It makes sense for the Middle East, dripping with oil, to have a share of less than 0.05 percent in the world renewable energy consumption. But it makes little sense for Pakistan to follow suit, especially when the energy situation in the region has reached the deadly cliff.
Among the renewables, solar energy is the fastest growing source worldwide. Cementing the position of total renewables in the global energy mix, the latest energy outlook by International Energy Association (IEA) has declared them to account for almost one third of the total electricity output by 2035, and the second largest source after coal as early as 2015.
Pakistan receives one of the best solar irradiations in the world which averages around 5-7kWh/m2/day, particularly in Balochistan which has the most favorable position on the sun belt.
It is satirical that with such conditions for PV and other solar energy technologies, Pakistan lags far behind the sun-starved European countries that lead the global industry.
What has kept the country so far behind? For long, lack of technology and innovative policies has been dubbed as the stumbling blocks for the country from benefiting from the vast sunny lands where the sun shines brighter than many other regional peers.
Some blame given to the high cost of importing photovoltaic cells have actually mollified to some extent as the prices of the same have dropped significantly in the last two years. Where it used to cost $5-6 for importing one watt of photovoltaic power generation capacity five years ago, the same comes around $1-2 currently.
The share of subsidies on electricity in squeezing the interest in solar energy has also been vivid. With subsidies exceeding the total budget deficit in FY12, even the cheaper alternate energy sources become expensive in the country. Meanwhile, the role of oil and gas lobby in serving as an impediment cannot be warded off as well.
However, poor resource management, corruption, and red-tapism have not completely wiped away the sector’s fading charms: Recently, many countries like Germany, Canada, and China have shown serious interest in investing in the country’s solar energy.
Besides the heightened interest in solar and other renewable energy worldwide fortified by falling technology costs, rising fossil-fuel prices, carbon pricing and continued subsidies, the high demand for energy and the lingering power shortfall in the country have high chances of triggering attention towards the scorching sun at last!
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