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| Tesla Surpasses China's BYD in EV Sales. Courtesy Electrek |
Tesla Electric Cars:
Silicon Valley is at the forefront of this clean energy revolution led by Tesla. Tesla is more than an electric car company; the company also supplies solar panels and batteries. Other automakers are also taking their cues from Tesla. China's BYD Auto has only recently been surpassed by Tesla in production volumes. Auto giants General Motors and BMW are both building electric cars and planning to build "gigafactories" like Tesla's to manufacture battery packs for vehicles and homes. Pakistan is building up renewable power generation capacity. The country has also recently announced its National Electric Vehicle Policy that offers incentives to transition to clean energy.
Bloomberg estimates that Batteries and electric transmission account for about 40% of passenger cars’ costs. European demand is met by mainly Japanese and South Korean battery makers like Panasonic, LG Chem Ltd. and Samsung SDI Co. In the U.S., Tesla has built its own battery cells at its Gigafactory to manage costs and satisfy demand for the cars it produces. Chinese demand for battery packs is met by BYD.
Battery Backed Renewable Energy Costs:
High-capacity battery pack costs have dropped nearly 40% since 2015, according to Wood Mackenzie data as reported by Wall Street Journal. The prices of lithium and vanadium—two of several key raw materials that are used in such batteries—also have declined over the past year or so.
Battery storage costs have fallen nearly 90% in the past decade, according to NextEra Energy. Cost reductions are expected to continue to only $8 to $14 per MW-hour by 2020, or about a penny per kW-hour. For perspective, the average kW-hour of electricity costs about 13 cents for retail users.
NextEra Energy forecasts that post-2023, wind plus energy storage costs will be $20 to $30 per MW-hour, and solar plus energy storage will be $30 to $40 per MW-hour. Natural gas is expected to match the solar-plus-storage costs.
Pakistan Electric Vehicle Policy:
Pakistan has a low level of motorization with just 9% of the households owning a car. Nearly half of all households own a motorcycle. Motorization rates in the country have tripled over the last decade and a half, resulting in nearly 40% of all emissions coming from vehicles. Concerns about climate change and environmental pollution have forced the government to to take a number of actions ranging from adoption of Euro6 emission standards for new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) since 2015 and announcement of a national electric vehicle (EV) policy this year.
Private vehicle ownership in Pakistan has risen sharply over the last 4 years. More than 9% of households now own cars, up from 6% in 2015. Motorcycle ownership has jumped from 41% of households in 2015 to 53% now, according to data released by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) recently. There are 32.2 million households in Pakistan, according to 2017 Census.
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| Vehicle Ownership in Pakistan. Source: PBS |
Pakistan's National EV Policy is a forward looking step needed to deal with climate concerns from growing transport sector emissions with rapidly rising vehicle ownership. It offers tax incentives for buyers and sellers. It also focuses on development of nationwide charging infrastructure to ease adoption of electric vehicles.
Low Carbon Energy Growth:
In recent years, Pakistan government has introduced a number of supportive policies, including feed-in tariffs and a net metering program to incentivize renewables. These have been fairly successful, and renewables capacity in the country surged substantially over 2018 when 1245 MW was added, of which 826MW was contributed by the solar sector, according to Fitch Solutions.
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| Non-Hydro Renewables in Pakistan. Source: Fitch Solutions |
Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) recently signed deals for projects that will see the country expand its wind power capacity by 560 MW. Fitch Solutions forecasts Pakistan's solar capacity to grow by an annual average of 9.4% between 2019-2028, taking total capacity over 3.8GW by the end of our forecast period.
Sindh government has recently signed a deal for 400MW solar park at Manjhand, 20MW rooftop solar systems on public sector buildings in Karachi and Hyderabad, and 200,000 solar home systems for remote areas in 10 districts of the province. The project is estimated to cost USD105million, with the World Bank funding USD100 million.
The biggest and most important source of low-carbon energy in Pakistan is its hydroelectric power plants. Pakistan ranked third in the world by adding nearly 2,500 MW of hydropower in 2018, according to Hydropower Status Report 2019. China added the most capacity with the installation of 8,540 megawatts, followed by Brazil (3,866 MW), Pakistan (2,487 MW), Turkey (1,085 MW), Angola (668 MW), Tajikistan (605 MW), Ecuador (556 MW), India (535 MW), Norway (419 MW) and Canada (401 MW).
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| New Installed Hydroelectric Power Capacity in 2018. Source: Hydroworld.com |
Hydropower now makes up about 28% of the total installed capacity of 33,836 MW as of February, 2019. WAPDA reports contributing 25.63 billion units of hydroelectricity to the national grid during the year, “despite the fact that water flows in 2018 remained historically low.” This contribution “greatly helped the country in meeting electricity needs and lowering the electricity tariff for the consumers.”
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| Electricity vs Fossil Fuel Demand Forecast. Source: Economist |
Chinese BYD in Pakistan:
Multiple media reports suggest that China's BYD is about to enter Pakistan market following the announcement of Pakistan National EV Policy. These reports indicate that Toyota, one of the largest automakers in Pakistan, has signed a deal with BYD to manufacture electric vehicles.
Other reports indicate that Pakistan's Rahmat Group is in talks with BYD to set up an electric vehicle plant at Nooriabad in Sindh province.
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that in three years Pakistan will become the first country to manufacture electric buses, which will be driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries.
Summary:
It appears that Pakistan is starting to get serious about joining the Clean Energy Revolution to deal with rising climate change concerns. The country has set targets for renewable energy growth and announced National Electric Vehicle Policy. In recent years, Pakistan government has introduced a number of supportive policies, including feed-in tariffs and a net metering program to incentivize renewables. These have been fairly successful, and renewables capacity in the country surged substantially over 2018 when 1245 MW was added, of which 826MW was contributed by the solar sector, according to Fitch Solutions. High-capacity battery pack costs have dropped nearly 40% since 2015, according to Wood Mackenzie data as reported by Wall Street Journal. Cost reductions are expected to continue to only $8 to $14 per MW-hour by 2020, or about a penny per kW-hour. While production and use of renewable energy are growing, the electric vehicles in Pakistan have yet to find traction. Hopefully, the National EV policy will encourage production and adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
South Asia Investor Review
Pakistan Electric Vehicle Policy
Nuclear Power in Pakistan
Recurring Cycles of Drought and Floods in Pakistan
Pakistan's Response to Climate Change
Massive Oil and Gas Discovery in Pakistan: Hype vs Reality
Renewable Energy for Pakistan
Digital BRI: China and Pakistan Building Fiber, 5G Networks
LNG Imports in Pakistan
Growing Water Scarcity in Pakistan
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Ownership of Appliances and Vehicles in Pakistan
CPEC Transforming Pakistan
Pakistan's $20 Billion Tourism Industry Boom
Riaz Haq's YouTube Channel
PakAlumni Social Network
62 comments:
According to friend working at BYD the Chinese have agreed for transfer of technology along with export production out of Sindh and/or Balochistan. Many anicllary units have already been mobilised to scout lands before official announcements are made.
However the point is the recent oil discovery you informed us recently. If that oil is coming in very soon, how can we manage the contradictions between these two.
Zaffar: " If that oil is coming in very soon, how can we manage the contradictions between these two."
There is no contradiction. Pakistan will need oil and gas for bulk of its energy needs for many years. Clean energy revolution will not happen in a few days or weeks. It will take years.
IFC invests $450m in #Pakistan’s 6 #windfarms in Jhimpir wind corridor in #Sindh to generate more than 1,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power 450,000 homes. Expected emission reductions of 650,000 tons of CO2 per year. #renewables https://www.esi-africa.com/industry-sectors/finance-and-policy/ifc-invests-450m-in-pakistans-six-wind-power-projects/
All Super Six projects are being developed by domestic companies: ACT Group, Artistic Milliners (Private) Limited, Din Group, Gul Ahmed Group and Younus Brothers Group.
“The government is aiming to increase the non-hydro renewable energy share in the overall generation mix from 4 to 20% by 2025 and it is welcoming to see Pakistan’s local private sector behind these Super Six wind projects, supporting the government’s long-term objective to see more wind and solar in the country’s energy mix,” said Ayub.
“This additional clean power will help meet growing demand, reduce the average cost of electricity, and improve both reliability and security of supply,” IFC’s Vice President for Asia and Pacific, Nena Stoiljkovic said. “We hope this will send a strong signal to the private sector that the renewable energy market in Pakistan is viable and sustainable, as well as beneficial to the Pakistani people.”
As part of the programme, IFC is providing a financing package of $320 million, comprising $86 million from its own account and $234 million mobilised from other lenders, which include Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG, part of KfW Group of Germany), and local banks Bank Alfalah, Bank Al Habib and Meezan Bank.
The programme is in line with the joint energy strategy of the World Bank Group, which includes IFC, the World Bank and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), to help address Pakistan’s structural issues in the energy sector, through policy reforms and increases in private investments to expand clean energy generation and bring down the cost of power.
The cost of power from the Super Six projects is expected to be more than 40% lower than the current average cost of generation, a move that is expected to spur more investments in renewable energy in the country.
IFC, one of the largest investors in Pakistan’s power sector, financed the first wind power project in the country in 2011 and helped created the framework for financing hydro and wind Independent Power Producers. With this programme, IFC will have made investments in 11 wind power projects in Pakistan.
The World Bank is supporting the government on policy reforms to enhance the energy sector’s sustainability and the implementation of the upcoming new renewable energy policy framework.
Estimated number of premature pollution-related deaths per year:
🇮🇳India: 2.33m
🇨🇳China: 1.87m
🇳🇬Nigeria: 279K
🇮🇩Indonesia: 232K
🇵🇰Pakistan: 223K
🇧🇩Bangladesh: 207K
🇺🇸United States: 196K
🇷🇺Russia: 118K
🇪🇹Ethiopia: 110K
🇧🇷Brazil: 109K
(Global Alliance On Health And Pollution)
Rickshaw maker Sazgar Unveils #Pakistan’s First Locally Manufactured #ElectricVehicle. It will be powered by a 48V, 160Ah, 7.7kwh battery paired with a 3kw motor that will give it a range of 170KM with the weight included.
https://propakistani.pk/2020/01/24/sazgar-unveils-pakistans-first-locally-manufactured-electric-vehicle/
Yesterday, Sazgar Engineering Works Limited announced that they would be unveiling their indigenously manufactured Electric Powered Three-Wheeler.
In a glitzy ceremony attended by government officials, members of the social and business community, the company has launched the much-awaited three-wheeler.
The company has vowed to make the vehicle commercially available after the National Electric Vehicle Policy is implemented by the government. The company, during the launch, said that the vehicle would create employment opportunities in the auto sector and help in its development.
The three-wheeler is being manufactured locally and this will help in saving foreign exchange, help curb the oil import bill and reduce environmental pollution.
Apart from the electric kit, the rest of the three-wheeler is set to be produced locally which will help boost the economy. While some of the details are still scarce, the company has said that it will be powered by a 48V, 160Ah, 7.7kwh battery paired with a 3kw motor that will give it a range of 170KM with the weight included.
It will take almost 5 hours to charge and, according to some estimates, it will save Rs. 250,000 in terms of fuel and Rs. 30,000 in terms of maintenance each year.
FAO DG to visit #Pakistan this week. #FAO’s work globally and in Pakistan focusing on Zero hunger and Food Security issues related to climate change. #food #hunger #ClimateChange https://nation.com.pk/13-Feb-2020/fao-dg-to-visit-pakistan-this-week
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu will be arriving in Pakistan on a three-day state visit on Friday as part of his vision to further strengthen the years’ long extraordinary collaboration of the country and FAO. During his visit, the Director General, FAO will call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan besides meeting with Federal Minister of Food Security and Research and other high-level officials, representatives from the private sector, youth representatives, academia, civil society and resource partners to apprise them of FAO’s work globally and in Pakistan, focusing on Zero hunger and Food Security in the context of the global climate change scenario. The Director-General will also travel to rural Punjab to meet with small-holder farmers who are most at risk from natural disasters, the UN information center said.
Qu Dongyu, a former Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, elected as FAO Director-General in June 2019, has stressed the crucial role that FAO, which has 194 member states, can play in addressing key global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals for all.
The priority challenges requiring urgent attention remain; the increasing rates of hunger and malnutrition, climate change-related risks to agriculture, ongoing natural resource depletion and environmental pollution and the growing spread of trans-boundary animal and plant pests and diseases.
#China's Goldwind books 50-MW #WindEnergy turbines order in Jhimpir, #Sindh, #Pakistan in an area identified as a “wind corridor” with 1000 MW of wind power capacity installed. Golwind expects to install 150 MW of turbines in Pak in coming years #renewable https://www.renewablesnow.com/news/goldwind-books-50-mw-turbine-order-in-pakistan-701129/
China’s Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd (HKG:2208) said it has recently received an order to supply 50 MW of turbines for the ACTII wind project in Pakistan.
Goldwind is set to deliver 20 units of GW 121-2.5MW high temperature model turbines to local wind project developer ACT Wind (Pvt) Ltd, the Chinese manufacturer said.
The ACTII project is sited in Jhimpir, Sindh province, in the area identified as a “wind corridor” and with around 1 GW of wind power capacity installed, according to Goldwind.
ACT Wind is the Chinese company's repeat customer, after previously purchasing Goldwind turbines for the first ACT wind project. The 30-MW ACT wind farm has been operating for about four years.
Goldwind expects to install 150 MW of turbines in Pakistan over the coming years and bring its total installed capacity in the country to 477 MW.
In November 2019, Goldwind signed a contract with Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd (SHA:601669), also known as PowerChina, to equip the 50-MW Gul Ahmed wind project in Pakistan. It has also secured the contract for the Artistic II wind farm project in the country, the company said.
#Pakistan aims to generate 30% of its #electricity from #RenewableEnergy sources by 2030, including #wind, #solar, #biomass and small-scale #hydro https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250399/1-pakistan-aims-generate-30-clean-energy-2030/
Pakistan aims to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 such as wind, solar, biomass and small-scale hydro.
This will complement the 27% of current electricity supply coming from large-scale hydro.
To this effect the 271 GE Renewable Energy wind turbines spreading over nine plants have a combined generating capacity of 450 megawatts (MW) – representing more than 36% of the current 1,235-MW total installed wind capacity in the country.
“Renewable energy is the future. With global warming happening, it’s good to say you’re working in the renewables business,” said GE Renewable Energy Services Manager Fawwad Haq.
“We are producing clean energy but not CO2 at these plants, so we’re giving people a better, cleaner type of energy,” he added.
Fawwad manages more than 50 wind turbine technicians who perform maintenance on hundreds of turbines at nine wind farms in the country.
A total of 233 direct and indirect employees help manage operations at eight of these plants.
Most of the wind farms that GE maintains and operates in Pakistan are located in desert regions where temperatures in early June were already in the 40s.
