Power from the sun

The sun that shines down so powerfully all through the summer is often seen as our worst enemy, with regular power outages that create a kind of living hell for so many of us. But the same sun could be converted into our biggest friend, by being used as a means to generate energy and help Pakistan meet what is currently a gaping energy shortfall, badly affecting almost every facet of our lives. The energy crisis has been discussed and debated month after month, year after year. What we need desperately are solutions, and it is encouraging to see the government move towards these. On Tuesday, in Bahawalpur, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park, the first ever 100MW solar power generation plant in the country. The power plant, spread out over 500 acres, has been completed at a cost of Rs15 billion, with the Chinese government funding the project and providing the required expertise. The first unit of the massive power plant has now begun producing energy.
The Punjab government and the Bank of the Punjab are also investors in the venture, with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also present on Tuesday at the inauguration, along with a host of federal ministers. Their presence underscores the significance being given to the project, with both the Sharif brothers enthusiastically hailing the potential of this source of power. Experts have for the most part agreed; and certainly in a country with expansive sunlight this resource cannot be ignored. The drawback comes in the high cost of the initial installation, but longer term benefits from this clean, renewable fuel outweigh these by a considerable margin. Our future may lie in alternative energy sources, and solar power stands at the forefront of these. It is envisaged that by the end of 2016 the Bahawalpur power plant would be producing 1,000MW of energy, a massive addition to a grid which requires 5000MW to 6000MW more than it is currently producing. The PM has said that more solar plants are planned, including ones in Sindh. These steps suggest we are at least moving proactively to solve our energy problems. The prospects seem bright, and there are side benefits to be reaped with the Bahawalpur park also generating mass employment. But most heartening of all is the hope that there will be an end to our energy woes. Given the controversies created by dams, alternative means seem like a sensible step forward, and we must hope the plant at Bahawalpur will open up for us a new road at the end of which there is plenty of light.