, indigenous fuel-based power as base load, be it coal, oil or gas”.

Doing solar right in Pakistan’s Thar
“[Thar solar] will be an excellent opportunity for Oracle to diversify from its fossil-based portfolio,” says Haneea Isaad, an energy finance analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. She also says that solar will be valued by local communities and could increase the productive use of energy in the region.


But the 1GW solar project also brings with it the risk of negatively impacting local communities. The project will use a large area of land (around a quarter of Block VI’s leased 66.1 sq km) to put up around 1.52 million solar photo-voltaic panels. Despite Oracle’s agreement with PowerChina, stating that the project will be developed on “unutilized land”, Memon concedes that the solar project may mean relocating some villages. “Resettlement will be done in line with the government’s directions,” she says, with provision of “all the necessities of life, like drinking water, shelter for animals and fodder”. In some cases, Memon says low-cost housing will be considered.

Memon claims she does not know which villages could be relocated; Lashari finds this hard to believe: “Memon must know the number of villages and the population that will be displaced, because displacement and relocation is inevitable since this involves massive land acquisition.”

Lashari adds that displacement involves both physical dislocation and livelihood disruptions: “When [the communities’] land is taken away, some lose their only means of livelihood and some the only occupation they know. They also lose the nearby grazing ground for their livestock. Often the pittance some get in the form of compensation is unwisely invested and so they are poorer off than they were before.”

According to Akram Ali Lanjo, a shopkeeper in the Thar village of Kharo Jani, the local community’s most pressing need is drinking water for households and livestock. These desert families rely on groundwater, which has turned ‘very salty’. Lanjo told us: “If anyone can turn our salty water to sweet, our woes will be addressed to a large degree.”

Lanjo also says that, while the villagers have nothing against the development itself, they would never part with their ancestral lands: “We can lease it out, but never sell it. And we do not want to be displaced.”

Lanjo cites the example of the Sehri Dars village, which was “decimated”. Its residents were relocated to a new village with the same name, built by the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company. Both Lanjo and Lashari claim that the displaced villagers are unhappy in their new location.

As for concerns around water scarcity, Memon had this to say of the project: “There will be zero consumption of water for the cleaning of solar panels, as we will bring in state-of-the-art automatic cleaning robotic technology, which will keep the solar panels clean and in optimum form for maximum power generation.”

Riaz Haq said...

Ambitious solar project to join string of coal plants in Pakistan’s Thar district

https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/ambitious-solar-project-to-join-string-of-coal-plants-in-pakistans-thar-district/


Sindh government ambitions
Oracle is currently looking to bring in international financiers to invest in its Thar solar project, as the Sindh government does not have a direct incentive for such projects. Nonetheless, it is keen to get the project off the ground.

Imtiaz Ali Shah, director of renewable energy at the Sindh government’s energy department told The Third Pole, “We will facilitate and support this attractive green energy project in every way, but the company needs to come up with a solid purchase agreement, their guarantors, a final study and a firm strategy.”

However, Shah acknowledges that more needs to be done for those areas that are not on the national grid, or those facing power outages: “Tharparkar district is one of the remotest and least-developed. If all the power produced by Oracle’s solar project is used there, I would consider it a big success as it will better the lives of the locals.”

People from different companies come, do surveys, make tall promises, and never return
Akram Ali Lanjo, shopkeeper in the Thar village of Kharo Jani
Shah also hopes that the project will provide livelihood for the locals. Parasram Archand, a 22-year-old teacher in a private primary school in Kharo Jan, doubts this claim, because most of the local villagers are uneducated. “But they can do labour [at the site],” counters Lanjo, who himself remained in formal education until he was 13.

“We would ensure most labour is local,” adds Memon, “especially during the construction when the company would need up to 2,500 people. [This] will be reduced along the way to 700 to 1,000 during operation and maintenance.”

Lanjo admits to feeling hopeful when a team from the city first visited the village some months ago and talked of the potential for a solar plant. On the other hand, he remains sceptical: “People from different companies come, do surveys, make tall promises, and never return.”

Riaz Haq said...