It takes nearly 15 minutes, with necessary water breaks along the way, to climb the 80-meter tall metal towers to reach the top of the wind turbines.
While GE provides wind turbine maintenance across all nine wind farms in Pakistan using GE turbine technology, at eight of them, the company also provides balance of plant services, including power generation and electricity dispatch to the grid.
“After I did my first climb [a couple years ago], I thought, ‘Oh, this is difficult!’ But after a few times, I adjusted to it and now it’s fine,” recalls Fawwad, adding, “The way things are going, renewables will capture a larger share of energy generation in the years to come, not only Pakistan, but in the rest of the world as well.”
He said during his working experience at conventional power generation was quite different as there were separate specialist technicians for mechanical, electrical and instrumentation work. “That’s not the case with wind turbines.”
“Only one team goes up and must be an electrical and mechanical all in one. You need to perform the preventative maintenance and troubleshooting.”
Pakistan has recently re-entered into some important hydropower project deals with Chinese companies.
https://thewire.in/south-asia/pakistan-china-hydropower-projects-cpec-debts
On May 13, 2020, Pakistan signed a deal worth 442 billion Pakistani Rupees (USD 2.64 billion) with the Chinese state-run firm China Power for building the 272 meters high DBD. The total financial outlay of the DBD is PKR 1,406 .5 billion (USD 8.3 billion). This project is on the river Indus in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) – which India claims is illegally occupied territory – and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is likely to be completed by 2028.
Earlier, it was a part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project but the tough conditions, particularly regarding the transfer of ownership, were unacceptable and not “doable” for Pakistan. Afterwards, the Pakistani government tried to raise money for the DBD along with the Mohmand dam through crowdfunding. However, Pakistan then re-entered into a deal with the Chinese firm.
Under the new terms of the deal, China Power will hold 70% of the share while the remaining 30% will be with Frontier Works Organisation – a commercial arm of the Armed Forces of Pakistan. The DBD’s construction is expected to create about 16,500 jobs. Once in operation, it will irrigate around 1.23 million acres of agriculture land and generate 18.1 billion units of electricity annually.
The second project the Chinese are constructing in Pakistan is at Kohala. It was listed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor since August 2014. The Kohala project is on the Jhelum river on the Pakistani-administered side of Kashmir which India claims is illegally occupied territory since 1947-48. This 1,124-Megawatt project was to be developed by the Kohala Hydropower Company Private Limited. Disputes over this project took place in 2019 between Pakistan and China, which they tried to resolve but the Chinese firm refused to accept the dispute resolution plan approved by the government of Pakistan.
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On June 25, 2020, a “tripartite” agreement for implementing the Kohala project was signed between the China Three Gorges Corporation, the government of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Private Power and Infrastructure Board. The project is likely to cost USD 2.4 billion. International Finance Corporation and Silk Road Fund are also sponsors of this project.
The third hydropower project agreed upon between Pakistan and China was in July 2020 and is at Azad Pattan. It is located on the River Jhelum near the village of Muslimabad in the district of Sudhnoti, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This will be carried out by the Power Universal Company Limited which is owned and controlled by the China Gezhouba group.
The Indus at the site of the proposed Diamer-Basha dam. Photo: Water and Power Development Authority, Pakistan
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For the government of Pakistan, both the Kohala and the Azad Pattan projects are likely to bring about USD 4 billion in the form of investments, produce around 1800 MW of hydel power and create 8,000 jobs.
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One of the major reasons Pakistan is entering into such a deal is to use the available water efficiently, as the country is experiencing water shortage and its yearly water availability is now less than 1000 cubic meters per person. Through dams, it is trying to manage its water resources, mainly for agricultural purpose on which the country’s economy depends.
Second, Pakistan faces a shortage of electricity. In 2019, the transmission and distribution capacity of Pakistan was stalled at approximately 22,000 MW while the maximum demand from the residential and industrial areas was about 25,000 MW. This implied a deficit of 3000 MW. Hydroelectricity will add to the total electricity generated and will help in reducing the supply-demand deficit.
#Pakistan State Oil (PSO) starts Euro V #vehicle #fuel distribution. It reduces sulphur by 98% & benzene by 80%. This will help reduce environmental #pollution and improve public #health.
| The Express Tribune https://tribune.com.pk//story/2260143/euro-v-fuel-to-help-reduce-pollution-in-pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan is keen on addressing the challenges related to climate change and the introduction of Euro-V standard fuel in a short span of time shows the government’s commitment to reduce air pollution for a clean environment, said Petroleum Minister Omar Ayub Khan.
At an event organised by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to mark the upgrading of Pakistan’s fuel standard to Euro-V, the minister termed it the need of the hour to adopt upgraded fuel standards that would reduce the negative impact on environment and help the country move towards a sustainable future.
“Improvement in fuel quality will ultimately benefit the consumer and help create a cleaner environment with reduced pollution,” he said.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, who was also present at the ceremony, stressed that Pakistan was heading in the right direction after having taken key steps to overcome the challenges posed by climate change.
“Upgrading fuel standards is a major step towards a cleaner and greener Pakistan,” he said. “We owe it to our future generations to bequeath to them a planet worth living in.”
Expressing his views, PSO CEO and Managing Director Syed Muhammad Taha said the new product range brought Pakistan’s fuel on a par with international standard fuels.
He added that the Euro-V standard fuels significantly reduced emissions and contributed to a healthy environment for future generations.
Euro-V standard fuels minimise the negative impact on environment owing to reduction in sulphur and benzene content by a staggering 98% and 80% respectively. This, in turn, reduces harmful vehicle emissions, resulting in health benefits and improvement in engine performance.
The reduction in benzene content will significantly improve the occupational health of industry workers, who are involved in product handling.
#Pakistan Pursues Big Action On #ClimateChange. Along with #trees planting, #PTI govt announced a new #ElectricVehicle policy this summer, and plans to get two-thirds of its #electricity from #renewable sources like #wind, #solar and #hydropower by 2030. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/29/916878679/with-glaciers-melting-and-temps-soaring-pakistan-pursues-big-action-on-climate-c?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
On her first foray into tree planting, Laiba Atika forgot a key item — a shovel, which her mom later fetched.
But the 17-year-old is clear about why she is leading volunteers in the northern Pakistani city of Mardan to plant dozens of pine trees in a scrubby park.
"It's our duty as citizens," she says in formal English, "to implement actions that can make planet a better place to live in."
Atika's tree-planting drive is being replicated all over Pakistan, where the government aims to plant ten billion trees over five years with the help of local communities. The reforestation initiative is central to a wide-ranging plan the Pakistani government recently adopted to change practices and cut emissions that drive climate change.
Like most developing nations, Pakistan is not a big emitter of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But developing countries suffer harm disproportionate to their historically low emissions. Climate-fueled extreme weather events, from floods to droughts, could displace or kill tens of thousands of people, straining government resources and threatening political stability.
That urgency has prompted some nations, such as Pakistan, to craft ambitious plans to reduce emissions, even as the world's second largest emitter, the United States, shrugs off serious climate action.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan "knows the implications of climate change and is willing to take the lead in putting Pakistan on a green trajectory," says Malik Amin Aslam, a senior climate change advisor to Khan and the leading proponent of the new policies.
Alongside tree planting, the government announced a new electric vehicle policy this summer, and plans to get two-thirds of its electricity from wind, solar and hydropower by 2030. "That is a genuine step up in ambition for renewable energy," said Simon Nicholas, an energy finance analyst who follows Pakistan at the U.S.-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
But the problems that have long hobbled Pakistan threaten its new climate goals, too, environmental activists say. Plans are undermined by corruption and lax implementation, according to Afia Salam, an activist in Karachi. Environmentalists point to other ambitious policies the government announced since it took power, like a ban on plastic bags in Islamabad, which has gone widely ignored.
Khan's own broad-tent party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, includes powerful business interests that have carved out loopholes for themselves from the climate policies.
"What Pakistan has done, despite resource constraint, is aspirational for many countries," Salam says. But, she adds, "there's so many conflicting interests within the party itself."
The world's fifth most populous country, Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable to global warming. Already, summer temperatures in its southern cities often surpass 120 degrees. Rainfall has grown more erratic, and in August, unprecedented monsoon rains drowned parts of Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, turning roads into rivers and killing dozens of people across the country.
Northern glaciers nestled in mountains are the country's main water source, and they are melting faster than ever. Highland communities now face occasional water shortages and flash flooding that sweeps away their lands. If the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions continues on its present trajectory, the water supply for Pakistan's 220 million people will be imperiled within 50 years, scientists say.
My solar output went down 25% from 842 KWh in August to 635 in September.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45336&fbclid=IwAR38ywspRJFQLVU5Hwr0kWDsIJEpBxvVkCxna764NC87ggXKq_77EJrCpcI
In the first two weeks of September 2020, average solar-powered electricity generation in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which covers 90% of utility-scale solar capacity in California, declined nearly 30% from the July 2020 average as wildfires burned across the state. Wildfire smoke contains small, airborne particulate matter particles that are generally 2.5 micrometers or smaller (referred to as PM2.5). This matter reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches solar panels, decreasing solar-powered electricity generation. As of September 28, California wildfires have burned an estimated 3.6 million acres in 2020, an area about the size of Connecticut.
According to data from the California Air Resources Board, peak California PM2.5 pollution began increasing in mid-August and reached a record high of 659 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) on September 15, the highest level since record keeping began in 2000. Peak PM2.5 pollution is measured as the daily average value at the testing site that has the
#Pakistan: Floating #solar panels paired with #hydroelectric dams. LUMS #Lahore researchers floated 200MW panels at 1.45 GW Ghazi Barotha Dam to model if 200 MW floating solar system could replace 1 of the 5 #hydropower units when water levels are low. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/10/05/floating-pv-paired-with-hydroelectric-dams-to-cover-peak-load/
Researchers from the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan have examined the potential to deploy floating PV on a body of water connected to one of the country's hydroelectric dams.
They published their findings in “Complementing hydroelectric power with floating solar PV for daytime peak electricity demand,” which was recently published in Renewable Energy.
Pakistan covers around 30% of its power demand with hydroelectric dams. Some of these facilities are of considerable size, like the Tarbela Dam, which reportedly has 3.5 GW of generating capacity. The University of Lahore scientists modeled the implementation of a floating array at the 1.45 GW Ghazi Barotha Dam, which features five generating units with around 290 MW of capacity each.
To cover daytime peak loads, installing a 200 MW floating system on the dam's reservoir could replace one of the five generating units if water levels are low. The researchers noted that Pakistan suffers frequent outages due to peak load hours during the day. The floating solar plant would work like a peaker plant, they said.
In terms of grid integration, the co-location of floating PV arrays with hydroelectric dams offers the chance to tap into existing infrastructure to cut costs. The scientists compared two approaches. In the first, they connected a floating PV system directly to a 500 kV transmission line system. In the other approach, they added a 132 kV sub-station.
They determined that the cost of connecting a solar PV array to the grid accounts for about 25% of total project costs. However, that shrinks considerably when such projects use the existing infrastructure of hydroelectric dams. With an additional 132 kV substation, the utilization rate can also be ramped up. The scientists suggested that a substation with import and export functions could distribute power more efficiently when a solar array is not generating at full load.
BREAKING DOWN EV MYTHS IN INDIA – WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?
By Atul Mudaliar, Head of Business Actions, Climate Group
https://www.theclimategroup.org/news/breaking-down-ev-myths-india-what-have-we-learnt
Myth
Fact
Written by
CHARGING
We need a dense public fast-charging network
From global examples, regular home or destination slow Alternating Current (AC) charging infrastructure should suffice for most uses (70-80%). Direct Current or DC fast charging would be required only in cases of highway charging or commercial charging where vehicle utilization is high, and vehicle idle time is low.
By Maxson Lewis, Managing Director, Magenta Power – ChargeGrid
TECHNOLOGY
EVs are slow and have limited range
Electric cars and high-speed electric two-wheelers have advanced high-performance ‘powertrains’. These vehicle systems can offer better acceleration in comparison to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powertrains and allow comfortable speeds for intra-city driving.
From a sample size of 85 e-2-wheeler models and 5 e-car models on the Indian market today, average range was 84 Kilometers (kms) and 300km per charge respectively, which is more than enough for day-to-day use.
By Jyoti Gulia, Director – JMK Research and Analytics
ECONOMICS
Electric vehicles are more expensive than ICE vehicles
When comparing the upfront cost, fuel costs and maintenance costs, we find that running EVs for more kms/day results in substantial fuel cost savings over ICE vehicles, making EVs much cheaper over their lifetimes.
Co-authored by Falgun Patel, The Climate Group and Nishant Saini, Founder & Managing Director – eeeTaxi
POLICY
There is no government support for electric vehicles in India
In India, governments (Central and State) have consistently promoted manufacturing and adoption of EVs. Capital subsidies on purchase of EVs under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME II), Goods & Services Tax (GST) on EVs has been reduced from 12% to 5%, an income tax deduction of INR 1,50,000+ can be claimed on the interest paid on loans taken for EVs.
By Charu Lata, Lead Consultant – Electric Mobility, NRDC India
VEHICLE EXPERIENCE & SHARED MOBILITY
EVs give unsatisfactory vehicle experiences
Electrified shared mobility could lead to range anxiety
Today’s new-age electric vehicles are adequately powered and can achieve speeds like ICE vehicles. The EV transition has allowed automakers to integrate technology like Artificial Intellegence and IoT, thereby enhancing user experience.
Shared e-mobility is an essential solution to solve congestion in cities. The average daily run of a vehicle in a city is much lower than the corresponding average EV range. With tech-enabled shared e-mobility infrastructure, the user is always aware of the estimated remaining range and nearest charging/battery-swapping station, making range anxiety a non-issue.
By Vinay Rotti, Head – Policy & Strategic Finance at Bounce and Pradeep Karuturi, Policy and Government Partnerships at Bounce
EMISSIONS
Charging EVs with India's electricity grid is worse than driving ICE vehicles
Transport and Environment finds that EVs manufactured and charged with Poland's electricity reduce CO2 emissions by ~29% compared to average of petrol and diesel CO2 emissions. India, in fact, has a slightly better grid emission factor than Poland, which means EVs already reduce emissions.
By Abhishek Ranjan – Energy and Electric Mobility Industry Expert in India
WHAT NEXT?
It is necessary for a myth to be proven right or wrong for it to emerge as a fact. Like many transitions witnessed in the technology domain, EV myths in India too will have to traverse this journey to see where we are now and find integrated and innovative ways to move forward. However, we now know that they are naturally conquerable, and will change over time.
EVs: Light it up. I am quoted in this Business Recorder article on #ElectricVehicles in #Pakistan written by @SattarHuma https://www.brecorder.com/news/40028733 Riaz Haq argues that EV assembly is not difficult: “EVs have fewer parts than fossil fuel vehicles. They should be cheaper and easier for EV-makers to assemble and for EV-users to maintain [once bought]. The best option for Pakistan is to do joint ventures with Chinese companies that have substantial expertise in EV technology to leapfrog the entire process”.
