FAISALABAD:The R&D Department of the FCCI is working proactively to identify core economic issues including electricity to help the office bearers and executive committee to take up these issues with departments and ministries concerned for their speedy resolution through prudent policy making, said Engineer Ahmad Hassan, former Vice President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI).
Delivering a special lecture on “potential of solar energy in Pakistan”, he said that total installed capacity of electricity is 42,000 MW while its maximum demand is 31,000 MW. “It is ironic that we have only 22,000 MW capacity of transmission and distribution. It indicates that there was no shortage of electricity but the problem is related to its transmission and distribution,” he remarked and added that the IPPs were yet another sore point as $ 4.7 billion was paid to them in 2023 and $ 9 billion in 2024.
He said that Pakistan has solar potential to produce 209 million MW of electricity whereas we are getting only 1,000 MW solar energy. He said that Pakistan will face three major challenges during the next 50 years including the population, environment changes and energy which would further precipitate issues of food security.
He stressed that stringent measures should be taken to contain population growth within the available resources and said that some scholars are of the view that the earth could sustain a population of only 2 billion individuals.
“They have come up with a solution to eliminate the excess population through measures which could be easily attributed to natural calamities or disasters”, he quoted and said that global warming is the root cause of glacier melting and if this process gained momentum, coastal cities like Singapore and Dubai may vanish from the face of the earth.
Engineer Ahmad Hassan said that the government had raised slogans to encourage solar energy but failed to give a long-term policy in this regard. He also pointed out the illogical selection of site for Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur and said that it is a desert and the abrasive action of sand could spoil the surface of solar panels.
“There is also an acute shortage of water for the regular washing of solar panels in Bahawalpur”, he said and added that the government should encourage people by providing subsidized loans to set up small solar units on their rooftops.
He said that installation of solar panels may give tangible financial relief to the individuals but it may further increase capacity charges. It is a million dollar question which has entrapped Pakistan between the devil and the deep sea, he added.
Environmentalist Dr Muhammad Arif gave a detailed presentation about development in the solar energy sector and said that some developed countries are contemplating to set up solar systems in the outer orbit where sunlight is available round the clock.
He said that the major problem is the safe transfer of the energy produced to the earth through a beam. He said that the Netherlands is aggressively working on it and if it succeeded, the current electricity distribution and transmission infrastructure would become totally irrelevant.
Former President Muzammil Sultan and Engineer Asim Munir were also present during this meeting and gave their valuable input.
