60pc power consumption to be converted to solar energy by 2030: minister

LAHORE: Minister for Local Government and Community Development Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed has announced government’s plan to convert 60 per cent of power consumption to solar energy by 2030.

The minister was speaking at a solar power day seminar organised by Sungrow Pakistan here at a local hotel on Tuesday. The minister said that Punjab government had already initiated a robust plan with funds amounting to billions of rupees to convert universities, schools in remote districts of Punjab, all educational institutions and industrial units to renewable/solar energy in the province.

“Another very encouraging trend is being witnessed where people are converting mosques in urban areas on solar energy on self-help basis,” he said, adding that a mosque, whose monthly electricity bill had exceeded Rs500,000/month, had come down to zero besides earning additional income through sale of power to distribution companies through net-metering.

He said federal government had implemented a very effective solar power policy in order to ensure provision of solar energy paraphernalia to the consumers on a very subsidized rates. “Pakistan is already producing 1,600 MW electricity through solar energy,” he added.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit, Punjab, Chief Executive Amjad Ali Awan said that up to 70 per cent generation of electricity in Pakistan was based on thermal energy, which explains the mega scale of carbon footprint in the country. “This is the time to benefit from solar energy, especially when 80 per cent of capital cost has been slashed since it was first introduced in the country,” he said, adding that solar energy has the cheapest tariff of 5 cents/watt available in Pakistan.

DG EPA, Punjab, Ambreen Sajjad said that Pakistan had a global commitment to achieve target of green Pakistan, which was reiterated at recent COP26. In this respect, she said, Punjab government has launched two mega projects under Punjab Ujala Program for prevention and control of pollution and reduce carbon footprint. Under this program, as many as 4,200 schools and 2,327 Basic Health Units (BHUs) have been converted to solar power so far.

Howard Fu, International Director, Sungrow said that the company was committed to providing clean and sustainable power solutions. “The company has already generated 257.3 billion kwh energy and offset 205.8 tons of CO2 so far,” he added.

Usman Waheed, Country Director, Sungrow Pakistan, said that the company was providing clean energy solutions at all three tiers including utility scale, commercial & industrial scale and residential scale with zero percent failure rate and complete client satisfaction.