How solar potential could help Pakistan save billions

       ISLAMABAD-To overcome the current energy crisis, Pakistan can generate a large amount of clean and cheap energy by utilizing solar photovoltaic technology, according to WealthPK.

　　Implementing on-site grid-tied, micro-generation, or net-metering solar solutions, according to experts, is critical for improving the country's energy generation. Using solar photovoltaic technology, the country will be able to provide cheap and clean energy. "Using solar photovoltaic technology, Pakistan is capable of producing and generating a lot of power," Syed Mujahid Shah, a senior electrical engineer at the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), told WeaklthPK.

　　He claimed that solar was the least expensive energy source in Pakistan, with a unit of electricity costing as little as Rs4 to Rs5. Despite having excellent solar and wind power generation capabilities, he regretted that the country continued to rely on expensive and polluting fossil fuels. He stated that the country was constructing new thermal power plants. According to Syed Mujahid Shah, Pakistan could generate nearly one kilowatt of solar energy per square meter of land mass for more than six hours per day. He stated that Pakistan should use green financing to promote grid-connected solar solutions that use photovoltaic cells.

　　"The country has an average Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) of 2.337 kWh/m2. The World Bank has also stated that Pakistan has a significant potential for solar energy production, with only 0.071% of its photovoltaic capacity being used to meet the country's current electricity consumption needs," he added. According to the expert, the country urgently requires a net metering power connection, which allows photovoltaic (PV) solar panels installed on a home to generate and sell excess electricity to the national grid. "Through net metering, excess electricity supplied to the national grid can be offset against actual electricity consumed in the corresponding month, easing the financial strain of monthly electricity bills," he explained. According to WealthPK research, the first solar distributed energy was added to the grid in 2012 via net metering. Approximately 5.502 net metering licenses have been issued as of September 2020.

　　Tuaha Adil, a research economist at the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy, told Wealth that Pakistan's overdependence on energy imports was concerning because it contributed to the country's growing current account deficit, which was a developing issue. He claimed that increasing renewable energy, improving energy security, and lowering carbon emissions could save Pakistan up to $5 billion over the next 20 years.

　　Due to the country's rising electricity bills and intermittent power supply, Pakistan is also investing in solar energy in both the public and private sectors. "However, many businesses and citizens have switched to solar energy, and many more are considering it," Tuaha Adil said. Recently, Pakistan's Board of Investment (BOI) proposed and successfully implemented two reforms to net metering regulations. The reforms include the elimination of three-phase connections and the removal of NEPRA's generation license for net metering up to 25 kW. Nonetheless, these reforms have significantly reduced the time and cost of obtaining a net metering processing connection. According to WealthPK research, the government's step in net metering regulations has stimulated microgeneration facilities at the domestic and commercial levels.