LONGi and Nimir Energy Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Solar Energy Solutions in Pakistan

https://solarquarter.com/2023/07/20/longi-and-nimir-energy-forge-strategic-partnership-to-advance-solar-energy-solutions-in-pakistan/


LONGi and Nimir Energy announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at fostering collaboration in the development and deployment of solar energy solutions. This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable and clean energy sources to meet Pakistan’s growing energy demand.

Under the terms of the MOU, Nimir Energy and LONGi will work together to explore opportunities and synergies in solar energy projects and capacity-building initiatives. The collaboration will leverage Nimir Energy’s expertise in project development and LONGi’s cutting-edge solar technology to drive the adoption of renewable energy in pan-Pakistan, pushing the government’s intent to promote solar.

Nimir Energy is part of Nimir Group, providing services in renewable energy with a primary focus on solar EPC for industrial, commercial and residential users. Nimir Group has been serving Pakistan and its business community since 1964 with a diversified range of products.


With climate action in full swing, Nimir would like to play a positive role in bringing in the right resources to ensure Pakistan’s transition to clean and sustainable energy. The company’s commitment to sustainable development aligns perfectly with LONGi’s vision to enable the world to transition to a low-carbon future through its industry-leading solar products and solutions.


LONGi, renowned for its high-efficiency solar modules and advanced photovoltaic technology, has emerged as a global leader in the solar industry. By joining forces with Nimir Energy, the company aims to expand its reach and accelerate the development of solar energy projects in key markets around the world.

“We are delighted to enter into this strategic partnership with LONGi, a company that shares our commitment to advancing renewable energy solutions,” said Waqas Ahmed Rana, COO of Nimir Energy. “Through this collaboration, we will combine our strengths and resources to drive innovation and promote the widespread adoption of solar energy, contributing to a more sustainable future.”

“LONGi is excited to join forces with Nimir Energy, a respected player in the renewable energy sector,” stated Ali Majid, Country head, Sales of LONGi. “Together, we can unlock new opportunities and create lasting impact by accelerating the deployment of solar energy projects worldwide. This collaboration exemplifies our dedication to addressing the challenges of climate change through technology innovation and sustainable business practices.”


With 90 terawatt-hours of total energy needed, Pakistan ranks among the top countries with huge potential for solar energy. Rising electricity prices and instability in the grid have added further to the woes of the average Pakistani consumer. LONGi envisions solving this problem by providing a cost-effective and high-quality solution to the public at large. As the biggest panel manufacturer in the world, LONGi plans to cater to all kinds of consumers with a focus on industrial users to provide services unparalleled in the market.

Riaz Haq said...

Kuwait’s EnerTech Holding Explores Renewable Energy Cooperation With Pakistan’s K-Electric

https://solarquarter.com/2023/08/14/kuwaits-enertech-holding-explores-renewable-energy-cooperation-with-pakistans-k-electric/


Kuwait-based energy firm EnerTech Holding is actively exploring collaboration and investment prospects with Pakistan’s K-Electric power supply company.

The objective is to expedite Pakistan’s shift to renewable energy sources, according to a joint statement released by the two entities this week. Pakistan’s energy imports, accounting for 30.7% of total imports, reached $17 billion during the previous fiscal year (2022-23).


To curtail its dependency on imported fossil fuels and conserve foreign currency, Pakistan aims to raise the proportion of clean energy in its energy mix to 60% by 2030, a considerable increase from the current 4% attributed to renewable sources.

Abdallah Al-Mutairi, the CEO of EnerTech Holding, expressed enthusiasm about K-Electric’s ambitions in line with Pakistan’s renewable energy vision. He stressed the potential of collaboration between EnerTech’s expertise and K-Electric’s legacy in driving substantial progress towards these goals.

K-Electric envisions catering to around five million customers with an electricity demand of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. The company aims to meet up to 30% of this demand through renewable energy, reducing reliance on imported fuels for electricity generation and benefiting the national economy.

Moonis Alvi, the head of K-Electric, highlighted the opportunity to work closely with global entities like EnerTech, possessing an established international presence and investment portfolio. This collaboration can facilitate the adoption of best practices, thus enhancing energy delivery to customers while promoting a greener and more sustainable future.

EnerTech Holding, a subsidiary of the National Technology Enterprises Company (NTEC) and an extension of the Kuwait Investment Authority, spans across 65 countries. Its collaboration with K-Electric aligns with both entities’ dedication to advancing sustainable energy solutions.