The changing geopolitics of energy
America’s domination of oil and gas will not cow China
Being an importer of fossil fuels and an exporter of renewable technology is not so bad
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/09/17/americas-domination-of-oil-and-gas-will-not-cow-china
“The united states of america is now the number-one energy superpower anywhere in the world,” President Donald Trump told oilmen in Midland, Texas this summer, from a stage decorated with gleaming black barrels. The sheer volume of hydrocarbons that such American oilmen have released from the shale beneath Midland and previously unforthcoming geology elsewhere gives substance to his boast (see chart 1). Over the past decade America’s oil output has more than doubled and its gas production increased by over 50%. America is now the world’s top producer of both fuels.
Had they heard Mr Trump say that “We will never again be reliant on hostile foreign suppliers,” presidents from Franklin Roosevelt on might have nodded in envious approval. After the second world war America’s unmatched ability to consume oil outstripped its unmatched ability to produce it. Ensuring supplies from elsewhere became an overriding priority. The oil shock of the 1970s had a profound effect both on the economy and on geopolitics, driving much of America’s subsequent involvement in the Middle East. The surge in domestic supply in the 2010s both boosted the economy and opened up new geopolitical opportunities. America can apply sanctions to petrostates such as Iran, Venezuela and Russia with relative impunity.
But what it might mean to be an energy superpower is changing, thanks to three linked global shifts. First, fears about fossil-fuel scarcity have given way to an acknowledgment of their abundance. Not least because of what has been achieved in America, the energy industry now knows that it will be lack of demand, not lack of supply, which will cause production of oil, coal and, later, gas to dwindle. In its latest “World Energy Outlook”, published on September 14th, bp, an oil company which has recently said it plans to go carbon neutral, argues that demand for oil may already have peaked, and could go into steep decline (see chart 2 ).
This is because of the second shift: an acknowledgment by most countries that, for the sake of the climate, reliance on fossil fuels needs to come to an end. And that leads to the third shift: electrification. Fossil fuels provide heat that is mostly used to move things, be they vehicles or electric generators. Solar panels and wind turbines provide energy as electricity straight off. Maximising their emissions-free benefits means processes and devices that now rely on combustion must in future use currents and batteries instead. The bp analysis argues that in a world going all out for decarbonisation the share of energy used in the form of electricity would rise from about a fifth in 2018 to just over half in 2050.
Falling demand for fossil fuels will tilt the balance of power away from producers and towards consumers—though there will doubtless be reversals now and then along the way. And in a world which needs to generate much more fossil-free electricity, mass production of the means whereby to do so will become crucial, as will government backing and know-how in deployment. Being a mighty pumper of oil will do a lot less for America under such conditions than once it might have done. But China, the world’s biggest fossil-fuel importer as well as its leading exponent of renewable energy at gigawatt scales, will have the wind, as it were, at its back.
Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan has said that the government has planned to transform the outlook of the energy market under the new Alternative Renewable Energy Policy.
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/06/govt-plans-to-transform-outlook-of-energy-market-minister/
The minister said this while talking to Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan Lis Rosenholm on Friday. Tabish Gauhar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Power, was also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, the outlook of the emerging market of the sector and business opportunities in view of the newly approved Alternative Energy Policy were discussed.
Acknowledging the lead role of Denmark in clean and green energy at global level, the minister said that Pakistan too is embarked upon tapping the huge indigenous potential of renewable energy. He said that Pakistan’s New Renewable Energy Policy would bring opportunities for investors due to transparent policies of the incumbent government.
He said that the government had set ambitious targets to introduce 25pc renewable energy by 2025, and 30pc by end of 2030, including 45pc share of hydel power generation and 10pc of nuclear energy into the energy mix of the country.
While explaining the investment potential in the power sector, the minister said that the government would induct renewable energy-based power plants through open and transparent competitive bidding process, which would lower the cost of production of electricity.
He also apprised the envoy that the government had prepared the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) 2047 for competitive market structure, generation, up-gradation of transmission, Smart AMI and modernization of distribution system.
The minister further informed that lowering of electricity cost for industries and establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would boost economic activity besides creating thousands of new jobs in the country.
The Danish ambassador, while appreciating the government’s commitment to raise the share of renewable clean and green energy, said that the new policy is more transparent as it provides a level playing field for all. She suggested setting up a joint energy platform to study the market, so that Danish companies would closely follow developments in the field of renewable energy and they could participate in the competitive process of renewable energy projects.
Pakistan can save $5bn by scaling up renewable energy: WB - Profit by Pakistan Today
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/10/pakistan-can-save-5bn-by-scaling-up-renewable-energy-wb/
The study, titled Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) Integration and Planning, finds that Pakistan needs to urgently implement a major expansion of solar and wind “variable renewable energy”, to achieve a share of at least 30per cent of total capacity by 2030. This would help lower the cost of power, achieve greater energy security, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“A large and sustained expansion of solar photovoltaic and wind power, alongside hydropower and substantial investments in the grid, is both achievable and desirable”, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine said.
“Such an initiative would lead to immediate and long-term economic and environmental benefits. It would enhance the security of supply as well as positioning Pakistan at the forefront of the global energy transition. We stand ready to support Pakistan in achieving the goal of affordable, reliable power for all by 2030,” he added.
According to the study, many sources of fossil fuel generation are no longer competitive and should be retired or their use significantly reduced. This includes domestic and imported coal, which is not economical over the next 10 years compared to VRE and has the additional downsides of GHG emissions, air pollution, and use of scarce water resources.
The study, based on an hour-by-hour analysis of all generation options, finds that a substantial and immediate scaling up of VRE capacity represents a “least-cost” strategy for expanding capacity in Pakistan, including consideration of the costs of integrating the variable supply from solar and wind.
China’s push into electric vehicles began just over a decade ago, spearheaded by a former engineer for Audi named Wan Gang. While more than 30 billion yuan ($4.54 billion) in subsidies attracted many worthless start-ups, a handful survived. Nio listed in New York in 2018 and has climbed more than 340% since. Li Auto and Xpeng went public in the U.S. this year and their shares are up more than 65% and 35%, respectively.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/23/chinas-electric-car-strategys-implications-for-us-energy-security.html
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While California-based Tesla captured popular attention for electric cars, national policy in Beijing encouraged the launch of several rivals in China, the world’s largest auto market.
“Over the next five years we anticipate Chinese players across the EV supply chain to aggressively enter the overseas market,” UBS analysts wrote in a note Wednesday.
Once a fringe item in a global energy market centered on oil, electric vehicles are part of a potential new ecosystem that includes self-driving cars and ride-hailing, says Daniel Yergin, vice chairman at IHS Markit.
China’s push into electric vehicles began just over a decade ago, spearheaded by a former engineer for Audi named Wan Gang. While more than 30 billion yuan ($4.54 billion) in subsidies attracted many worthless start-ups, a handful survived. Nio listed in New York in 2018 and has climbed more than 340% since. Li Auto and Xpeng went public in the U.S. this year and their shares are up more than 65% and 35%, respectively.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/23/chinas-electric-car-strategys-implications-for-us-energy-security.html
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While California-based Tesla captured popular attention for electric cars, national policy in Beijing encouraged the launch of several rivals in China, the world’s largest auto market.
“Over the next five years we anticipate Chinese players across the EV supply chain to aggressively enter the overseas market,” UBS analysts wrote in a note Wednesday.
Once a fringe item in a global energy market centered on oil, electric vehicles are part of a potential new ecosystem that includes self-driving cars and ride-hailing, says Daniel Yergin, vice chairman at IHS Markit.
#UN Chief calls on humanity to end war on nature, go carbon-free. Says “Apocalyptic fires and floods, cyclones and hurricanes are increasingly the new normal". #climatechange #fossilfuel #carbonemissions #GlobalWarming https://lasvegassun.com/news/2020/dec/02/un-calls-on-humanity-to-end-war-on-nature-go-carbo/#.X8fTOy2xQTk.twitter via @LasVegasSun
Governments in the Group of 20 major and emerging economies have so far committed more money to prop up fossil fuel sectors than to boost the rollout of renewable energy, the report found.
Co-author Ivetta Gerasimchuk of the International Institute for Sustainable Development said investing in oil, coal and gas no longer makes economic sense because renewable energy is becoming cheaper than fossil fuels. But, she said, “We see that instead of governments letting these fossil fuel projects die they resurrect them from the dead.”
The WMO’s report found global warming is worsening in all seven key climate indicators, but the problem is increasing human suffering in an already bad year.
“In 2020, over 50 million people have been doubly hit: by climate-related disasters (floods, droughts and storms) and the COVID-19 pandemic,’’ the report said. ”Countries in Central America are suffering from the triple-impact of hurricanes Eta and Iota, COVID-19 and pre-existing humanitarian crises.”
Among the dozens of extremes the report highlighted:
-- A record 30 Atlantic named tropical storms and hurricanes.
--Death Valley, California, hit 129.9 degrees (54.4 degrees Celsius), the hottest the world has seen in 80 years.
--Record wildfires struck California and Colorado in the western United States, following a major fire season and record heat in Australia.
--The Arctic had record wildfires and a prolonged heat wave culminating in a 100-degree mark (38 degrees Celsius) in Siberia in June.
--Record low Arctic sea ice was reported for April and August and the yearly minimum, in September, was the second lowest on record.
--More than 2,000 people died in record summer rains and flooding in Pakistan and surrounding nations.
While these events can’t solely be blamed on climate change, “these are the types of events scientists fear will increase due to climate change,” said Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the report.
“Human activities are at the root of our descent towards chaos,” Guterres said. “But that means human action can solve it.”
Pakistan will have 30% #ElectricVehicles by 2030. Along with #Denmark and #Norway, #Pakistan co-chairs a 32-nation Group of Friends on Sustainable #Energy, which is committed to a transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy. #renewableenergy https://www.dawn.com/news/1594548
Pakistan has informed the international community that it’s working on a plan to ensure that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of the vehicles used in the country are electronic.
Along with Denmark and Norway, Pakistan co-chairs a 32-nation Group of Friends on Sustainable Energy, which is committed to a transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy.
Pakistan is also a member of the Group of Friends on Climate Change, which is also committed to promoting the use of safe, renewable energy.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of this group in New York earlier this week, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram warned that most developing countries could fail to fulfill their commitments to the goal of creating a clean environment if they were not helped in making an adequate recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD
“If developing countries are destitute, if there are humanitarian disasters, if we are unable to recover from Covid, I think all other actions for many developing countries will become irrelevant,” he said. “So urgent and immediate actions are needed.”
The Pakistani envoy, who is also the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), urged major emitters of harmful gases into the atmosphere to fulfil their commitment to creating a safe and clean environment for all.
“There are positive indications I agree, but I believe that these should be made much clearer as we go forward, especially from the biggest country, the United States,” he said. “We look forward to what the new US administration will have to say in the coming months.”
Urging the world’s leading nations to fulfil their pledge for the hundred billion annual commitment on climate finance, Ambassador Akram said: “I think for many developing countries that will be an acid test.”
Pakistan, he said, was one of the smallest emitters of carbon in the world, but it’s also one of the most vulnerable countries with devastating environmental impact.
“We have an extensive and ambitious plan, both on adaptation, mitigation,” he said, adding that Pakistan was committed to meeting the targets set by various international agreements for promoting clean energy.
“We are also a champion on financing investment in renewable energy, and we look forward to playing that role as well,” he said.
Ambassador Akram also underlined the need for concrete progress on development transfer and deployment of technology in developing countries.
In August, Pakistan unveiled a plan to boost the share of renewable energy to 30 per cent by 2030, up from about 4 per cent today.
During the first phase, Pakistan aims to increase the share of renewables in power mix to 30 per cent by 2025. The targeted mix will include mainly wind and solar power, but also geothermal, tidal, wave and biomass energy.
With boosts in hydropower capacity, Pakistan hopes to bring the share of clean energy in its electricity mix to 65 per cent by 2030.
But plans to build seven more coal-fired power plants during the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project could prevent the country from reaching this goal. Pakistan’s intended move to clean energy has also been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan Decides Against New Coal-fired Power
By 2030, Khan said, 60% of all energy produced in Pakistan will be clean and obtained through renewable resources, while 30% of all vehicles will run on electricity.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/pakistan-decides-against-new-coal-fired-power
Khan’s government, which took power more than two years ago, has also undertaken a countrywide reforestation campaign to plant more than 3 billion trees by mid-2023 to mitigate the effects of climate change. The massive program, dubbed the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, went into effect last year, and officials say it has planted more than 500 million saplings across Pakistan.
#Toyota set to roll out electric tricycle in #Pakistan. The modern electric tricycle can carry a weight of 150 kilograms and after a full charge it can run up to 60 kilometers. #ElectricVehicles https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/759789-toyota-set-to-roll-out-electric-tricycle-in-pakistan
Toyota is all set to introduce electric tricycles in Pakistan to meet the demand of low-cost and fuel-efficient transport mode in the country with growing auto market demand.
An agreement between Hiroyuki Toyoda, chairman of T-Trike Company – a subsidiary of Toyota Motors – and Rana Abid Hussain, president of Pak-Japan Business Council, was recently signed for the distribution rights of electric tricycles.
Hussain told The News that initially 3,000 electric tricycles would be introduced in Pakistan, while in the next phase the electric bicycle will also be manufactured locally for which talks are underway.
The council president said the chairman of the company is scheduled to meet the Ambassador of Pakistan in Japan Imtiaz Ahmed next week after which the formal exports will take place. Electric tricycle is manufactured by Toyota Motors, a world-renowned automobile company of Japanese origin.
The vehicle will be introduced in partnership with the Pak-Japan Business Council. The new electronic tricycle developed under the supervision of Hiroyuki Toyoda, a son of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation. Hussain said electric tricycle is rapidly gaining popularity in Japan and the company has established 150 sales locations across the country. The modern electric tricycle can carry a weight of 150 kilograms and after a full charge it can run up to 60 kilometres.
Hussain said the tricycle can be easily used for courier services, vegetable hawkers and other small businesses. Without petrol this electric cycle will prove to be very economical, he said. Auto demand is fast increasing in Pakistan. With a wide gap of over 600,000 vehicles in demand and supply, used-cars are the most sought-after option. Cars are still expensive in the country ranked 154th in the world in terms of GDP per capita.
New auto policy is encouraging newcomers in Pakistan’s auto field that are importing semi knocked-down and completely knocked down cars in the country. Their prices are still out of range of majority of customers. Taxation is yet to be rationalised to make car ownership affordable, according to local analysts.
