LAHORE: Leading energy expert Shams-ul-Mulk has called for conserving energy through power conservation measures and energy efficiency devices. Addressing the 37th annual general meeting of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Pakistan (IEEEP) here on Sunday, Shams-ul-Mulk said that steps for conservation should be introduced with the aim to save at least up to 1,000MW electricity. He added that the government has undertaken steps to mitigate the ongoing energy crisis completing many power generation projects on fast-track. The Power Policy of 2013 promulgated by the present government is the first ever effort and lays down the foundation for today's healthy power sector. This Power Policy, he said, being an integrated document, caters for improvement in generation capacity, improved fuel mix, reduced transmission losses and efficient distribution infrastructure. Earlier, Mohsin Syed, IEEEP president in his welcome address claimed that the country was currently facing a minimum shortage of 6,000 megawatts. To be fair about 45 per cent Pakistanis who are not connected to gird be provided with solar renewable supply through tri-party arrangements providing soft loan facility. We should also plan to generate cost effective 50,000 megawatts by 2030 for which we should encourage generation tapping our hydel resources by means of run of the river turbines, low head turbines developing micro, mini and mega hydel projects. Whereas water reservoirs developed for mega hydel power projects will mitigate the demand to irrigate barren lands, he said and added wind turbines specifically vortex turbines and solar energy is another priority option in which every Pakistani can participate besides public private sector partnership projects. Installation of 1-5 KW solar energy at homes and 15-20 KW at solar energy at agricultural tube wells sites could mitigate 3000 megawatts of load from distribution network and free it for the industry, which will create employment during daytime, he said. Similarly, 200,000 agriculture tube wells from 15-20 kilowatts can be converted to solar energy and 200,000 tube wells can spare another 6,000 megawatts from the distribution system benefiting the farmer by reducing the input cost of water, he said. He hoped that the present government would create the critical mass of technologists in the technical ministries, who would ensure logical and strategic planning at the right forums. Rana Abdul Ghaffar, IEEEP Secretary General, presented his annual report in which he highlighted the activities of the IEEEP such as holding of symposiums, seminars, workshops, Lectures, and publication of Research Journal "New Horizons". The ongoing energy crisis is calling us to go for solar energy for bridging the demand supply gap. Institution needs to disseminate latest technical knowledge about renewable technologies like solar, wind and biomass etc.