Riaz Haq said...

Haier revolutionizes cooling solutions with launch of Pakistan's first Solar Hybrid Air Conditioner


https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/28-Aug-2023/haier-revolutionizes-cooling-solutions-with-launch-of-pakistan-s-first-solar-hybrid-air-conditioner

Haier is proud to unveil an unprecedented leap in the realm of cooling solutions with the introduction of Pakistan's very first solar hybrid air conditioner. This groundbreaking innovation marks a monumental shift towards sustainable and energy-efficient living, setting new standards in the industry. The launch of the solar hybrid air conditioner underscores Haier's dedication to shaping a brighter future for generations to come.

The Haier solar hybrid air conditioner is a groundbreaking marvel that operates entirely on solar power during daylight hours, eliminating the need for any intermediary devices such as inverters, batteries, UPS, or converters. By seamlessly integrating four 540W solar panels and establishing a direct connection to the outdoor unit, the AC functions autonomously, setting an industry precedent. This marks a historic milestone in Pakistan, where an air conditioner operates directly on solar power without any supplementary support.

For the very first time, consumers can embrace cooling technology that not only cools their spaces but also ensures zero electricity bills during daylight hours. Never before in Pakistan has an air conditioner operated directly on solar power without any intermediate support. This innovative approach significantly minimizes the concerns related to electricity costs and additional equipment expenses. As daylight graces the solar panels, the AC operates exclusively on solar energy, providing cooling comfort without the burden of utility bills. The system seamlessly switches to the grid only in case of cloudy weather, mimicking the hybrid concept found in modern-day hybrid cars. Additionally, the same holds true for nighttime operations.

Riaz Haq said...

Solar, Wind, and Hydro: Pakistan's Transition to Renewable Energy

https://www.energyportal.eu/news/exploring-the-role-of-renewable-energy-for-a-sustainable-future-in-pakistan/222829/

Pakistan is taking significant steps towards a sustainable future by shifting from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. This transition not only benefits the environment but also strengthens the country’s economy and energy security. With over 11,000 MW of installed renewable energy capacity, accounting for over 32% of the total energy mix, Pakistan’s renewable energy sector has seen remarkable growth.

Solar energy presents a bright prospect for Pakistan. The country’s geographical location and climate conditions make it an ideal place to harness solar power. With an estimated potential of 2.9 million MW, Pakistan has a fantastic opportunity to diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Collaborations between energy companies like NIMIR Energy and solar panel manufacturer LONGi are driving the development and deployment of solar energy solutions, ensuring sustainable and clean energy sources for meeting the country’s growing energy demand.



---------

LONGi and Nimir Energy Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Solar Energy Solutions in Pakistan

https://solarquarter.com/2023/07/20/longi-and-nimir-energy-forge-strategic-partnership-to-advance-solar-energy-solutions-in-pakistan/

Under the terms of the MOU, Nimir Energy and LONGi will work together to explore opportunities and synergies in solar energy projects and capacity-building initiatives. The collaboration will leverage Nimir Energy’s expertise in project development and LONGi’s cutting-edge solar technology to drive the adoption of renewable energy in pan-Pakistan, pushing the government’s intent to promote solar.

Nimir Energy is part of Nimir Group, providing services in renewable energy with a primary focus on solar EPC for industrial, commercial and residential users. Nimir Group has been serving Pakistan and its business community since 1964 with a diversified range of products.

With climate action in full swing, Nimir would like to play a positive role in bringing in the right resources to ensure Pakistan’s transition to clean and sustainable energy. The company’s commitment to sustainable development aligns perfectly with LONGi’s vision to enable the world to transition to a low-carbon future through its industry-leading solar products and solutions.

LONGi, renowned for its high-efficiency solar modules and advanced photovoltaic technology, has emerged as a global leader in the solar industry. By joining forces with Nimir Energy, the company aims to expand its reach and accelerate the development of solar energy projects in key markets around the world.

“We are delighted to enter into this strategic partnership with LONGi, a company that shares our commitment to advancing renewable energy solutions,” said Waqas Ahmed Rana, COO of Nimir Energy. “Through this collaboration, we will combine our strengths and resources to drive innovation and promote the widespread adoption of solar energy, contributing to a more sustainable future.”