The battle within the electric-vehicle industry will intensify
The new kids v the old hands
The World Ahead
https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2020/11/17/the-battle-within-the-electric-vehicle-industry-will-intensify
The surging share price of Tesla, now the world’s most valuable carmaker, provides a big incentive for incumbents and newcomers to catch up. Tesla may lead in battery technology and software, but to make those advantages stick it must prove that “production hell” is behind it. The firm’s boss, Elon Musk, dreams of making 20m cars a year; in 2019 he made 370,000. Scaling up manufacturing has caused Tesla its biggest headaches. Will its new “gigafactories” in Texas and near Berlin come online as smoothly as a new plant in Shanghai, providing proof that Tesla can expand at will?
Tesla may have some catching up to do in large-scale production, but established carmakers face an equally daunting challenge: learning how to write software. Electric cars require integrated software, not just to ensure that batteries and motors work together to provide the best performance, but to connect the car to the outside world. Incumbent carmakers are struggling to combine disparate electronic systems from different suppliers to create the seamless experience offered by Tesla, which constantly improves its cars with smartphone-style “over the air” software updates.
Pivoting from mechanical engineering to developing software and providing the mobility services that customers will increasingly demand (such as ride-hailing and ride-sharing) is not the only challenge. Incumbents must also wind down investments in combustion-engine technology and make the alliances needed to catch up on batteries and software. Expect more joint ventures and investments in startups, as they try to share costs, shift away from petrol power and bring in new thinking.
And what of the Tesla wannabes, from China’s Li, Nio, WM Motor and Xpeng to American firms such as Fisker, Lucid and scandal-hit Nikola? Cash from excitable investors has poured in and established carmakers are also taking stakes—as are tech giants, keen to get involved as transport goes digital. But which companies will have staying power? Can the wannabes persuade investors that they have proprietary technology that will give them a long-term advantage?
Flashy launches of vehicles are one thing, but as the industry’s travails show, working out how to make cars at scale, when bits and bytes are as important as brakes and bodywork, is quite another. Establishing retail and maintenance networks is no joyride, either. The coming year will make clearer which of Tesla’s competitors, new and old, can stay in the race.
Karachi-born Sajjad Khan leads Mercedes-Benz's entry into electric vehicle.
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2021/01/07/take-that-tesla-mercedes-unveils-tech-filled-hyperscreen-be-sure-to-watch-video/
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across almost the entire width of the car instead of a conventional dashboard.
The MBUX Hyperscreen option available on the EQS sedan uses artificial intelligence to learn what functions the driver uses most, such as navigation and hands-free phone calls. Ola Kallenius, CEO of parent company Daimler AG, said Thursday in a recorded video presented online that the screen “only shows what is needed: no scrolling, no browsing.”
For instance, if the driver often uses the hot-stone massage function during the winter, the user experience system will suggest the comfort function during cold weather. Or, if the driver calls someone regularly on the way home, the system will suggest a call at the usual time.
“With the 3D driver display with real depth effect, the large head-up display with augmented reality content such as animated turn arrows and biometric authentication, MBUX has now taken another big step towards digitization and artificial intelligence. And, if you will, you could say that with the MBUX hyperscreen even the giant TV has now found its way into the car.,” mercedes said in a blog post.
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group, and Sajjad Khan, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG and CTO, on the new MBUX generation, were asked what they saw as the highlights.
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SAJJAD KHAN
Vice President - Digital Vehicle & Mobility at Daimler AG (Mercedes Benz Cars)
http://europe.autonews.com/article/20151218/ANE/151219992/mercedes-exec-committed-to-quick-meaningful-step-changes-in-digital
Sajjad is VP Digital Vehicle & Mobility at Daimler AG. He was pulled in by Mercedes from BMW and is generating end to end user experience as MDUX system. He is partnering with entrepreneurs around the world including in Silicon Valley where Mercedes has over 300 people in Sunnyvale. Come and learn on the details of what is needed in the auto eco system and where the opportunities are in this area.
https://2018.opensvforum.org/index.php/component/speventum/speaker/28-sajjad-khan
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Khan, Sajjad
2nd degree connection2nd
Khan, has a premium accountClick to upgrade to Premium
Executive Vice President - Member of the Board Mercedes Benz Cars
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 500+ connections Contact info
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khan-sajjad-054a403/
HBS, IU & NED
Degree NameMSc.Field Of StudyElectronics and Information Tech
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However, Khan is keen to point out that much of the technology produced for MBUX was sourced and produced from within the company. “Not only from the concept perspective, even from the software-programming perspective and the framework perspective, we did in-house,” he says.
“Cloud intelligence, speech… we use the base systems from key partners, but the majority of the work is done in-house.”
Think of MBUX as a powerful computer sitting behind your dashboard, and you’re on the right track. Its ability to learn and adapt to its new owner is already well known, but Khan says there’s a lot more potential already built into the system, and it won’t be limited by chipsets and screens.
“The game-changing thing is how you connect everything together, so that from the customer perspective, it’s seamless; they don’t have a feeling of ‘am I autonomous or am I in the connectivity domain at the moment, or am I driving electric?’” he says, leaning forward.
https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/sajjad-khan-the-man-with-his-head-in-the-cloud
Shell, KE to set up EV charging stations in Karachi
KARACHI: Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) and K-Electric Limited (KE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop the first three Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations across Karachi and its connecting highways, a statement said on Friday.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/771368-shell-ke-to-set-up-ev-charging-stations-in-karachi
The locations selected for installing 50 KWH Rapid chargers are: Shell Defence Filling-Station in Khayaban-e-Bahria, Askari Filling Station in Gulshan Town, and Mardan Filling Station in Gadap Town.
The statement said over the next 3 to 5 years, SPL and KE would explore the opportunity of additional sites and strategically expand the EV charging network.
“While SPL will engage in the deployment of charging station equipment, site preparation, installation and manage its operations, the KE will ensure grid enhancement,” it added.
The government has recently formulated and approved a policy to promote the use of electric vehicles in Pakistan, as an eco-friendly mode of transportation.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Taha Magrabi, General Manager Retail of Shell Pakistan Limited said, “Billions of people rely on transport to get about. There are around 1 billion cars on the world’s roads. This means that the transport sector has a fundamental role to play in helping global efforts to reduce emissions”.
Magrabi said the government of Pakistan had approved the EV policy to help tackle effects of climate change and offer affordable transport to its people. “Playing a key role in this sector, SPL along with KE are keen to support the EV policy and its objectives, with our collaboration,” he added.
Naz Khan, K-Electric’s chief strategy officer said, “As the world moves towards cleaner modes of transport, KE looks to enable this shift by adding to infrastructure that will support the introduction of EVs across Karachi and Pakistan”.
“With the government announcing a target for 30 percent of all vehicles in the local market to be electric by 2030, KE, with Shell, looks forward to facilitating our customers towards utilising EVs and contributing to long-term environmental sustainability,” Khan added.
#Pakistan’s power restored after massive #blackout.
#Poweroutage highlights long-term challenges surrounding electricity transmission networks. Between 80 to 90% electricity supply lost in a few seconds. It's never happened before. https://www.ft.com/content/47c4ca69-918c-4cc2-bdcd-38849a6bec73 via @financialtimes
Pakistan’s power supply was gradually being restored on Sunday after a massive power cut plunged almost the entire country into darkness over the weekend.
Prime minister Imran Khan’s government said the blackouts, which started late on Saturday night, were caused by a “technical fault” stemming from a failure at a power plant in the country’s south.
The breakdown highlights Pakistan’s chronic infrastructure challenges, especially the inability of successive governments to resolve long-term challenges surrounding its electricity transmission networks.
Although power outages are common in Pakistan, a senior government official told the Financial Times the weekend disruption was unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. “Between 80 to 90 per cent electricity supply was suspended in a few seconds. This has never happened before”.
The government urged citizens to remain calm as airports, hospitals and other key locations across the country of more than 200m people experienced blackouts.
Hafeez Pasha, a former finance minister and respected economist, said the latest blackout “represents a complete breakdown of governance in the power sector”.
Pakistan’s local media have pointed to the widespread theft of electricity as illegal power connections proliferate. There have been allegations that some electricity company officials have colluded with consumers to set up connections linked straight to power transmission lines rather than going through a meter.
The country’s main electricity supply companies have repeatedly run at a loss, prompting Pakistan’s western lenders to urge immediate remedial measures.
A $6bn loan from the IMF agreed in 2019 to help Pakistan stave off a debt crisis has been stalled, partly because of the prime minister’s refusal to accept an increase in electricity prices that would be unpopular with voters.
Analysts say Mr Khan has become increasingly averse to adopting unpopular measures as Pakistan’s political opposition has stepped up its protests against his two-year-old government, accusing him of winning the 2018 elections with the backing of the powerful army.
Opposition parties have threatened en masse resignations from parliament and a march to Islamabad unless Mr Khan resigns by the end of January.
Mr Pasha said the problem with Pakistan’s electricity grid was the result of under-investment in transmission and distribution networks, which means that about a third of electricity generated is lost during transmission or due to discrepancies in the billing system.
“How can you ever run the electricity network in a sustainable way?” Mr Pasha said. “There are bound to be growing problems.”
Pakistan leapfrogging to a green energy future
18 September 2020
Author: Maha Qasim, Islamabad
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/09/18/pakistan-leapfrogging-to-a-green-energy-future/#:~:text=In%20August%202020%2C%20the%20Pakistan,30%20per%20cent%20by%202030.
In August 2020, the Pakistan government formally approved the Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy 2019. The new policy aims to boost the share of electricity generated from renewable sources from around 5 per cent at present to 20 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.
To encourage the shift to renewables and empower the domestic industrial sector, the policy offers generous tax benefits to investors, encourages lower tariffs by introducing competitive bidding, and incentivises local production of renewable energy equipment such as wind turbines and solar panels.
The recent introduction of net-metering legislation for solar installations allows consumers to sell power to the grid. This is expediting the adoption of rooftop solar by homeowners and presents an opportunity to electrify remote villages and commercial enterprises that have sufficient rooftop space and available land.
Around 1000 MW of wind power has also been developed over the last few years. Wind power receives the highest level of private sector interest due to bite-size investment requirements and a relatively short gestation period. Utility-scale wind and solar plants could soon be augmented by battery storage to overcome the challenge of intermittent power supply.
The National Electric Vehicles Policy launched last year also promotes the large scale adoption of electric vehicles in an effort to combat urban air pollution and provides incentives to jumpstart the local electric vehicle manufacturing industry. The shift to electric vehicles could play a significant role in reducing Pakistan’s oil import bill and securing the transport sector against international price shocks, while also creating numerous green business and employment opportunities.
Pakistan currently imports almost a third of its energy resources in the form of oil, LNG and coal. An import-driven energy policy is not sustainable for Pakistan as it contributes to long-term energy insecurity, exposing the economy to energy price shocks and the risk of inflation. Inflationary pressures reduce the competitiveness of the country’s exports, further constraining Pakistan’s capacity to pay for energy imports.
The rapid adoption and upscaling of green energy solutions in the form of distributed generation, smart metering and electric vehicles — coupled with investments in utility-scale renewable energy power plants and increased energy conservation efforts — will significantly reduce energy imports and decrease the cost of electricity. This amounts to greater self-sufficiency and energy security for Pakistan.
Thanks to infrastructure and energy projects built under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has managed to plug the energy shortfall that has plagued the country for several years. The government has various power projects in the pipeline and forecasts surplus generation capacity in the next decade — a surplus that could benefit the growing electric vehicles sector.
Overall, Pakistan attracted more than 50% of renewable energy investments (47% of which in hydropower), while Russia and Indonesia received predominantly fossil fuel related energy investments. (Green Belt and Road BRI Initiative)
https://green-bri.org/china-belt-and-road-initiative-bri-investment-report-2020/
Among the BRI countries, investments were spread broadly across the continents. The countries that received most investments were Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan and Chile. Particularly Vietnam saw a strong increase of Chinese investments – an increase of over 200% compared to 2019, possibly driven by near-shoring to avoid American sanctions. Other BRI countries that saw increases of Chinese investments despite the COVID-19 pandemic include Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Chile, as well as Thailand.
Analyzing Chinese energy investments in different countries, we find that Pakistan was the country, which received most energy investments from 2013 to 2020, followed by the Russian Federation and Indonesia. Pakistan is both the largest recipient of coal-related investments and also the largest recipient of investments in hydropower. Overall, Pakistan attracted more than 50% of renewable energy investments (47% of which in hydropower), while Russia and Indonesia received predominantly fossil fuel related energy investments.
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Rail: Rail investments included high-speed rail projects connecting China through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore (Kunming-Singapore rail). A deal of the first 40km segment of the China-Thailand high-speed rail linking Bangkok to Thailand’s border with Laos was signed in December 2020. China is also building a US$6 bn high-speed rail connecting 142 km between Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia. Furthermore, China has been engaged in building several railway projects on the African continent (e.g. Standard Gauge Railways in Kenya and Ethiopia). China also invested in rail in Europe, such as the Budapest-Belgrade railway. China also invested in several urban rail transport projects, such as US$900 million in a subway in Hanoi, Vietnam (which has been delayed) or the US$1.6 billion metro line in Lahore, Pakistan opened in October 2020.
Road-transport: China invested across all countries with investments including road construction in Pakistan (e.g. Karakoram Highway connecting China and Pakistan all the way to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port). In 2020 investments in road infrastructure decreased by close to 70% to about US$4 billion.
Ports: Pakistan is also one of the largest recipients of Chinese investments in port infrastructure, such as the Gwadar port operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company, which is a strategically important and also contested investment for China. Other strategic port investments can be found in Piraeus, Greece or in Lamu and Mobasa, Kenya, as well as in Djibouti. A recent US$3 billion agreement to commission Croatia’s largest port (Rijeka Port) to a consortium of three Chinese contractors has been cancelled at the beginning of 2021.
Worlds largest #Tesla #ElectricVehicle #Supercharger V3 Station Approved For Santa Monica, #California, with 62 V3 (250 kW) stalls. Currently, the largest Supercharger station in the world is in #Shanghai, #China, with 72 stalls of V2 (120 kW) https://insideevs.com/news/492495/massive-62-stall-tesla-supercharger-v3-station-approved/?fbclid=IwAR2DE4qB6Yniw5OSqGcTqd9SsoCTDsI0CuYwwh5lWKAIrKwdVRS-UtZE6Mc
Following long discussions and plenty of objections, Tesla will move forward with the two-facility 62-stall Supercharger site.
Just two days ago, we reported about potential plans for a massive Tesla Supercharger V3 station in Santa Monica, California. The Tesla site will be the largest of its kind in the world, with 62 V3 (250 kW) Supercharging stalls distributed between two facilities. After hours of discussion, the charging project was approved.
For reference, the world's largest V3 Supercharging station is in Firebaugh, California, with 56 stalls. Currently, the largest Supercharger station in the world is in Shanghai, China, with 72 stalls. However, the Shanghai station uses the former V2 (120 kW) Supercharging technology.
The Santa Monica Planning Commission finally approved the project with a 5-2 vote after hours of discussion, which was a result of objections and opposition to the future project. It will be located at 1401 Santa Monica Boulevard, with two sites separated by an alley. One site will house 36 stalls while the other will have 26. It will also feature solar power and battery storage.
