Alternative energy development need of the hour

It is a shame that a country like Pakistan continues to face energy crisis especially in the power sector despite being blessed with an abundance of available and inexhaustible renewable energy resources. Time and again sane voices from within and outside the industry have called for immediate tapping of the indigenous resources which could significantly contribute towards the energy security and energy independence of Pakistan.
A major reason why Pakistan still lags far behind the regional countries in the use and development of alternative energy resources is the sporadic efforts on the part of the government which often lead to lacklustre results because of the non-seriousness, lack of focus and planning and disintegrated efforts by the stakeholders involved.
The immediate adoption and deployment of alterative and renewable energy resources in Pakistan is very much the call of the hour as the global energy scenario in general and Pakistan's in specific lead to the logical path of alternative energy. For this to happen, the government needs to bring about a major shift in its policymaking and has to show the will to do it, instead of just focusing on ill-advised thermal power generation and the expensive rental power plants.
Deployment of alternative and renewable energy technologies has shown positive impact on the economic conditions directly and indirectly, around the world, as it happens to be the most efficient energy resource by default.
Another major advantage with these technologies is that they are easily deployable in far flung areas where the conventional power grid systems have limited or no reach due to economic or technical reasons.
The less privileged and the low-income population of Pakistan can thus benefit from these technologies as it will improve their standard of living, which can also play a vital role in attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
The Integrated Energy Plan prepared by the industry experts a couple of years back hinted at the potential advantages that adopting the alternative renewable energy options can bring to Pakistan which include energy security, energy independence, diversity of supplies, social cohesion, environmental benefits, job creation, growth of local engineering industry and image building of the country as a socially responsible nation.
The potential for various alternative technologies in Pakistan range from being significant to phenomenal with wind having a potential of 346,000 MW, solar 2.9 million MW, small hydel 2,000 MW and Bio-gas 2,000 MW each. Moreover, potential for other technologies such as wave thermal, tidal energy, biomass etc also exists, but yet remains untapped.
The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is providing solar photovoltaic systems to households in nearly 400 un-electrified villages with an expenditure of over a billion rupees.
Among renewable energy, particularly wind power is gaining wide acceptance in both developed and developing countries, clearly evident through the 28 percent annual growth, according to the World Wind Energy Association.
Pakistan rests way behind its regional counterparts India and China who adopted this method many years ago and are still expanding rapidly to commensurate with rising demand. Lately, Pakistan became the 76th nation to have introduced wind power generation in 2008, albeit, it was only a small 6-MW project.
On top of the potential benefits, installing wind turbine projects is certainly no rocket science either. It is considered a relatively easy to operate and maintain system that produces clean energy.
Besides, given the ease in manufacturing small sized wind turbines, it would likely generate employment especially in rural and far-flung areas where these projects can be installed without many difficulties. Add to that, the comparatively low per unit cost of electricity generated through wind, it becomes even more attractive.
Geographically placed on the world's Sun Belt, Pakistan is highly suitable for solar power generation as radiation falling on the country's land surface is about 1,800 to 2,200 Kwh/square meter per year. This means that at current efficiency levels of 18 percent for solar modules, Pakistan can sufficiently produce 0.32 to 0.4 MWh of electricity per square meter per year, according to the German National Meteorological Service.
So, the introduction of solar appliance in place of other conventional appliance that run on gas and electricity will help conserve energy. To increase the use of appliance and machines that run through solar light, government needs to ramp up spending on local industries which have the potential to develop solar products and foster home grown human expertise to ensure that such projects are economically feasible as well.
The energy experts serious in the alternative renewable energy technology to be implemented have made several recommendations to the relevant authorities, who call for attractive fixed 'feed-in tariffs' for a five year period to be introduced that is competitive with the global rates and not based on a 'cost plus basis'.
Moreover, setting up of pilot projects in the public sector is also highly recommended as it is of significant strategic importance. The provincial and local governments should be incentivised in monetary terms to introduce renewable technologies.
Although, the AEDB has done a commendable job but it still has to go a long way to bear the desired fruit which requires strengthening of the AEDB as an institution, both in terms of financial resources and the legal mandate. The alternative energy sector also needs vital support from the Alternative Energy Fund for setting up pilot projects, soft financing and R&D support.
The experts have also been asking for a separate regulator to deal with alternative renewable energy. The investment potential for the renewable energy sector in Pakistan for the short to medium term is immense and is estimated at over $16 billion, which needs serious planning, focus and political will on part of the government and the stakeholders.
Independent studies suggest that if the recommendations are seriously pursued and implemented, nearly 25,000 MW of renewable energy can be installed by as early as 2022. And that, for sure will be a tremendous feat, as it will bring a much needed respite to the power woes and the electricity bills, being cheaper. It is time to get in the action phase soon.