“LONGi is excited to join forces with Nimir Energy, a respected player in the renewable energy sector,” stated Ali Majid, Country head, Sales of LONGi. “Together, we can unlock new opportunities and create lasting impact by accelerating the deployment of solar energy projects worldwide. This collaboration exemplifies our dedication to addressing the challenges of climate change through technology innovation and sustainable business practices.”

Riaz Haq said...

First solar school project in Pakistan inaugurated at Benchmark School



https://www.nation.com.pk/24-Sep-2023/first-solar-school-project-in-pakistan-inaugurated-at-benchmark-school

According to Ms. Kulsoom Tanvir, Principal of Benchmark Schools, “We are very proud of being the first solar school project in Pakistan. The idea behind this project is to engage the youth of Pakistan in the areas of climate change and renewable energy resources. We appreciate all our students, teachers and project partners and hope to continue and build upon such projects in the future.”
The solar school project aims to spark the enthusiasm of the young generation for renewable energy sources, particularly in countries in which the awareness of renewables is still low. As a part of the project, local installers place a solar system specially designed for teaching purposes, which is then integrated into school lessons. The solar schools are also provided with so-called solar suitcases, which are used to integrate the topic of solar energy into physics lessons in a practical way with interactive experiments. The project started in 2021, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. Before Benchmark School, 4 schools joined the project and network, in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Karshi (Uzbekistan), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Astana (Kazakhstan).

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan's rooftop solar boom shines spotlight on power crisis - Nikkei Asia


https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Pakistan-s-rooftop-solar-boom-shines-spotlight-on-power-crisis

ISLAMABAD -- Srinagar Highway offers a sun-drenched, 25-kilometer straight shot from Islamabad's international airport to the center of Pakistan's capital. It also affords a clear view of how increasing numbers of citizens are reacting to frequent power cuts and bloated electricity bills: Rooftops on buildings lining the route are covered in solar panels.

Atesham ud Din is among the homeowners who made the switch, investing $9,000 in a solar panel system two years ago to take advantage of one of Pakistan's most plentiful natural resources. "Now we never face the problem of power cuts, and our power bill is almost nil," the 34-year-old development professional told Nikkei Asia.

Amid rising power prices, consumption of electricity from the national grid skidded 10% in fiscal 2023 from the previous year. That is exacerbating problems in the crisis-ridden electricity sector, which is straining under $8.3 billion of debt, much of it owed to Chinese energy producers.

And the cash-strapped government is facing further pressure to increase electricity prices in budget-balancing moves on which its hopes of securing a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund rest.

The strain on the national grid is apparent. During the last week of June alone, there were 12 hours of "load shedding," or power cuts, in many areas of Lahore due to transmission flaws, reducing people's ability to use electric fans or air-conditioning systems just as temperatures in the city of more than 11 million people reached 46 degrees Celsius.



It's not immediately clear exactly how many people are switching to solar panels as an alternative source of electricity. Some households have opted for simple set-ups to fuel their own needs, residents says, while others, like ud Din, have invested significant sums into bigger solar panel systems, with a view to selling excess power generated to the national grid.

Saif ur Rehman, 48, a Lahore importer of medical equipment, has installed a system of 14 solar panels at his office.

"Now I can get peace of mind and focus on my business with uninterrupted access to electricity all day long and don't have to worry about load shedding," Rehman told Nikkei Asia.

Shahzad Qureshi, a vendor of solar panels in Lahore, said he has witnessed an exponential increase in sales of inexpensive panels, mostly imported from China.

"There is an increase of more than 50% in sales of solar panels this summer," he said. Panels cost $90 apiece on average, and vary in size and capacity.

The roots of the crisis in the power sector can be traced back to 1994, when Pakistan offered lucrative deals to foreign investors to establish power plants as the country with a rapidly growing population -- 130 million at the time, 241 million by 2023 -- chased economic growth.

Called independent power producers (IPPs), these operators secured a guaranteed return on investment indexed to the U.S. dollar, plus payment for fixed capacity charges -- covering their debt servicing and other fixed costs -- regardless of whether the power plants are operational.

Consequently, Pakistan pays a hefty amount to IPPs every year. In fiscal 2023, the government paid them $4.7 billion just for capacity payments. That figure is expected to cross $9 billion in fiscal 2024 due to a combination of factors, the most important being the reduction in demand for electricity.

