Solar Energy and Pakistan

What would it be like to live without light? World without light is a concept never thought of. Probably that is why it took some time for the mankind to focus on sunlight (solar) and harvest some energy out of it. When we experience natural disasters or pandemics or other significant disruptions to our lives, it’s normal to take a step back and evaluate what’s important. It is also a time when many people are looking for opportunities to become more self-sufficient and to take steps to protect the things that are most important to us. In addition to food, shelter, and protecting the health of our family, another important aspect of our lives that we may have previously taken for granted is the electricity powering our home. Here is the moment in the mankind’s timeline where the solar energy kicks in. Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis. The current pandemic has also awakened many people to the benefits that solar panels and a backup power supply can provide to help make your home more self-sustaining.

The large magnitude of solar energy available makes it a highly appealing source of electricity. The United Nations Development Programme in its 2000 World Energy Assessment found that the annual potential of solar energy was 1,575–49,837 exajoules (EJ). This is several times larger than the total world energy consumption, which was 559.8 EJ in 2012. Imagine a world with its energy demand being dealt with and surplus energy being stored in reservoirs. It sure would be a good place to live in. The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet. Most of the world's population live in areas with insolation levels of 150–300 watts/m², or 3.5–7.0 kWh/m² per day which makes solar energy much more attractive option to install and harvest energy from. Without diving deep down in solar technology and its uses I would highlight some of the solar energy uses and those are: water heating, cooling, ventilation, water treatment, electricity generation. Solar energy is a renewable form of energy which means that this energy is not depleted when it is used, hence, making it an attractive option for energy harvestation.

Many countries are endorsing solar energy which also includes Pakistan. Previously Pakistan’s Energy generation was heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Due to the huge population and current progress in industrialization, these sources were not fulfilling the existing energy needs of the country. Meanwhile, they also had adverse environmental impacts and are economically unsuitable to electrify remote areas. To eradicate this issue Pakistan is going solar. To better understand the concept of solar energy harvesting in Pakistan let us first discuss the Geography, Topography and Socioeconomic Profile of Pakistan. Pakistan is placed between latitude 24° and 37° north and longitude 62° and 75° degrees east. It is surrounded by 4 countries. On the north side, it shares its border with China. On the south side, there is Arabian sea. India is on the east side, Iran on the west side and Afghanistan is on the north-west side of Pakistan. Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan are the five provinces of Pakistan. In Gilgit Baltistan and northern areas of Pakistan, there are some of world’s largest mountain ranges i.e., Himalayas, Hindukush and Karakoram. The world’s second highest mountain K-2 is also found in the Karakorum range. The provinces of Punjab and Sindh consists of flat plains and five rivers which eventually join the Indus river. The Indus is the largest river of Pakistan. On the west side there is the Baluchistan Plateau which is an arid tableland surrounded by dry mountains. Pakistan is the 6th largest country by population in the world. According to the United Nations report, the population of Pakistan is 202,272,196. Out of a total population, 39.5 percent of the population lives in urban areas. The country has a total area of 796,096 km². In 2018, the gross domestic product (GDP) had reached 300 billion US dollars with an annual growth rate of 5.8% GDP. In a developing country like Pakistan, the services and facilities are inadequate to address the increasing demands of population and economy for energy, resulting in increasing pressure on scarce energy resources. The annual GDP growth rate has decreased from 5.8 to 5.4% in 2020, causing high poverty and a low standard of living in Pakistan. Although, current government policies have helped in reducing poverty, a large population is still below the poverty line and living on less than 2 US dollars per day.

Since last century, the demand for energy has increased tremendously all over the world and Pakistan is no exception. All human activities require energy for proper functioning. Pakistan is struggling with a huge energy crisis at the moment, which is not only hindering the progress of country but also affecting the daily life of people. All major sectors of Pakistan i.e., agriculture, transport, industry and domestic needs a continuous supply of energy. Due to the continuous demand for energy, the gap between electricity demand and supply has increased, resulting in the depletion of energy resources. Although, with the completion of recent projects the total power generation capacity of Pakistan has reached 25,374 MW. But still there is a huge electricity demand and supply gap in the country. In the past few years, this gap has been increased many times. According to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), the gap was 5298 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2016. Meanwhile, electricity prices have increased enormously which makes its affordability difficult for domestic and industrial consumers.

To cater these issues and for making the world a better place to live in National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a geospatial toolkit and solar maps to begin solar energy projects in Pakistan, as there is no authentic data available about solar irradiance. For this purpose, nine locations were recognized to gather reliable and accurate solar data. The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has installed weather stations at these prime locations. The World Bank has provided the required funding for the project. The World Bank will publish more accurate solar maps after observing the data taken from these weather stations for a period of two years. These maps and atlases not only help the government but also encourage commercial developers to make their policies accordingly for future projects. The World Bank consistently monitored solar energy potential in different areas of Pakistan from 2000 to 2012 and published solar map Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI). According to this map, two provinces of Pakistan (Sindh, Baluchistan) have the highest solar potential. In Punjab province, some deserted areas are also ideal for solar energy. If properly harnessed, solar energy can turn out to be a sustainable solution for the energy problems of the country. According to the Medium-Term Development Framework 2006, Pakistan plans to increase the share of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in the overall energy mix to up to 9700 MW by the end of 2030. The country can achieve these targets and tackle energy crises if it utilizes solar energy resources in a proper and efficient way. Pakistan is located in sun belt. An enormous solar potential exists in the country. Sindh, Baluchistan and some southern parts of Punjab have abundant solar energy potential. These areas receive 2 MWh/m² solar irradiation and 3000 h of sunshine per year, which are perfect to invest in solar energy to utilize its true potential. Baluchistan alone has tremendous solar energy potential. The average global insolation is 19–20 MJ/m² per day and the annual mean sunshine duration is 8–8.5 h, which is perfect for the installation of solar PV and other solar energy related projects. The average temperature of the country is Celsius 26°-28°. Meanwhile, the daily average solar power potential is 5.3 kWh/m². The country has an overall 1,600,000 MW solar power potential. If solar PV panels were installed only on a 100 Km area of Pakistan with 14% efficiency, it could generate 30 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE) energy in the country.

The distribution and transmission network of electricity in Pakistan is old and weak. Solar energy can relieve this traditional electricity network and turn out to be an alternate to traditional electricity in remote areas, where no grid electricity is available. Solar energy has already gained popularity all over the world. Current work has been going on to improve the storage capacity of the cells used in solar PV.

In my opinion it is also important at this point in time to make effective policies, followed by clear strategies and models to realize solar potential in the country. In this regard, Public-private partnership can turn out to be very fruitful. Different solar applications are being used in Pakistan, including solar thermal, solar PV and desalination. Meanwhile, solar thermal energy production and solar water heaters also have huge potential. Heavy reliance on fossil fuels for power generation can be minimized and the electricity demand and supply gap can be fulfilled by utilizing solar energy appliances effectively at home, public places and industries. Moreover, it will further guarantee sustainable development of the country (Pakistan).