Local residents mentioned concerns about the Supercharger station's fan noise, booming car sound systems waking people late at night, and the worry of homeless people trying to access the Supercharger station's restrooms, among other concerns. You can check out the Santa Monica Planning Commission’s vote by clicking on the video in the tweet above.
It's important to note that despite the lengthy question and answer session, as well as the long list of concerns, it comes as no surprise the commission approved the project with only two votes in opposition. While there are often concerns about such projects, there's something to be said about having the world's largest Tesla Supercharger station, and a progressive California city is arguably an ideal location for the charging facility.
LONGi Solar has taken its confirmed solar module orders from Pakistan this year to 500MW, the majority of which it said were for its Hi-MO 5 series.
https://www.pv-tech.org/longi-solar-takes-pakistan-module-orders-to-500mw-as-country-momentum-builds/
LONGi said more than 80% of orders secured in the country, equivalent to around 422MWp, were for the Hi-MO 5 series of modules which come in power output variants of up to 540W.
Among the clients LONGi has secured in the country are Reon Energy, which is to develop Pakistan’s largest commercial solar project to date – and among the largest commercial rooftops outside of China – at 70MWp. The project is due to enter commercial operations in Q3 2021.
Dennis She, senior vice president at LONGi Solar, said the module manufacturer was committed to helping its customers in Pakistan contribute towards the country’s “path towards greater energy independence”.
“As Pakistan is prioritizing its energy generation methods and enhancing capacity to produce clean energy in order to meet growing demand without degrading the environment, energy project cooperation is playing a pivotal role,” he said.
Amidst a sizeable energy deficit where demand far outstrips power supply in Pakistan, the country is quickly turning to renewable power to bolster its power generation base. As of 30 June 2020, Pakistan had an operational solar generation capacity of 530MW, equivalent to around 1.36% of the country’s total power generation capacity of just over 38.7GW. Renewables in total contribute just 4% to total power output.
But Pakistan maintains an ambition to see that share rise to 30% by 2030, and sizeable additions to the country’s renewables portfolio are planned. LONGi cited estimates that between 565MW and 1,120MW of new solar capacity will be added this year, followed by between 623MW and 1,287MW in 2022.
Pakistan’s installed PV capacity will likely increase from around 1.3 GW at the end of 2019 to 12.8 GW by 2030 and 26.9 GW by 2047, according to the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan – IGCEP 2047, which was recently published by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/01/pakistani-regulator-expects-solar-capacity-to-hit-27-gw-by-2047/
NERPA's base-case scenario predicts that overall generation capacity will grow from 33,000 MW in 2020 to around 168,200 MW in 2047. But coal and hydropower will still account for 36% and 42% of total capacity, at 32,948 MW and 55,836 MW, respectively.
By 2030, the share of wind and solar in the overall energy mix will likely increase from about 3% in 2020 to 23%. “Beyond 2030, share of solar and wind plants decreases due to the increase in the number of new local coal-based plants having greater capacity factors,” NERPA said.
However, it also acknowledges that wind and solar are becoming the cheapest forms of new electricity generation. “They are set to replace the conventional fuels to great extent for power generation to meet the future demand growth,” NEPRA said. “The cheaper and widely accessible renewable energy has the potential to substantially decrease the reliability of power sector on expensive imported fuels.”
The organization also predicts that solar power plant capex in Pakistan will drop from $530/kW in 2020 to $371/kW by 2030. A global outlook report that was recently published by SolarPower Europe also predicted that Pakistan will deploy close to 5 GW of solar capacity by 2022.
Nuclear power plants produce no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and over the course of its life-cycle, nuclear produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per unit of electricity as wind, and one-third of the emissions per unit of electricity when compared with solar.
https://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/how-can-nuclear-combat-climate-change.aspx
Experts have concluded that in order to achieve the deep decarbonisation required to keep the average rise in global temperatures to below 1.5°C, combating climate change would be much harder, without an increased role for nuclear. Because nuclear power is reliable and can be deployed on a large scale, it can directly replace fossil fuel plant, avoiding the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity generation. The use of nuclear energy today avoids emissions roughly equivalent to removing one-third of all cars from the world’s roads.
Modern society is becoming more and more dependent on electricity, with demand steadily increasing as transport, domestic heating and industrial processes are increasingly electrified. Whilst electricity is clean at the point of use, its generation currently produces over 40% of all energy-related carbon emissions. Decarbonising the electricity supply, whilst providing affordable and reliable electricity to a growing global population, must be central to any climate change strategy.Nuclear energy has shown that it has the potential to be the catalyst for delivering sustainable energy transitions, long before climate change was on the agenda. France generates over 70% of its electricity from nuclear power – the largest nuclear share of any country globally – and its electricity sector emissions are one-sixth of the European average. In around 15 years, nuclear power went from playing a minor role in the French electricity system to producing the majority of its electricity, showing that nuclear energy can be expanded at the speed required to effectively combat climate change.
Apparently irked over not being invited by longtime ally US to an upcoming meeting on the climate change crisis, Pakistan on Saturday said its commitment to addressing the simmering issue is “well accepted and appreciated around the world.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-responds-to-us-climate-summit-snub/2190225
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders to a two-day Leaders Summit on Climate “to galvanize efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis,” the White House announced on Friday.
The virtual summit, which follows Washington’s return to the 2016 Paris agreement, is slated to be held on April 22 and April 23.
Responding to the US snub, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri issued a statement outlining Islamabad’s contributions to the global fight against climate change.
“Pakistan’s landmark initiatives like the Billion Tree Tsunami have won international acclaim, including from the World Economic Forum,” he said, referring to a nationwide tree plantation drive spearheaded by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
“Pakistan is also meaningfully contributing to shape the global climate change discourse, inter alia, as the Vice President of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” read the statement.
“Pakistan also co-chaired the multibillion-dollar Green Climate Fund, established to support climate actions in developing countries, last year.”
The summit, Chaudhri pointed out, would bring together “leaders from countries responsible for approximately 80 percent of global emissions and GDP.”
“Pakistan, despite being among the top ten countries affected by climate change, is one of the lowest emitters – with less than one percent of the global emissions,” he said.
“Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our times that can only be countered through inclusive, cooperative and forward-looking policies. Pakistan remains fully committed to play its due role in this fight.”
State Bank of #Pakistan has provided Rs36 billion in financing for 521 #renewableenergy projects producing approximately 850MW. It offers financing options ranging from Rs400 million to Rs6 billion for a range of entities and persons #solar #wind #hydro https://www.dawn.com/news/1622092
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has been providing financing on a large scale to promote renewable energy that helped Unilever Pakistan run its 30 per cent plants on renewable energy, central bank governor Dr Reza Baqir said on Tuesday.
Addressing a joint webinar hosted by the SBP and Unilever Pakistan to create awareness about the former’s Financing Scheme for Renewable Energy (FSRE), Dr Baqir said that as of February 2021, financing of around Rs36 billion has been extended for 521 projects producing approximately 850MW.
Financing for sustainable development is the need of the hour and financial institutions have a crucial role in this area, he added.
FSRE aims to encourage investments for clean energy in Pakistan, the SBP governor said, adding that this is part of the country’s efforts to diversify the energy mix and reduce climate change impact.
The scheme offers varied financing options ranging from Rs400 million to Rs6 billion for a range of entities and persons, he said.
This includes captive energy units as well as commercial projects and individual consumers who may share excess production with the national grid.
The SBP issued its FSRE in 2016 and based on positive feedback the scheme was revised in July 2019. The SBP also introduced a Sharia-compliant version of this scheme in August 2019. The scheme aims at meeting Pakistan’s growing electricity demand through renewable energy and promoting clean energy projects as part of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It promotes the use of indigenous resources such as wind, solar and hydro power to generate electricity as well as encourages the use of renewable energy at consumer level.
Dr Baqir said that Pakistan faces challenge as a result of climate change and adopting prevention strategies are of paramount importance. In this regard the SBP has issued FSRE with a view to promoting renewable energy projects.
He highlighted the key features of the scheme that can be beneficial for the stakeholders ranging from the corporate to the individuals. The scheme has evolved over time and received strong response, said Dr Baqir urging participants to benefit from this facility.
He said that mobilisation of financial resources towards resource efficient and sustainable avenues would play a central role in mitigating climate change. Pakistan is member of Global Sustainable Banking Network (SBN) since 2015 and green and sustainable finance policies are being aligned with global environmental and social standards and best practice.
In his address, Chairman & CEO Unilever Pakistan Amir Paracha said FSRE offered tremendous social and business value to companies and producers both in terms of their environmental footprint and cost savings ambitions.
As part of this financing scheme, Unilever availed a loan of Rs833m through Standard Chartered Bank to set up 8.85MW of renewable energy production facilities across four factories in Punjab.
This effort is in line with Unilever’s global mission for carbon neutrality and sustainability in its manufacturing process. Unilever has committed to remove carbon emissions from operations by 2030, as well as net zero emissions from their products by 2039, which will be 11 years ahead of the 2050 Paris Agreement.
The webinar was attended by various chambers, media organisations, presidents and CEOs of banks, energy experts, representatives of Pakistan Business Council and senior officials from the SBP.
#Japan's #Hitachi picks #Pakistan for #emergingmarket break in electric bus chargers.
Japanese group also eyes deals in #MiddleEast for zero-emission infrastructure. #ElectricVehicles #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Hitachi-picks-Pakistan-for-emerging-market-break-in-electric-bus-chargers
Hitachi will help build charging infrastructure for electric buses in Pakistan, part of the Japanese industrial group's search for deals in this sector in South Asia and the Middle East, Nikkei has learned.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based blue chip, sees emerging markets as an important proving ground for its charging system, which replenishes bus batteries not only at terminals but also in quick bursts at each stop.
Demand for electric buses is projected to surge as Asian nations seek to temper urban sprawl with low-carbon-emissions technology. By 2030, 3 million to 5 million electric buses will be in service worldwide, up from about 500,000 in 2019, the International Energy Agency forecasts.
In Pakistan, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will work with local bus company Daewoo Express and Chinese electric bus maker Sky-well New Energy Automobile Group to build a network. The Hitachi unit has reached a preliminary agreement to supply charging infrastructure for this effort.
Sky-well will supply buses built outside of Pakistan to Daewoo Express, with a view to eventually assembling them in the country.
In the Middle East, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will team with another Chinese bus maker, Yinlong Energy. Charging equipment there will need to be built to withstand searing daytime temperatures and sandstorms.
Emerging markets are home to many cities with underdeveloped urban transportation, giving them a unique opportunity to jump directly to the most advanced zero-emission technology.
Hitachi aims to eventually transfer the know-how it gains in these countries to projects in advanced economies.
The company is not the only Japanese player seeking overseas growth in electric buses. Trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. have enlisted their own international partners in this field.
Shares in Tokyo-listed Hitachi -- whose businesses span power grids, trains, factory automation and appliances -- reached a roughly 20-year high in Tokyo trading on Friday, lifted by forecasts that the company is headed toward a record net profit for the second year in a row.
Is #Apple #EV Under Development? Apple Has Hired Former BMW i3 & i8 Exec For #ElectricCar Project. Several #Tesla executives have moved to Apple over the years, but there's still no sign of any car or related platform. https://insideevs.com/news/513449/apple-hires-bmw-exec-ev/?fbclid=IwAR3MS9NY4us3c16PvlD8tDYnYv_o7bzULNZaxSlC9L8IeDaESuenCpPa6eY via @insideevs.com
Apple has been touting an EV on and off for years. It this the real deal now?
According to a recent article by Autoblog, based on information from sources familiar with the matter, Apple has hired Ulrich Kranz to head up its electric car project. Kranz is a former BMW executive with ties to the i3 and i8. A spokesperson from Apple has confirmed the hiring of Kranz.
A few months ago, Kranz left his role at self-driving startup Canoo, and it seems Apple jumped on the opportunity to hire him rather quickly. Kranz was actually the co-founder and CEO of Canoo. He left a senior vice president position at BMW to move forward with Canoo. His group at BMW worked on developing the i3 electric car and i8 plug-in hybrid.
For years, people have talked about the parallels between Tesla and Apple. There has also been much talk about the potential for the companies to join hands. Moreover, skeptics have pointed to a potential Apple Car as a "nail in the coffin" for Tesla. However, while Tesla continues to innovate, build global factories, and outsell all other EVs across the globe, Apple has certainly been taking its time.
Apple has also been very wishy-washy about its EVs plans, promising to bring the Apple Car to market, changing its mind, looking to other companies to build its cars, canceling the project, reinstating the project, and now, hiring a top legacy auto executive.
Many Apple fans will tell you this hire is a big deal since it means Apple definitely has plans to bring an EV to market. However, until there's proof that a car is actually coming, we're not holding our breath. Nonetheless, we'd love to see an Apple EV become reality, and we hope Kranz is the answer. If any company has what it takes to follow Tesla's lead, Apple should be on the list, but it could be a long road ahead.
Apple's car efforts started way back in 2014, but after just two years, the company decided to table the project in favor of an autonomous driving platform. Several Tesla executives have moved to Apple over the years, but there's still no sign of any car or related platform.
Do you have any faith in an upcoming Apple Car? Is this recent Apple hire enough to really get the ball rolling? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comment section below.
“Sales of solar power systems have gone up 80 per cent in the last two years owing to a soaring demand in rural areas where power availability is still a remote possibility,” said M. Saleem Memon, the vice-president of Karachi Electronics Dealers Association (KEDA).
https://www.dawn.com/news/1626781
Mr Memon, who also deals in alternative energy solutions, said sales of solar-powered systems are going on in urban areas but these cannot match the impressive demand in rural areas. He went on to add that in urban areas, residential and educational buildings, private offices and industries are shifting towards the alternative energy option, he said.
Claiming that the price of solar panel systems had been unchanged for the last two years, he said, 5kW and 10kW system (battery, inverter and panels) cost Rs500,000 and Rs1 million, followed by Rs100,000 and Rs200,000 for 1kW and 2kW, respectively.
In rural areas, he said solar energy is also being used to run tube wells and water pumps.
Talking to Dawn, Sikandar Shahzada, the owner of Sikandar and Co, said the boom in construction of highrise buildings, big government projects, vertical expansion in factories, etc has caused an alarming jump in import bill of power generating machines which need 20kVA to 100kVA generators.
A dealer in solar system and generators, Mr Shahzada said that in highrise projects, standby generators are a must to keep lifts moving coupled with ensuring power requirement for water pumping machines in case of power failures.
“People are fast moving towards solar power solutions since power rates and petrol/diesel prices have been going up for the last few years, while many buyers are unable to afford generators due to the rising cost of living,” he said. “Consumers are now well informed regarding affordable living choices and are opting for solar power systems whose sales are 100 per cent up compared to the last two years,” he claimed.
