By Priyeshu Garg

In a world where most energy production comes from non-renewable resources, people are
trying to find efficient and price-effective ways to use renewable energy. One of the great leaps in
renewable technology has been the solar panel, which is composed of several solar cells that
convert light into electricity.

Although some people associate solar panels with new age technology, scientists have actually
been working with solar cells for nearly 200 years. The evolution of solar panels has been a slow
but worthwhile undertaking.

The first huge step in solar panel technology came when Alexandre Becquerel observed the
photovoltaic effect in 1839, which occurs when a material produces electric current when
exposed to light. It was not until 1888 that the first solar cell was actually built by Aleksandr
Stoletov. His cell was based on the discovery of the outer photoelectric effect, which caused
electrons to be emitted when energy (such as sunlight) was absorbed.

Solar panel technology did not become well known until Albert Einstein published a paper in
1904 on the photoelectric effect. Using technology from Einstein and earlier scientists, Bell
Laboratories produced the first modern photovoltaic cell in 1954. The cell was not very effective,
costing $250 to produce 1 watt of electricity; the same wattage could be produced for two to
three dollars in a coal plant.

While the technology was expensive, it was found to be cost effective for the space program. The
first satellite to use solar cells to back up its main power source, the Vanguard 1, was launched
in 1958. These cells, though cost-effective for space exploration, were not very efficient for
terrestrial uses until one year after the Vanguard 1 launch, when Hoffman Electronics created a
solar cell that was 10% efficient.

This set the stage for more effective uses, including solar cells being used in 1967 for the first
time on a manned spacecraft, the Soyuz 1.

Even with the more efficient cell created by Hoffman Electronics, for years the only viable use of
solar cells remained in space flight. In 1973, solar cells were fitted on Skylab, a U.S. space
station that orbited the Earth until 1979. The solar cells were so important to the operation of
Skylab that the space station only lasted six years due to the cells being damaged during launch.

During the 1970s, solar panels became more efficient in part due to the work of the Solar Power
Corporation. By 1977, solar panels had advanced so far that President Jimmy Carter had them
installed at the White House and even provided incentives for solar power. The advances of the
60s and 70s drove the price per watt of solar energy from $100 down to around $20. This
increased photovoltaic production, which hit 21.3 megawatts in 1983.

The use of solar panels continues to increase. President George H.W. Bush created the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1991, which continued to work with solar energy. This
continued interest led photovoltaic production to hit 1000 megawatts in 1999.
Since that time, President Barack Obama has had more solar panels installed at the White
House, increasing public knowledge of the technology. While solar panels have come a long way
over nearly two centuries, the basic technology necessary is almost identical to what it was in the
1830s. With solar energy production increasing at such a large rate over this period of time,
many people remain hopeful that solar power may very well help run the world one day.

Solar Energy a Feasible Alternative for

Pakistan
As is becoming painfully evident with summer around the corner, Pakistan is an exceptionally
sunny country. If 0.25% of Balochistan was covered with solar panels with an efficiency of 20%,
enough electricity would be generated to cover all of Pakistani demand. In all provinces the
AEDB has created 100 solar homes in order to exploit solar energy.

Solar energy makes much sense for Pakistan for several reasons: firstly, 70% of the population
lives in 50,000 villages that are very far away from the national grid, according to a report by the
Solar Energy Research Centre (SERC). Connecting these villages to the national grid would be
very costly, thus giving each house a solar panel would be cost efficient and would empower
people both economically and socially.

In many Pakistani villages, wood and animal dung is used for cooking fuel; however, this is
causing widespread deforestation. Women are also forced to walk for many miles each day to
gather wood. Then, their health suffers from the smoke emitted from cooking on wood fires. The
AEDB completed a project whereby villagers that received solar panels were also given solar
cookers. During the project, deforestation decreased by 80% near the villages and the cookers
were also made in Pakistan, which generated local economic growth.

Renewable energy: Pakistani company to Market to Canadian

Solars Module:

KARACHI:

Renewable energy is drawing unprecedented investment from companies that have

so far been involved in traditional businesses like textiles and hospitality.
Nizam Energy a subsidiary of H Nizam Din and Sons, which has
run multiple businesses since 1869 announced its decision to enter
into a strategic partnership with Canadian Solar at a press briefing on
Monday. Canadian Solar is one of the worlds largest solar module
manufacturers, with revenues touching $1.9 billion in 2011.