Payment of capacity charges increases the electricity production costs for the government, which translates into increased power bills for consumers, a bane for large sections of society in a developing economy like Pakistan.


Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan's rooftop solar boom shines spotlight on power crisis - Nikkei Asia


https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Pakistan-s-rooftop-solar-boom-shines-spotlight-on-power-crisis


The government initially sought to incentivize the solar panel business. In 2017, it started a system for "net metering," in which people can sell excess electricity produced by their solar panels back to the national grid.



In March 2023, a Gallup Pakistan survey found 88% of respondents expressing satisfaction with the overall performance of the solar panels installed at their homes.

Still, solar power has plenty of room to grow, since it contributes a negligible portion of Pakistan's power mix. As of June 2023, the installed capacity of solar power in Pakistan stood at 630 megawatts, just 1.4% of the overall installed power capacity.

And as per the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority's State of Industry Report 2023, there were merely 56,000 net-metering connections, representing just 0.15% of the nation's electricity consumers.

But the appeal of solar is evident in distant rural regions that have limited connections to the national grid.

For example, the remote village of Kardigap, in Balochistan province, nearly 1,000 kilometers southwest of Islamabad, gets electricity from the national grid for merely three hours per day. Solar panels are becoming more common on the rooftops of houses in the village of 5,000 people, according to one resident who has gone a stage further and installed a full solar energy system sufficient to cater to his household's needs around the clock.

Vaqar Ahmed, joint executive director at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), an Islamabad-based think tank, agrees that solar energy offers an ideal solution for rural areas. "Solar has been a sort of blessing for rural areas of Pakistan, with more stable provision of energy, and these regions do not have high power demand," Ahmed said in an interview.

But even as the solar panel business has boomed, in March the government indicated it wanted to end the net-metering policy as it seeks to meet the IMF's criteria for state spending commitments.

Experts believe that the government is not sending a strong signal to potential investors in solar energy.

"Solar energy has faced policy whiplash in the last few years," said Aadil Nakhoda, an assistant professor of economics at the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi. "Frequent remarks by policymakers to reduce net-metering rates and then end the [practice] entirely has caused distress among domestic consumers."

Experts think the government fears that the continued spread of rooftop solar panels will increasingly lead to a loss of customers paying for electricity from the national grid.

A government official familiar with the developments told Nikkei on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter, that the government fears losing substantial investments in the electricity grid and generation systems: "If solar energy replaces [part of] the electric grid, then it will be a major economic blow that the government can't handle under current economic distress."

The Ministry of Energy did not respond to questions on the matter.

In the meantime, power industry watchers say solar offers one route for Pakistan to exit its energy woes.

"Pakistan has been ranked at No. 26 on the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index by Ernst & Young," Aftab Alam, an expert on climate change and social development, told Nikkei Asia. "It would be an inexcusable failure if the government does not convert such blessings into socioeconomic development."

The SDPI's Ahmed said Pakistan could follow China's lead when it comes to solar power. "In China, there is no shortage of electricity but they are still building solar parks to keep future power needs in mind."

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan's rooftop solar boom shines spotlight on power crisis - Nikkei Asia


https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Pakistan-s-rooftop-solar-boom-shines-spotlight-on-power-crisis

As things stand, existing users of solar panels are counting on the government to facilitate the spread of solar energy.

Rehman, the businessman from Lahore, said the government should encourage the local manufacturing of solar panels, which would help to maintain foreign exchange reserves.

Khuram Idrees, a resident of Rawalpindi who has a solar system at his home, recommended that the government provide interest-free loans to consumers to install solar systems. "All around the globe, green energy is supported by governments by incentivizing people to adopt such technologies," Idrees told Nikkei.

Back by the Srinagar Highway, solar adopter ud Din remained concerned by the government's uncertain policy, saying its changing approach on net metering has confused the existing users.

"If the government scraps the net-metering policy, then we will be left high and dry, our investment will be wasted, which is a terrifying prospect," he said.