A 20kW solar system is considered feasible as many consumers after consuming low power transfer excess power to K-Electric under a deal for which a separate meter is installed, he explained.
The price of 20kW and 30kW solar systems is Rs1.85m and Rs2.8m, respectively, while the price of one kVA branded Chinese generator now costs Rs32,000 as against Rs26,000 some 10 months back, he said. A 2.5kVA power gadget costs Rs52,000-55,000, up by 15pc compared to price prevailing 10 months back, he added.
Mr Shahzada attributed the hike in generator prices to rising freight charges, global container shortages and soaring copper and steel prices which had offset the impact of low import cost on account of gaining rupee against the dollar in the last nine months.
In August 2020, one dollar was equivalent to Rs168.71 as compared to current inter-bank rate of Rs152-153.
Talking to Dawn, Pakistan Machinery Merchants Group (PMMG) President Khurram Saigal said household consumers and small and medium enterprises (SME) are reluctant to purchase generators due to a slowdown in loadshedding in the last few years. “High generator prices and consumer focus towards solar systems has hit sales of these machine. Sales to SMEs are down by 70pc in the last two years,” he claimed.
Hydropower development initiative focuses on clean energy transition
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/855748-hydropower-development-initiative-focuses-on-clean-energy-transition
Pakistan is facing a huge challenge of preparedness in the face of climate change impacts and their rapidly emerging threats, said Special Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam.
Mr Aslam was speaking at the Clean Energy Transition Summit organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute.
Mr Aslam elaborated that Pakistan is on the development pathway and wants to maintain that momentum. He claimed that the 10 billion tree tsunami initiative generated jobs but was directly addressing the menace of climate change.
He said that currently the unprecedented heat-waves and alarming rate of melting glaciers in addition to the unexpected Monsoon season are posing threats at multiple levels.
He revealed that ecosystem restoration is a budgetary priority while hydro-development is a key focus of our government in addition to pushing for solar power plants as well as establishing wind corridors. He hoped that with local coal, we would move to coal to liquid or gas which is much cleaner and pushing for re-commitments to clean energy under the CPEC umbrella.
Shandana Gulzar Khan, chairperson, NA Committee on Food Security and Agriculture, said that we need to change the way of doing business and encourage a shift towards cleaner energy. We also need to evaluate the link between gender, clean energy, and COVID-19, she added.
Earlier, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director, SDPI, raised the question that we need to know how we can make renewable energy fit in the current narrative in a way that it could respond to fiscal restraints and meet the needs of the consumer. He said that the goal is for 60% of energy to come from clean resources by 2030.
Waqas bin Najib, Member Energy, MoPD&SI, informed the participants that our national energy policy has already been approved and renewable energy has a major role in the policy.
Danny Kennedy, CEO, New Energy Nexus, said that we chose renewable energy which has been a huge success for the state and Pakistan may get benefitted from this experience for its transition to clean energy.
Sheeraz Anwar Khan from ADB, was of the view that the energy sector in Pakistan has suffered due to poor strategies and with the increased share of renewable energy, the government is hoping to achieve a sustainable mix of it at affordable prices.
Farzana Altaf, DG, Pak-EPA, was of the view that hydropower is very familiar to us but our investments have to be focused to promote this source of energy.
Mohammad Faisal Sharif, the energy sector expert, explained that transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a huge commitment and we are also transitioning our grid from a single buyer to a multi-party system.
Hassan Daud Butt, CEO, KP BOI, said that cleaner energy is imperative but cheaper source of energy is also important and being abundant with indigenous sources.
Mustafa Haider Sayed, Executive Director, Pakistan China Institute, was of view that under CPEC, coal power plants have been the game changer for meeting Pakistan’s energy needs and have played a significant role in uplifting communities.
Siemens Gamesa books 410 MW of turbine orders in Pakistan in FY 2019/2020
https://renewablesnow.com/news/siemens-gamesa-books-410-mw-of-turbine-orders-in-pakistan-in-fy-20192020-715727/
Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (BME:SGRE) has received 410 MW worth of wind turbine orders from Pakistan during its fiscal year to end-September.
Of the total, orders for 260 MW were booked in the final quarter of the 2019/2020 fiscal year, the turbine maker said.
The machines will be distributed between eight wind farm projects. Two of the projects are already under construction, with commissioning set to take place in November 2020 and February 2021.
The eight projects represent 205 of turbines from the 2.X platform, which Siemens Gamesa will supply, install and commission in partnership with an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
By the end of 2021, all eight wind farms will be fully operational. Once online, they will be capable of covering power consumption needs of up to 600,000 local households each year.
According to Siemens Gamesa, 40 million of people in Pakistan have no access to electricity. The government is committed to bring in modern renewables into the power mix, currently dominated by imported oil and natural gas.
#Pakistan to bring fresh air to cities with 10 billion trees planted using Japanese botanist #Miyawaki's technique. #Lahore urban #forest covers 12.5 acres with over 165,000 plants, expected to grow 10X faster than normal by planting them close together. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-seeks-bring-fresh-air-polluted-cities-with-10-billion-trees-2021-08-09/
As Pakistan continues its massive drive to plant 10 billion trees to reduce smog, the country's prime minister urged his citizens to heed the dire warnings in a U.N. climate change report released on Monday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan made the remarks as he inaugurated what officials say is the largest urban Miyawaki forest project in the world. Using a technique pioneered by the late Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, the forest covers 12.5 acres and has more than 165,000 plants. Officials say the trees are expected to grow 10 times faster than normal due to the Miyawaki technique of planting them close together.
The forest is one of 53 such sites in Lahore that are expected to work as carbon sinks. The city of 10 million has grappled with smog in recent years that has forced schools to close and earned it a ranking among the world's most polluted cities.
"Humans have done such a disservice to God's blessings, to this world, that many things - rising sea levels for instance because of warming and emissions - cannot come back to how they were before," Khan said in the central city of Lahore. "All of us living in the world today, if we do all we can, maybe we can save the world from even worse harm to come."
The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said Monday that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Even the starkest measures to reduce emissions, it said, would not prevent a global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and the extreme weather and rising sea levels resulting from that change. read more
Since the tree planting drive started in 2018, the country has 1 billion more trees and is planting another 500 million during the monsoon season.
"If you are concerned about your children and their future, the least you can do is plant one tree and take care of it," Khan said.
#US enhances #Pakistan’s #renewable #energy capacity. #USAID has increased #Pakistan’s #wind & #solar capacity by approximately 50% by leveraging over $900 million in private investment & facilitating the addition of 860 megawatts of wind & solar projects https://tribune.com.pk/story/2315262/us-project-enhances-pakistans-renewable-energy-capacity
Pakistan on Thursday appreciated the United States for greatly enhancing capacity of renewable energy projects by approximately 50% through its Sustainable Energy for Pakistan (SEP) project.
The statement comes after Pakistani officials and representatives from the US government celebrated the conclusion of the four-year Sustainable Energy for Pakistan (SEP) project, an official statement said on Thursday.
Through the SEP project, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the Pakistani government to provide more affordable, and climate-friendly power to Pakistan’s national energy grid while fostering economic growth for the country, it added.
Speaking on the occasion USAID Mission Director Julie Koenen said that the SEP has contributed towards making the energy sector more competitive, modern, efficient, clean, and financially viable for Pakistanis. “I am hopeful that the impact of this work will go beyond the energy sector and benefit the entire economy of Pakistan.”
Also read: Pakistan urged to expand solar, wind capacity
Additional Secretary for the Ministry of Energy’s Power Division Waseem Mukhtar praised the USAID for its partnership, innovation and support in making Pakistan’s energy sector more sustainable.
Through this project, the USAID increased Pakistan’s wind and solar capacity by approximately 50% by leveraging more than $900 million in private investment and facilitating the addition of 860 megawatts of wind and solar projects.
The SEP also introduced and standardised several new technologies in Pakistan’s power sector, including smart meters, which the Pakistani government has expanded with its own funds.
The US government’s partnership with Pakistan’s energy sector spans many decades and covers a wide range of projects to help Pakistan modernise its energy sector and combat the effects of climate change.
#Pakistan to build #solar plants on #canals. Solar plants on canals have already been successfully built in #India, where this technology has shown that solar power can be generated without occupying land and, at the same time, reduce #water evaporation https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/09/20/pakistan-wants-to-build-solar-plants-on-canals/
The government of Pakistan is planning to build solar plants on top of canals spread across the region of Punjab, which hosts several canal irrigation systems.
The Punjab Power Development Board (PPDB) is currently seeking consultants to conduct a feasibility study for the deployment of solar plants on canals spread across the Gujranwala division, which is an administrative division in northern Punjab; and at the Rakh branch, which is a canal originating from Lower Chenab canal, in Gujranwala, and ending at Samundri, in Faisalabad district.
“Punjab has one of the widest-spread canal network[s] in the region; comprising of lined and unlined channels,” the authority said in the tender document. “Installations of solar PV panels on canal[s] … can avoid [the] use of expensive land for generating environment-friendly power. The generated electricity can be used by nearby localities or industry.”
The selected consultants will have to identify all lined and unlined canal parcels and distributary, minor canals that are suitable for canal-top solar power generation; and suitable power infrastructure located nearby, and select six sites. The deadline to submit proposals has been set for September 30.
According to a recent study from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the United States, solar canals are already competitive with ground-mounted PV. Solar plants on canals have already been successfully built in India, where this technology has shown that solar power can also be generated without occupying land and, at the same time, reduce water evaporation.
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Tax breaks kick Pakistan's electric car shift into higher gear
https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tax-breaks-kick-pakistans-electric-car-shift-into-higher-gear-2021-11-22/
ISLAMABAD, Nov 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Pakistani businessman Nawabzada Kalam Ullah Khan had been planning to swap his family's petrol-powered cars for electric models for years.
But it wasn't until a set of massive tax cuts came into effect in July that the 29-year-old from Pakistan's capital Islamabad finally put in an order for two electric cars.
"Someone has to take the initiative to switch to these cost-efficient, environment-friendly vehicles in the face of increasing pollution in big cities - and we've done it," Khan said.
His new cars, he said now cost about five times less to run day to day than his old vehicles, a major incentive to make the switch.
Major Pakistan and Indian cities are struggling with dangerous levels of air pollution, with Pakistan's Lahore this week declared the most polluted city in the world.
Heavy use of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles for transport combined with smoke from seasonal crop burning make the problem particularly severe at this time of year.
But Pakistan's electric vehicle push is picking up speed, nearly two years after the country launched its ambitious green policy, which envisions a shift to 30% electric cars and trucks nationwide by 2030, and 90% by 2040.
Key to the shift are hefty tax exemptions for both electric vehicles imports and imports of parts and equipment to build the cars in Pakistan.
That has helped make the vehicles more affordable, industry figures said, as Prime Minister Imran Khan's government pushes ahead with its plan to cut carbon emissions and urban pollution.
The general sales tax on locally manufactured electric cars - those with batteries holding less than 50-kilowatt hours (kWh) of power - has dropped from 17% to nearly zero, said Asim Ayaz, general manager of the government's Engineering Development Board (EDB).
At the same time, the customs duty on imported electric car parts - such as batteries, controllers and inverters - is down to 1%.
The duty on importing fully built electric cars also has fallen from 25% to 10% for one year, Ayaz told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Officials say the tax relief is a big step toward implementing Pakistan's National Electric Vehicle Policy, originally passed by the cabinet in November 2019.
It aims to put half a million electric motorcycles and rickshaws and 100,000 electric cars, vans and small trucks into the transportation system by 2025.
"Definitely the tax exemptions make the price point (on electric vehicles) competitive," said Malik Amin Aslam, the special assistant to the prime minister on climate change.
"It makes it extremely attractive for the customer to go electric."
Aslam said if about a third of new cars sold run on electricity by 2030, as envisioned, Pakistan could see a big drop in climate-changing emissions and pollution.
Electric vehicles currently produce 65% fewer planet-warming gases than those running on fossil fuels, he said.
Pakistan ranks second, behind Bangladesh, according to a list of nations with the worst air quality compiled last year by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures levels of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5.
In Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province with Lahore as its capital, transport accounts for more than 40% of total air-polluting emissions, followed by industry and agriculture, according to a 2019 study by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
Shaukat Qureshi, general secretary of the Pakistan Electric Vehicles and Parts Manufacturers and Traders Association, said the new tax cuts mean savings of up to 500,000 rupees ($2,900) on imported small electric vehicles.
Tax breaks kick Pakistan's electric car shift into higher gear
https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tax-breaks-kick-pakistans-electric-car-shift-into-higher-gear-2021-11-22/
Shaukat Qureshi, general secretary of the Pakistan Electric Vehicles and Parts Manufacturers and Traders Association, said the new tax cuts mean savings of up to 500,000 rupees ($2,900) on imported small electric vehicles.
He said many members of the association have used the incentives to order them for the first time.
There are no reliable figures on how many electric cars local importers have ordered brought into the country since the government announced the exemptions.
But in his other role as chief operating officer of car company Zia Electromotive, which imports and manufactures electric vehicles, Qureshi said he has ordered 100 small electric cars from China and plans to import 100 more every month after that.
Pakistanis - like many other people around the world - have historically been reluctant to switch to electric vehicles for reasons ranging from higher costs to lack of charging infrastructure and "fear of the unknown", said Ayaz at the EDB.
The tax cuts help remove the cost obstacle, he said - and could help create about 20,000 new jobs in the auto industry as Pakistani car companies start manufacturing electric cars, he predicted.
The charging infrastructure issue remains, though some companies have already established charging stations in big cities and along motorways.
Climate change and development expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh said the government should encourage the private sector to install more charging stations near offices, homes and parking lots.
To overcome worries that electric vehicles may have no resale value, car manufacturers and dealers could offer buy-back guarantees, he added.
But, Sheikh said, simply selling more electric cars is not enough to tackle Pakistan's emissions and air pollution, since the total number of vehicles being sold - mainly traditional cars - is still growing every year.
He said the government needs to push to completely phase out fuel-run and hybrid vehicles by increasing taxes on them and provide affordable bank loans for people looking to buy electric.
"Poor people who use motorbikes and rickshaws deserve to have more electric vehicles on the roads to cut air pollution," he said.
Under the project, a 150 MW floating solar subproject will be deployed in the Ghazi Barrage headpond and another floating project of similar capacity at the Forebay of the existing Ghazi Barotha Hydropower plant. The project would greatly enhance the electricity supply and help meet the rising demand for electricity in the country.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/world-bank-wapda-to-setup-pakistans-first-floating-solar-farm/
Currently, according to the National Electric Power Regulator Authority state industry report 2021, Pakistan’s total installed electricity generation capacity is 143,588 GWH, of which a measly 4,521 GWH is produced by renewable sources such as solar and wind. Thermal sources account for 61.76 percent, whereas Hydel sources account for 27.02 percent. A shift toward renewable sources of energy was long pending and is a major component of Pakistan’s vision 2050.
