‘Tap resources for long-term solution to energy crisis’

Islamabad: It is high time to tap the renewable energy resources of the country for a long-term solution to energy crisis.

This was stated by USPCASE Principal Dr Zuhair Subhani Khan during the inaugural session of the first national conference on energy trends here on Monday. The event was organised by the United States-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies (USPCASE) in Energy of National University of Sciences and Technology.

The USPCASE principal said the meeting had brought energy experts, academia, industrial experts, students and public sector under one roof to deliberate upon innovative renewable energy resources and projects yielding sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions.

He said the NUST was the leading university of the country in the discipline of science and technology with a notable reputation, which had been contributing in its best to the national development cause.

"Our institute has been working on solar energy projects and other pioneering energy solutions to give multi-dimensional technology.

Director General (DG) Projects NUST, Gen. Muhammad Shahid said that for the past few years the country was going through severe energy crisis i.e. electricity load shedding, however the projects made by the government to mitigate the problem were not producing the desired amount of energy.

He believed that with effective planning and efficient policy measures it was necessary to educate the masses for conserving energy. "We have to be introspective and critical about identifying the main reason of energy crisis and devise solutions accordingly which should be sustainable and environment-friendly," he said.

He said the purpose of this institute was to develop new inventions and innovative creation that were bankable making its creations profitable. "There is need to conduct extensive research and develop alternate resources of energy in the country. The legislators would have to form new policies and laws on energy conservation in order to overcome the mounting crisis of energy in the country," he added.

The moot would bring about lessons and policies that would be implementable. The country was facing a massive change and policy shift as the government was looking for solutions and this conference can help to contribute effectively to the cause, he said.