‘Academia needs to play role for smooth energy transition’

Islamabad : Experts from academia and research institutions have stressed that the gap between policymakers, academia, and industry needs to be bridged for the smooth and efficient energy transition in Pakistan.

The experts were sharing their views with the participants at a webinar on ‘Road to COP-26: role of academia in energy transition of Pakistan’ organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here Friday.

Dr Fiaz Chaudhry, Dean of Energy Department, Lahore University of Management Sciences, said what is missing in existing policies pertaining to energy sector is the right planning to meet needs of day. He said that we need to modernise grids and develop human resource to respond to the new challenges in the sector.

Prof Nadeem Ahmed Shaikh, Dean, Department of Mechanical Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad, highlighted the importance of broader collaboration amongst the stakeholders in the energy sector and said that sustainability of the natural resources should also be evaluated. Besides, the local challenges in the energy sector are also imperative to be considered to develop rational policies, he added.

Dr Abdul Sattar Nizami from Government College University, Lahore, opined that to reduce knowledge gap in the sector, the academia and policy makers should work together to simplify the knowledge. He said that accurate data could play critical role in policy making regarding energy transition in Pakistan.

Dr Muzzafar Ali from the University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila, stressed that effective communication between all stakeholders including academia and government institutions should be focused upon for smooth energy transition in the country.

Dr Muhammad Farooq, also from UET, Taxila, was of the view that our universities are producing a large number of PhDs every year but we lack in evidence-based research to ascertain our real needs and challenges in energy sector. He said that consultation with academia and industry should be ensured for energy sector policies.