The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) plans to take on the Floating Solar Project (FSP or the Project) and, in that effort, seeks financing from the World Bank. Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority has prepared a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), and according to a report by Business Recorder, it is engaged in meetings with the World Bank to establish a 300 MW floating solar project in the country.
A delegation from the World Bank is expected to reach Pakistan today for a ten-day visit, for the initial assessment and evaluation of the project. The World Bank delegation will meet with all the relevant authorities and stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Water Resources, Water and Power Development Authority, and the Economic Affairs Division. After the visit, the World Bank mission would generate a feasibility report of the project, which would detail the proposed financing and the expected Return on Investment (ROI) in the following period.
The World Bank team includes but is not limited to; Gunjan Gautam (Senior Energy Specialist and Task Team Leader), Rikard Liden (Lead Energy Specialist and co-Task Team Leader), Imran ul Haq (Senior Social Development Specialist), Sana Ahmad (Environmental Specialist), Uzma Sadaf (Sr Procurement Specialist), Shafiq Hussain (Procurement Specialist), Noureen LNU (Financial Management Specialist), Mohammad Omar Khalid (Senior Consultant) to be supported by Amna W Mir (Senior Program Associate).
The World Bank mission is expected to hold a meeting with the project management unit of WAPDA on the 22 April in Islamabad. Following which, it is scheduled to meet with the officials of the Water Resources Ministry on 23 April. The mission would also listen to briefings and partake in discussion sessions with the relevant authorities.
According to the initial assessment conducted by the Water and Power Distribution Authority of Pakistan, the project is expected to strengthen the capacity of WAPDA as it increases the supply of electricity by financing 300 MW floating solar subprojects in water body of the already existing project of the Ghazi-Barotha complex.
#Bloomberg Plans $242 Million #Investment in Clean #Energy to fund programs in #Bangladesh, #Brazil, #Colombia, #Kenya, #Mozambique, #Nigeria, #Pakistan, #SouthAfrica, #Turkey and #Vietnam. Success in these 10 nations will persuade others. #renewableenergy https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/climate/michael-bloomberg-climate-coal.html?smid=tw-share
Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, will announce a $242 million effort on Tuesday to promote clean energy in 10 developing countries.
The investment is part of Mr. Bloomberg’s push, announced last year, to shut down coal production in 25 countries and builds on his $500 million campaign to close every coal-fired power plant in the United States. The announcement is tied to a gathering this week in Rwanda hosted by Sustainable Energy for All, an international group working to increase access to electricity in the global south.
The money will fund programs in Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam. Representatives of Bloomberg Philanthropies and partner organizations, including Sustainable Energy for All and the ClimateWorks Foundation, said they would work with local governments and businesses to develop spending plans.
Helen Mountford, the president and chief executive of ClimateWorks, said that specific ways Mr. Bloomberg’s money could be spent include research and analysis, public education campaigns, clean energy pilot programs and buyout payments to close existing coal plants.
“Which strategies are appropriate for each country will really be guided by the in-country partners who know them best,” Ms. Mountford said. “The first approach is to identify the relevant strategies per country and to start to identify who can help to deliver those and move those forward and get the funding to the ground.”
Success in the 10 nations would demonstrate to other countries that renewable energy can help, not hinder, economic growth, Mr. Bloomberg said in an interview by email. “The alternative is to meet growing energy needs by burning more coal, which would have disastrous consequences for public health and for the battle against climate change,” he said.
Climate campaigns tend to focus on industrialized countries, which are responsible for the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions. But many developing countries have rapidly growing populations and economies, and rapidly increasing energy needs. How nations meet those needs will be a major factor in whether the world can decarbonize fast enough to avoid the worst consequences of a warming planet.
Developing countries “haven’t reached their peak in the amount of energy they actually need,” said Damilola Ogunbiyi, chief executive of Sustainable Energy for All. “We have a unique opportunity to drive that energy source being renewable from the start instead of going back again in another 30 years and try and transition them out of unsustainable sources of power.”
Chinese company announces to establish EV plant in Karachi
https://arynews.tv/chinese-company-announces-to-establish-ev-plant-in-karachi/
The ‘Gauss Auto Group,’ a Chinese corporation, has announced to construct electric vehicle (EV) plant in Pakistan’s special economic zone near Port Qasim in Karachi.
The company would enter into a Joint Venture (JV) with AKD Group Holdings (Pvt.) limited and set up the plant near Port Qasim, Karachi on around 1000 acres of land.
The development comes after a delegation led by Mr. Chen Feng, CEO Gauss Auto Group and CEO AKD Group Holding, Mr. Nasir Rizwan visited the Board of Investment (BOI) and held a detailed meeting with the Federal Minister Board of Investment Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Secretary BOI Ms. Fareena Mazhar.
The delegation also highlighted their intention to export their locally produced EVs from Pakistan to other countries. The organization delivered a comprehensive presentation of their production plant and apprised BOI leadership on the variants of the vehicles they are already producing.
Secretary BOI briefed the delegation about Pakistan’s recently launched Electric Vehicle policy which offers benefits to both; existing and new manufacturers.
BOI leadership encouraged Gauss Auto Group to invest in auto sector of Pakistan and extended maximum support and facilitation to the company.
It is pertinent to mention here that Gauss Auto is an enterprise focusing on the innovation and development of automobiles and the integration of resources. The company is registered in Silicon Valley, California, and operates in Shanghai, China.
It is pertinent to mention here that the federal cabinet on Dec.22, 2021 had approved Pakistan’s first Electric Vehicle Policy.
Pakistan: How cheap is 'cheap electric car'? - BBC URDU
https://youtu.be/TsK-vBZEusY
پیٹرول سے نجات، ٹچ گیئر اور لیدر سیٹس۔۔۔ یہ پاکستان میں متعارف کروائی جانے والی الیکٹرک کار کی چند خصوصیات ہیں۔ اس کار کی چارجنگ کتنی دیر میں ہوتی ہے اور اس پر کتنا خرچہ آتا ہے، جانیے ہماری ویڈیو میں۔۔۔
This Fully Localized Electric Rickshaw is Roomier Than Wagon R
https://propakistani.pk/2022/07/30/this-fully-localized-electric-rickshaw-is-roomier-than-wagon-r/
According to a company representative, MUVA electric rickshaws are made in Pakistan completely from scratch at their state-of-the-art facility in Lahore.
Pakistan Auto Show (PAS) 2022 saw participation from numerous promising prospects. One such up-and-comer is YES Electromotive — a fully indigenous electric vehicle (EV) maker that seeks to launch MUVA electric rickshaws in Pakistan.
The company is still fine-tuning the product through testing and extensive research and development before officially launching these rickshaws in the market, the representative said.
Short for Modular Utility Vehicle Architecture, MUVA covers a development program for light commercial vehicles. These tiny EVs will serve the same purpose as a conventional rickshaw, but with zero tail-pipe emissions and at almost 7-times less running cost than a petrol-powered three-wheeler.
MUVA electric rickshaw is an ultra-light commercial EV that seats a driver and three passengers. It has a maximum payload capacity of 300 KGs and a curb weight of 450 KGs. It has a single permanent magnet electric motor that makes up to 10.7 horsepower.
The company representative added that the MUVA rickshaw will be sold as a commercial EV only and that the company will aim for fleet sales. He added that YES Electromotive also seeks to adopt a ride-hailing service operating model, whereby the riders will be able to summon these rickshaws via a mobile app.
YES Electromotive is shaping up to be a promising addition to Pakistan’s public transport sector. Stay tuned for more details.
Solar plant to replace 300MW Gwadar coal power project
The project was conceived under the CPEC and approved in 2016
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/976586-solar-plant-to-replace-300mw-gwadar-coal-power-project
The Power Division has decided to abandon the 300MW imported coal-based power plant at Gwadar and replace it with a solar plant.
The project was conceived under the CPEC and approved in 2016, but its formal construction had not started. Now the government wants China to install a solar power plant of the same capacity after the government decided not to install any new power plant based on imported fuel in the future.
“We have decided to abandon the project, but we will have to take up the issue at various CPEC forums with our Chinese counterparts. CPEC projects have sensitivity and importance which is why the Power Division’s decision to replace the imported coal-based project at Gwadar with a solar plant is being kept at a low profile,” an official said.
Federal Minister for Power Division Khurram Dastgir Khan also hinted the government wanted the Chinese power plant at Gwadar to be replaced with a solar power plant of 300MW. Talking to The News, he also added that the government had decided to ban new power plants based on imported fuel and would add new capacity to electricity generation based on local fuel, such as Thar coal, wind, solar, and hydel. “However, the government will continue the policy to install more nuclear power plants,” he added.
More importantly, the minister said, the government has also decided to convert the existing imported coal-based power plants of 3,960MW, including the Port Qasim plant, Sahiwal power plant and China Hub plant, each having the capacity to generate 1,320MW of electricity, to local coal. The fuel import bill had eaten up almost $20 billion in the first 11 months of the last fiscal 2021-22. The initiative is being taken to scale down the fuel import bill and reduce reliance on imported fuel for power generation. The minister said the process to convert the three projects to local coal would take investment and time as boilers of the plants would need some specific changes for calibration with Thar coal.
The Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) for the CPEC had decided in its 6th meeting held in Beijing in December 2016 that a 300MW imported coal-fired power project must be developed on a fast-track basis at Gwadar. The tariff of the project was determined in September 2019, land for the project was acquired in February 2020 and the project management was signed on April 8, 2021. The Nepra also issued a generation licence to the project management. However, the financial close of the project has not yet been completed as it is still under process. The project is still on the list of under-construction CPEC projects. However, its construction has not started yet. That is why top officials of the Power Division have decided to abandon the project and replace it with a solar power plant under its new policy not to install a new power plant base on imported coal in future.
Pakistan is currently importing 30 to 70MW of electricity from Iran under an agreement of 110MW. Sometimes, Pakistan has some fluctuation in electricity import because of demand in Iran. Pakistan had inked a new agreement of importing 100MW electricity for which a transmission line would be laid from Polan (Iran) to Gwadar by the end of 2022, or the start of 2023. The government has also increased its emphasis on laying its own infrastructure in Balochistan and the NTDC will lay a high transmission line of 500kv from Makran coast to Gwadar.
Green light given to #Dubai royal’s 400MW #green #hydrogen project in #Pakistan — powered by 1.2GW of #wind and #solar in #Sindh. It has not been revealed how the green hydrogen produced at the project will be used. #renewableenergy #renewables https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/green-light-given-to-dubai-royal-s-400mw-green-hydrogen-project-in-pakistan-powered-by-1-2gw-of-wind-and-solar/2-1-1272316
A provincial government in Pakistan has granted “comprehensive permission” for the construction of a 400MW green hydrogen project that would be powered by 500MW of wind energy and 700MW of solar, backed up by a battery.
The unnamed facility is being developed by Oracle Energy, a joint venture 70%-owned by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum — a prominent member of Dubai’s royal family — and 30%-owned by London-based, AIM-listed Oracle Power.
According to a stock market filing, Oracle Power “has received a letter from the Directorate of Alternative Energy of the Government of Sindh confirming that it will issue a Letter of Intent ("LOI") to Oracle regarding the establishment of a 1,200MW hybrid solar/wind, green hydrogen/power project... subject to the provision of a $600,000 performance guarantee by Oracle Energy”.
The project, if operating at full capacity, would produce 55,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
“I am delighted to report that our green hydrogen initiative in Pakistan has received confirmation that it will receive the consent of the Government of Sindh through the issuance of an LOI, subject to the provision of a bank guarantee,” said Oracle Power CEO Naheed Memon in a statement.
In an interview with Vox Markets, Memon explained: “The LOI that we’ve got, or that has been approved, to be very clear, is that for... setting up the green hydrogen facility and for possible sale [of excess electricity to third parties],” she said.
“So, it’s a sort of a comprehensive permission from the government to allow us to set up the power generation facility for either captive use or for third-party sales.”
She added: “We are now in the process of fulfilling the requirement they have listed, which is primarily and essentially the bank guarantee, which we give to them and then they issue us the document and that’s it. That completes the formal engagement with the government in order for us to get onto ground.”
It has not been revealed how the green hydrogen produced at the project will be used.
Memon — who is also a director in her family-owned conglomerate, the Kings Group of Industries — was previously chairman of the Sindh government’s board of investment, a position described on Oracle Power’s website as a “provincial minister”.
Oracle Power describes itself as an “international power and natural resource project developer” primarily focused on Pakistan and Western Australia.
Despite claiming to work in an “environmentally responsible fashion”, it also owns the extraction rights to 1.4 billion tonnes of lignite (brown coal) — the dirtiest fossil fuel — in Sindh, where it plans to build a 1.32GW coal-fired power plant.
The company also has licences to search for gold in Western Australia.
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook at Maktoum's private office “has a portfolio of privately held group companies that focus mainly on infrastructure development, energy projects, LNG terminal development, commodity & oil trading, water desalination, water recirculation as well as education and agricultural projects”, according to its website.
PLSM Pakistan 2019-20
https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm_district_2019-20/PSLM_2019_20_District_Level.pdf
HOUSEHOLD WITH: U R T
Computer 19 7 12
Internet 48 23 33
Mobile 96 91 93
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION 10 YEARS AND OLDER WITH MOBILE OWNERSHIP
M F T
Pakistan 65 25 45
Urban 71 38 55
Rural 61 17 39
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION 10 YEARS AND OLDER USED INTERNET IN LAST THREE
MONTHS
Pakistan 24 14 19
Urban 37 24 31
Rural 16 7 12
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION 10 YEARS AND OLDER WITH ICT SKILLS
Copy Move 66 57 63
Copy Paste 54 52 53
Send Mail 51 44 48
Spread Sheet 31 20 27
Finding Downloading Software. 33 32 33
Presentation 25 16 21
Transferring Files 35 33 35
Programming 24 15 20
Social Media 46 41 45
Entertainment 60 58 59
Connecting Installing Devices 26 15 22
Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Blast of 192 Lasers
The advancement by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers will be built on to further develop fusion energy research.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/science/nuclear-fusion-energy-breakthrough.html
If fusion can be deployed on a large scale, it would offer an energy source devoid of the pollution and greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the dangerous long-lived radioactive waste created by current nuclear power plants, which use the splitting of uranium to produce energy.
Within the sun and stars, fusion continually combines hydrogen atoms into helium, producing sunlight and warmth that bathes the planets. In experimental reactors and laser labs on Earth, fusion lives up to its reputation as a very clean energy source.
There was always a nagging caveat, however. In all of the efforts by scientists to control the unruly power of fusion, their experiments consumed more energy than the fusion reactions generated.
That changed at 1:03 a.m. on Dec. 5 when 192 giant lasers at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility blasted a small cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser that contained a frozen nubbin of hydrogen encased in diamond.