Nizam Energy will act as a distributor of Canadian Solars products in

Pakistan, besides providing training and undertaking capacity
building of certified installers and engineers in the country.
We want to create awareness about substandard and uncertified
solar products currently available in Pakistan. They lead to a loss of
confidence in solar energy products. We are going to offer quality
products at competitive prices backed by Canadian Solars
warranties, said Nizam Energy Director Usman Ahmed.

Replying to a question, Ahmed cited the example of a farmer he met

during his recent visit to Sukkur. He spends Rs150,000 a month to
run his diesel-powered tube-well. In contrast, our tube-wells one-
time cost is Rs1.2 million. It means he can recover his investment in
just eight months if he decides to buy our product.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ahmed said a solar-powered light

emitting diode (LED) manufactured by Canadian Solar and
distributed by Nizam Energy would cost Rs700, significantly higher
than the price of a normal bulb. However, it is a one-time expense.
The LED is going to last 50,000 hours at least, he said, suggesting
that the Rs700 LED would not need a replacement for up to six years.
Ahmed said the per-watt cost of solar energy was roughly $4 four
years ago. But prices have crashed since then. This is the best time
for Pakistanis to invest in solar energy as much as possible, he
claimed, given that solar power can now be produced at a cost of 84
cents per watt.

Speaking on the occasion, Canadian Solars Global Emerging Markets

Director Bob Zhang said his company operates in 50 countries and
was among the top five global solar module suppliers in 2011.
Canadian Solar shipped 1.34 gigawatts (GW) of solar equipment in
2011. Its supplies for the current year are expected to be 1.8GW.

To date, Canadian Solar has established seven wholly-owned

manufacturing subsidiaries in China, with a module capacity of
2.05GW in 2011. In the last 10 years, Canadian Solar has deployed
over 3GW of solar modules in over 50 counties. In 2011, one of the
worlds largest solar farms in Germany was deployed with 148
megawatts of Canadian Solar modules.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2012.

World Bank to Fund Cheap Solar Power Projects in

Pakistan
The government has agreed to significantly move towards solar power projects. The
World Bank had issued improved solar maps for Pakistan and had suggested the
country to make a move towards solar energy last year.

The government, faced with the increasing gap in supply and demand, as well as
delays in other power projects, is now seriously considering going for more solar
power projects to combat the energy shortfall.

Governments Stance on Solar

Previously, the government was clear on its stance on opting for expensive coal fired
power plants despite the great potential of cheap solar energy in the country. After
failing to meet the electricity demand, the government has started to look for other
options. Ishaq Dar, Minister of Finance, visited the US where he met with World
Bank representatives to discuss on the possibility of loan for power generation in
Pakistan.

World Banks Proposition for Cheap Electricity

The World Bank has agreed to finance solar power projects from its Green Funds in
order to help Pakistan with its energy issues. The international financial institution
was interested in financing the development of solar projects with an attractive tariff
of 3 to 3.5 cents per watt.

Read More: To Solve Energy Crisis, Pakistan Must Realize Its Solar Power
Potential

The suggested tariff is still above some international rates, but is less than half of
what coal powered plants are costing Pakistan. Even our 900MW solar project was
considerably more expensive than this.

World Banks suggestion and funding could ensure cheap and clean energy for
Pakistanis if the government continues to work with it.

World Banks Requirements

Sources suggest that Pakistan is aiming to set up solar power projects in far-off
areas of the country. To secure the funding, Ministry of Water and Power will make
use of international experts to develop a roadmap for the induction of solar energy
and identify sites for projects while keeping in view the grids stability and the aspect
of modernization in the future.

The funding will be available to the government after it has selected the land for solar
parks. Officials are of the view that off-grid areas in Balochistan are suitable for solar
plants of between 50-100 megawatts. The ministry is also discussing on selecting
sites for small power plants of 1-2MW for areas where the population is scattered.

However, the generated solar energy will only be useful after the base load
requirement has been met. A huge amount of energy can be reduced though
renewable means, such as by employing solar systems on rooftops of urban
buildings similar to what has been done with the Parliament House in Islamabad.