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan Sees Solar Boom as Chinese Imports Surge, BNEF Says – BNN Bloomberg


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-09/pakistan-sees-solar-boom-as-chinese-imports-surge-bnef-says/


(Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s market for solar power is booming, propelled by a surge in imports from China, according to BloombergNEF.The country imported some 13 gigawatts of solar modules in the first six months of the year, making it the third-largest destination for Chinese exporters, according to a report by BNEF analyst Jenny Chase. Pakistan’s installed capacity to generate power is just 50 gigawatts. China is the world’s biggest producer of solar equipment.Solar is gaining traction in the South Asian nation following hikes in power prices over the past few years, with the latest increase in July triggering widespread protests. Higher rates have seen grid electricity consumption drop to the lowest in four years as many people switch to independent solar. “Pakistan’s market has the potential to continue to be very large,” said Chase. “If solar is solving the market’s power problems, there is no reason to expect a crash any time soon.”BNEF expects that the country will add between 10 gigawatts and 15 gigawatts of solar this year, mostly on homes and factories, making Pakistan the sixth-largest market in the world. Given the surge in imports, that figure could end up being far higher — or growth could stall if the grid situation improves, prices fall, or the market of middle-class people who can afford solar panels on their roofs saturates, according to the report.
There are other complications in accurately assessing the market and its prospects, said Chase. Those include wide discrepancies between official data on installations and imports, as well as claims last year that solar imports were used in money laundering schemes.

Riaz Haq said...

Surprise Solar Boom in Pakistan Helps Millions, But Harms Grid
There’s a shiny new addition to Pakistan’s dusty agricultural heartland: rows upon rows of solar panels.



Bloomberg News

Fasih Mangi



https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/surprise-solar-boom-in-pakistan-helps-millions-but-harms-grid#:~:text=The%20flood%20of%20solar%20panels,cities%20and%20during%20cricket%20matches.



The flood of solar panels from China started in 2023, and turned into a deluge after Pakistan removed import curbs late last year, making it the third-largest destination for Chinese panels, according to BNEF. Now they’re being advertised on billboards in major cities and during cricket matches.

The frenzy wasn’t restricted to the energy sector: real estate companies and electronics firms started flipping panels, with the biggest traders bringing in up to 250 megawatts’ worth every month, according to Usman Ahmad, chief executive officer at solar distributor Nizam Energy Pvt.

Driving the demand were households and factories producing everything from cement to apparel, who have suffered frequent blackouts in the past due to the unreliable grid.

Speculation that the grid will collapse is “extreme,” but the reduction in demand is indeed a concern, Pakistan’s Power Minister Awais Leghari said in an interview. Utilities “have to be a little more sensitive to the demands of customers in terms of reliability and tariffs,” he said. “We all realize that the status quo can’t prevail.”



For Murtaza, the decision to switch to solar on his farm near Lahore was an easy one. It will take him less than a year to recover the cost of installing the panels, and his electricity bill has plunged by 80%, he said. With the savings, he’s able to plant three crops a year instead of two.

“I have never seen such a big change in farming. Ninety-five percent of farmland has switched to solar in this area,” he said, pointing to his photovoltaic array towering over piles of harvested corn cobs. The panels are now cheaper than the frames they’re supposed to be mounted on, so some farmers just lay them on the ground, he said.

Despite the hubbub, it’s hard to tell how much of the imported equipment has actually been installed due to a paucity of official data. A satellite data analysis carried out in April by Norwegian firm Atlas revealed around 400 solar plants across the country, clustered mostly in industrial hubs. But many more installations went undetected, the geospatial analysis firm said. Most panels have been deployed almost equally across homes, factories, and farms, solar distributors say.



The growth of solar in Pakistan has been interesting because it happened so fast and without any subsidies, said Jenny Chase, an analyst at BNEF. However, the boom is likely to be followed by a bust, she said.

For Pakistan’s government, dealing with the consequences of the solar frenzy and its aftermath, and maintaining the health of the grid and traditional power companies will be essential. For the country’s economy and the millions of people who can’t afford to install solar panels, a failing electricity network would be disastrous.

“The solar onslaught is happening in a very unsafe, very unregulated way,” said Amin Sukhera, chief executive officer of Sky Electric, a Pakistani solar firm. “The people who are running the grid, they do not know what kind of imbalance it’s creating when other people attach solar connections. I think it’s already a pretty sick grid. I fear it may get more sick.”