The laser beams entered at the top and bottom of the cylinder, vaporizing it. That generated an inward onslaught of X-rays that compresses a BB-size fuel pellet of deuterium and tritium, the heavier forms of hydrogen.
In a brief moment lasting less than 100 trillionths of a second, 2.05 megajoules of energy — roughly the equivalent of a pound of TNT — bombarded the hydrogen pellet. Out flowed a flood of neutron particles — the product of fusion — which carried about 3 megajoules of energy, a factor of 1.5 in energy gain.
This crossed the threshold that laser fusion scientists call ignition, the dividing line where the energy generated by fusion equals the energy of the incoming lasers that start the reaction.
“You see one diagnostic and you think maybe that’s not real and then you start to see more and more diagnostics rolling in, pointing to the same thing,” said Annie Kritcher, a physicist at Livermore who described reviewing the data after the experiment. “It’s a great feeling.”
The successful experiment finally delivers the ignition goal that was promised when construction of the National Ignition Facility started in 1997. When operations began in 2009, however, the facility hardly generated any fusion at all, an embarrassing disappointment after a $3.5 billion investment from the federal government.
----------
In an interview, Mark Herrmann, program director for weapons physics and design at the Livermore, said the researchers then performed a series of experiments to better understand the surprising August success, and they worked to bump up the energy of lasers by almost 10 percent and improve the design of the hydrogen targets.
The first laser shot at 2.05 megajoules was performed in September, and that first try produced 1.2 megajoules of fusion energy. Moreover, analysis showed that the spherical pellet of hydrogen was not squeezed evenly, and some of the hydrogen essentially squirted out the side and did not reach fusion temperatures.
The scientists made some adjustments that they believed would work better.
“The prediction ahead of the shot was that it could go up a factor of two,” Dr. Herrmann said. “In fact, it went up a little more than that.”
The main purpose of the National Ignition Facility is to conduct experiments to help the United States maintain its nuclear weapons. That makes the immediate implications for producing energy tentative.
Fusion would be essentially an emissions-free source of power, and it would help reduce the need for power plants burning coal and natural gas, which pump billions of tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
But it will take quite a while before fusion becomes available on a widespread, practical scale, if ever.
Analysis: China’s shifting energy investments in Pakistan, from coal to renewables
https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/analysis-chinas-shifting-energy-investments-in-pakistan-from-coal-to-renewables/
China’s energy investments in Pakistan have so far focused on coal and hydropower projects. But several China-backed wind projects are now underway, and Islamabad says it is ready to go big on solar.
Until about a decade ago, the Jhimpir region in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh was a dry, barren stretch of land, inhabited by nomadic tribes. Today, it is home to hundreds of mammoth rotating blades in about two dozen wind farms.
Around 90 kilometres from Karachi, Jhimpir is the heartland of Pakistan’s largest ‘wind corridor’, which has the potential to produce 11,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy. Among early investors was the China Three Gorges Corporation, a Chinese state-owned power company, operating under an investment holding company, China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited.
The company has funded and built three wind projects with a combined capacity of nearly 150 MW. The first of these began construction in 2012. The latter two projects, completed in 2018, were funded under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an integral part of Beijing’s flagship multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In an official statement following Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China on 1-2 November 2022, Sharif reaffirmed the importance of CPEC to Pakistan’s development.
For the time being, renewables represent only a small portion of Pakistan’s power generation mix. Of a total of 43,775 MW, installed capacity for wind and solar represent around 4.2% (1,831 MW) and 1.4% (630 MW) respectively, according to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s State of Industry 2022 report. In terms of CPEC, the November 2022 joint statement from China and Pakistan listed oil and gas as among the “priority areas of CPEC cooperation”.
But a recent shift in the direction of Chinese investment may be hugely significant for Pakistan’s energy future, and the climate.
The shift from coal?
In the years before the launch of CPEC in 2015, Pakistan was desperate to end its long, crippling power shortages. The country was keen to develop its untapped indigenous coal in Thar desert, but multilateral financial institutions were not interested. Along came China in 2013, with an offer to lend massive amounts for infrastructure development and coal mining.
Details of the financing deals are a closely guarded secret, but multiple Chinese-funded coal projects followed. Eight completed or under-construction coal projects are listed as part of CPEC, totalling 6,900 MW, which include four on Thar coal.
Then in 2021, after growing pressure on China – currently the world’s biggest polluter – to curb its greenhouse gas emissions, Beijing announced it would not build new coal-fired power plants overseas, and would increase support for low-carbon energy.
In December 2020, Pakistan announced that it would not build any new power projects that depend on imported coal, and pledged that by 2030 60% of its energy will come from clean and renewable sources. The government has since scrapped a number of potential coal projects, including a 300 MW plant at the Chinese-controlled Gwadar sea port in Balochistan. Reportedly, it is to be replaced by a solar plant.
Analysis: China’s shifting energy investments in Pakistan, from coal to renewables
https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/analysis-chinas-shifting-energy-investments-in-pakistan-from-coal-to-renewables/
‘Greening’ CPEC
As Beijing tries to rebrand the BRI as an eco-friendly initiative, Chinese officials have promoted the idea of a ‘green’ CPEC. But Hina Aslam, research fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), a think tank in Islamabad, points out that “in the energy sector, it has meant a greater focus on hydro rather than wind and solar”.
Besides wind energy in Jhimpir, China Three Gorges Corporation is investing heavily in what it is globally known for: hydropower (the company is behind the Three Gorges Dam in China, the world’s biggest power station). In June 2022, it completed a 720 MW project in Karot in northern Pakistan. Work is advancing on a 1,124 MW hydropower plant near Muzaffarabad, and a third 640 MW project has recently been approved in Mahl. The same company is behind both projects.
Put together, China Three Gorges aims to produce 2,500 MW of renewable energy in Pakistan, mostly through hydro. The Pakistan government – like many others – includes hydropower under the umbrella of renewable energy, but this is disputed by many environmentalists due to the often high environmental, social and financial costs of hydropower, including disruption of important riverine ecosystems. In Pakistan, dams are also politically contentious and a source of discord between upstream and downstream provinces. Yet, both Beijing and Islamabad appear keen to pursue hydropower.
But there are huge challenges facing Pakistan’s shift to renewable energy. “A lack of consistency in policy has been the biggest issue,” says Noman Sohail, senior business manager at China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd. “Arranging lenders and finance for renewable projects is not a problem. But it’s disorienting when policies are reversed, tariffs renegotiated and unpaid capacity payments allowed to pile up.”
Growing popularity of solar
There is one form of renewable energy in particular that presents immense potential for Pakistan, but which has seen little investment to date: solar. 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”. As of 2022, the proportion is 5.6% according to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s State of Industry 2022 report.
Pakistan’s slow take-up of solar energy is evident from the fact that of the 21 energy projects completed or in development under CPEC, only one is solar: the 1,000 MW Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Cholistan Desert, Punjab, built by Chinese company Zonergy. This project, promoted as one of the world’s biggest solar parks, was meant to be completed by 2017. But only 40% of this capacity has been implemented so far.
Analysis: China’s shifting energy investments in Pakistan, from coal to renewables
https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/analysis-chinas-shifting-energy-investments-in-pakistan-from-coal-to-renewables/
Suleman Rehman, chief executive of Burj Capital, a Dubai-based investment company focused on renewable energy in Pakistan, says that regardless of the government’s apparent lack of focus, the demand for affordable solar power is growing exponentially. “The competition is getting intense. More and more local players are coming up every month. Installing a 4 MW solar project is no longer a big deal for us,” says Rehman.
According to Rehman, the private sector is not waiting for policymakers to facilitate the energy transition. Those who can are turning to the solar option. That explains the recent proliferation of rooftop photovoltaic panels in big cities, as well as in off-grid villages across the country.
The solar future
Costly fuel imports have already had a crippling effect on Pakistan’s economy. This year, the volatility of global energy prices, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, took a damaging toll on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. The country was on the verge of a default before the International Monetary Fund agreed to step in to help it stay afloat.
In an attempt to reduce dependence on imported fuel, on 1 September 2022 prime minister Shahbaz Sharif announced the rapid deployment of 10,000 MW of solar power in the country. But details of how this will be achieved, and by when, are sketchy. The plan reportedly involves transitioning all public sector buildings to solar power. The proposal also encourages power plants running on coal, oil and gas to partially shift to solar power.
China will have a crucial role to play if this shift to solar is to happen, says Rehman, though it may come in a different form than the mega-projects seen under CPEC.
“China will still have a big role because they are producing the cheapest [solar] equipment worldwide. But I really hope the government won’t put this under CPEC because that would put local players at a disadvantage,” says Rehman.
Some Chinese companies will still be involved in investment in solar, but most will not be interested in small local projects, he feels. “In my experience, customers are happy for us to import Chinese-manufactured technology or their raw material, but they prefer to have local contractors and engineers to deal with.”
So far, Pakistan’s dependence on imports from China has prevented creation of local supply chains, says Rehman. That, he says, will need to change if the country is serious about exploiting its solar potential. “The government can facilitate this transition by encouraging domestic manufacturing,” argues Rehman.
Green investment on rise, Pakistan to get 30 % renewable energy - Pakistan Observer
https://pakobserver.net/green-investment-on-rise-pakistan-to-get-30-renewable-energy/
Until now, renewable energy sources make up a very minor fraction of Pakistan’s overall power generation mix. According to a recent report of the National Electric Power Regulatovry Authority, the installed capacity for wind and solar accounts for roughly 4.2% (1,831 MW) and 1.4% (630 MW) of a total of 43,775 MW, respectively.
China is already the biggest investor in green energy in Pakistan. Currently, out of the $144 million in foreign investment in solar PV plants in Pakistan, $125 million is from China, accounting for nearly 87% of the total.
Thanks to Chinese investments, a few weeks ago Federal Power Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan inaugurated two new wind energy projects in Jhimpir, Thatta District, Sindh, with an aim to produce cheaper and clean electricity through indigenous energy sources. Wind projects in this region have been one of several renewable energy projects to have received Chinese investment in recent years. Around 90 kilometers from Karachi, Jhimpir is the heartland of the country’s largest ‘Wind corridor’, which has the potential to produce 11,000 megawatts (MW) of energy from green resources.
Tech Billionaires Bet on Fusion as Holy Grail for Business
Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among titans chasing almost Iimitless energy source
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-billionaires-bet-on-fusion-as-holy-grail-for-business-9a48a2ac
Sam Altman became a tech sensation this year as the CEO of OpenAI, the artificial-intelligence startup that seems pulled from science fiction.
But Mr. Altman, who has been among Silicon Valley’s most prominent investors for more than a decade, has placed one of the biggest bets of his career on a company that might be even more futuristic: a nuclear-fusion startup called Helion Energy Inc.
He is one of a number of tech founders and billionaires who hope to harness the process that powers the sun and stars to deliver almost limitless energy. Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Bill Gates and Marc Benioff are among those betting that the decadeslong goal of building fusion reactors is now within years of being reality.
Mr. Benioff calls fusion a “tremendous dream.”
“It’s the holy grail. It’s the mythical unicorn,” said Mr. Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce Inc., who invested in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinout called Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which aims to create compact power plants. Mr. Gates is also an investor.
Fusion has long been seen as a clean-energy alternative to sources that burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases. Other technologies and applications being developed in the race for fusion power include powerful magnets, better lasers or radiation therapy for cancer research.
Fusion, Mr. Benioff added, “has no limits if you can get it to work.”
Developers mostly in the U.S., Canada and Europe have been riding a wave of momentum since August 2021, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came close to achieving more energy in a fusion reaction than was put in with lasers, a goal known as net gain.
Many grew to believe that a breakthrough was imminent. It came in December when the national lab achieved net gain for the first time.
Nuclear fusion occurs when two light atomic nuclei merge to form a single heavier one. That process releases huge amounts of energy, no carbon emissions and limited radioactivity, but companies would have to sustain fusion reactions and engineer a way to turn that energy into net power.
The old saw about fusion is that it is a mirage years away and always will be. It is a long-shot bet even with the high-risk world of venture funding.
Mr. Benioff said he was persuaded by Vinod Khosla, the Sun Microsystems co-founder who was an early investor in private fusion, historically the province of academia and national labs.
Mr. Khosla’s interest hinged on the ability to build a large high-temperature superconducting electromagnet. He spent 15 months on due diligence and hired three teams to evaluate the design before investing.
He thinks that several fusion designs should be tested and is investing in another firm, Realta Fusion, a spinout from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Even if one of them can work, the planet is much better off is how I look at it,” he said.
As an investor, Mr. Khosla sees fusion this way: “Financially either you lose one times your money or you can make a thousand times your money,” Mr. Khosla said. “That’s the math of fusion.”
Industrial firms, major oil companies and sovereign-wealth funds are backing efforts along with the Department of Defense, which is in search of a toaster-sized power system for satellite propulsion.
“There’s a reasonable probability at least one, maybe two companies will demonstrate fusion conditions in this decade,” said Ernest Moniz, who is the chief executive of the nonprofit research group Energy Futures Initiative and a former U.S. Energy Secretary.
Mr. Moniz, a physicist, said that improvements in large-scale machine learning have sped experiments and helped several companies achieve or approach the extreme temperatures and pressures needed for fusion reactions.
Oracle Power, PowerChina team up on 1-GW solar project in Pakistan
https://renewablesnow.com/news/oracle-power-powerchina-team-up-on-1-gw-solar-project-in-pakistan-820530/
UK coal and gold mining projects developer Oracle Power PLC (LON:ORCP) and Power Construction Corporation of China (SHA:601669), also known as PowerChina, have agreed to partner in the potential joint development of a 1-GW solar project in the desert of southeastern Pakistan.
The Thar Solar Project will be based on the unutilised land at Oracle's Thar Block VI coalfield in the Sindh Province, which is located about 250 kilometres (155.3 miles) from the proposed site of the company’s green hydrogen project in the region.
The facility is expected to be equipped with about 1.5 million photovoltaic (PV) panels, providing an installed capacity of 655 watts per panel and generating about 1.7 billion kWh annually, a statement said on Wednesday.
Oracle has already obtained conditional permission from the local Sindh government to build solar plants at its 66.1-square-kilometre Thar Block VI.
The power to be produced from the solar plant could be injected into the national grid or sold to the grid of a private distributor. It could also be utilised to reduce the carbon footprint at other coalfields within the Thar Coal Power Project.
Under the cooperation agreement, the Chinese partner will help Oracle study the feasibility of the project and coordinate work with the government of China. The UK-based firm, in turn, will work on securing the funding of the project and also coordinate ongoing negotiations with the governments of Sindh and Pakistan.
“We look forward to working closely with our partners to swiftly establish ourselves as front runners in the production of renewable power and green energy solutions in Pakistan and in the broader region,” Oracle’s CEO Naheed Memon said in the statement.
The UK-based firm, which is focused on Western Australia and Pakistan, is also working on a 1.2-GW solar, wind and green hydrogen project in Sindh.
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.”
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