Pakistans Energy Future

Pakistan is expected to have a demand of 33,124MW by 2018. The predicted energy
sources for electricity generation in 2018 and 2022 are given below:

Read More: Govts Short Term Approach to Energy Policy is Sacrificing

Pakistans Future
Local coal as an energy source will amount to about 12 percent (2% Local and 10%
Imported) of all electricity by 2018. It will grow to 16 percent (8% local and 8%
imported coal) by 2022. The same growth cannot be seen for clean energy sources
like hydro or solar which are expected to grow slowly. When the world is moving on
!towards clean energy, Pakistan is exponentially increasing the use of dangerous
and expensive coal.

Current Situation & Possible Solutions

The government should focus more on solar energy and scale back on coal power in
order to provide cheap and clean energy to the public.

At present, the poor energy mix and circular debt have greatly affected the supply
chain, even pushing some energy companies towards financial collapse. With
increasing loadshedding duration, Pakistan has to improve its energy management,
and incorporate cheap energy sources into the mix for the benefit of the public.

Going solar
THE development of elaborate solar maps of Pakistan by the World Bank and the Alternate
Energy Development Board is a step in the right direction. However, what is the likelihood of this
making any significant impact on Pakistans solar and renewable energy landscape?

Solar energy has been making headlines across the world for the last few years. Between 2005
and 2010, the global installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV), also termed solar cells, has
grown from 5GW to 227GW. Since 1977, the price of PV has dropped from $76/watt to
$0.03/watt. This phenomenal success owes to wide-ranging factors; most importantly, conducive
policies, technological advancements and economy of scale. Solar PV is now becoming financially
competitive with conventional forms of power generation. Dubai, for example, is currently
developing an 800MW PV project with a power purchase agreement signed at less than three US
cents per kW hour.

Solar radiation, or level of sunshine, is the resource or fuel for solar energy systems. Accurate
measurement and analysis of this resource are fundamental to achieving the anticipated
performance. However, there are other important parameters that also need to be taken into
account to predict and evaluate a systems performance and this is often where mistakes are
made.

The scope for solar energy in Pakistan is huge.

The laymans perception is that hot climates are best for solar PV. Here we have two distinct but
interrelated parameters sunshine and temperature. These are two opposite factors when it
comes to their impact on the performance of solar cells. The output from solar cells is directly
proportional to the sunshine level, while it is adversely affected by temperature. It also heavily
depends upon clarity of atmosphere. Factors like atmospheric dust, pollution, humidity and wind
speed take a toll on the output. Careful selection of a site for solar systems, especially in the case
of large-scale projects, is therefore critical; any lapses in evaluating the solar resource and other
relevant climatic parameters can result in significant impact on a projects viability.

While renewable energy is making an important contribution to the energy and environmental
landscapes of many countries both in the developed and developing world, Pakistan has been
extremely slow in capitalising on it. Even other South Asian countries have made tremendous
progress in renewable energy.

For example, while India is amongst the leading countries in the world in terms of both solar and
wind power, Bangladesh has over two million systems installed in the residential sector alone. At
the small-scale level, there have been wide-ranging business models dealing with technologies
like solar home systems, communal solar systems, biogas plants and improved cooking stoves.
These accomplishments have been fostered by strong public- and private-sector patronage and
institutional development.

In recent years, solar systems have found some acceptance in domestic and commercial sectors.
Aside from the renewable energy policy development and tax exemptions on solar PV gear, there
have been many public-sector initiatives, the most hyped being the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park.
However, their effectiveness especially in terms of business, levelised cost of electricity and
sustainability is not clear. The fate of solar street lights, for example, has been disappointing,
with most becoming dysfunctional within the first year of installation.
Pakistan is recognised as having enormous potential for solar energy, and the newly developed
maps would provide better insight into the resource base. Besides solar PV, there is huge scope
for solar water heating and solar thermal power generation. Given the prevalent electricity
shortfall and reliance on imported oil and gas to meet national energy requirements, solar energy
as an indigenous resource can greatly help address this energy insecurity. There is, however, need
for a coherent and strategic approach in the form of supportive policies, innovative business
models, local and international financial and technical partnerships and motivation.

Solar systems have strengths and weaknesses. Each stage of their development from feasibility
studies to system design, equipment selection to installation, commissioning to operation and
maintenance must be worked out to deliver value-engineered projects. Solar systems are fast
evolving, ie new and more efficient types of cells and storage solutions are being developed and
one must keep an eye on them to develop optimum solutions. Whatever the project, it must be
based on a strong business case. Given the fact that a large proportion of the population in
Pakistan lacks access to the national grid, it would be a better option to focus on small- to
medium-scale and distributed generation projects. This would help avoid burdening the already
fragile T&D network, curb losses and electrify remote communities.

The writer is the author of Energy Crisis in Pakistan: Origins, Challenges and Sustainable
Solutions.

Solar Energy in Pakistan

by Zyma Arsalan
This article has been tweeted 1203 times and contains 78 user comments on social media sites.

Energy and the production of electricity has become a road blocker for economic success and
prosperity. Pakistan is currently looking for alternative means of energy. Solar Energy is by far
the easiest and highly recommended alternative source of energy in this region. It provides a
massive influx of heat to a larger population.

International Energy Agency and other regional international bodies are exploring new ways to
promote solar energy specifically in the south-east asia region. The objective of propagating a
new source of energy is to secure the energy generation through an inexhaustible source and
most importantly reduce pollution. Allowing the sun and heat sources to develop energy allows
for lowering the cost of mitigating climate change and ensuring that fossil fuel prices lower than
otherwise.

These advantages are global and pave the path for a sustainable model of energy throughout
Pakistan
Solar Energy can be consumed for commercial, office, and the corporate segment. Before we
begin and describe solar energies for homes and commercial use, let us first understand how
solar energy works.

How Solar Energy works?

Step 1 The sun is the main source of energy. It provides the sun rays for equipment on earth to
absorb and generate new forms of energy. As the run rays pass through the atmosphere, many
of the harmful rays are blocked out. Ultra Violet rays are blocked and the rays that tend to come
forth are the ones that are beneficial for humanity.

Solar Energy is derived from the engineering and algorithms associated with how the sun rays
interact with different materials and produces electricity. solar energy has been an engineering
driven science for over twenty years. In the last five years has it become a viral system and
cultivated into different segments of the market. various methodologies have been used and
photovoltaic panels are the best solutions available to absorb the lights and create volumes of
electricity

2. Photovoltaic cells are designed specifically to solar and thermal power rays. The solar power
cells have a negative and positive field. Photovoltaic cells are also called solar panel cells, solar
cells and simply cell plates. These are different names given to them. The cells or plates
comprises of photons and as they are absorbed by silicon, they become free as electrons
 through the bottom of the cell and passes through wires as electricity. This is called DC power
and will require a converter to transmit AC power into homes and residential areas.

Solar Thermal is a bit different methodology. The sun rays are used to heat water for smaller
segments like a residence or small office. For a large-scale operations the same solar energy is
used to heat oil that further produces steam and throttles machines, turbines and other larger
mechanical cycles. In essence, the electricity that can be produced through this method can also
produce electricity to thousands of households and commercial buildings.

Solary Energy for Homes in Pakistan

The power sector still needs ample time to provide quality electricity to the homes and residential
areas of Pakistan. Hence the need to grow the solar segment. The solar energy solution
depends upon many variables. For example, the total need of the consumer, budget and the
quality of rays during peak hours. All of these variables need to be adjusted into the solution.
Also there are so many specialized solutions that can be made for the consumer depending upon
the need and budget.

In our experience and successfully installing solar panels to over 4,000 households in Pakistan,
we recommend that the residential teams visit the customer and get a clear understanding of the
need and then build the solution. Read more aboutsolar energy for homes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy

Lets begin by discussing the main advantages of solar energy in Pakistan:

Intensive energy supply Solar power is one of the commodities that tend to never run out.

Clean and Safe unlike other resources that create waste, solar power is clean and safe.

Seamless technology the technology that drives solar energy has become a standard.

Limitless opportunities due to solar rays being everywhere, the solution of solar power can be
introduced in city and rural areas.

Cheap- with the advent of mass production, the cost of implementation has become cheaper and
enabled this solution to be purchased by a mass population.

Disadvantages of solar energy

As the name implies, the solar energy is directly proportional to the availability of sunshine. So in a
time where the sun is not up and rays not penetrating, the chances are that the energy will not be
generated.

Solar Panels warranty and testing needs to be done. Proper standards need to be in place.

Solar panels require ample space for build-out, hence, the need of spacing is mandatory. If you
require solar energy, but are limited to having space for panels, then this can be a limitation.
 Solar Panels charge batteries that in turn power the solar devises. This again requires space.

Question 1 What is Solar Thermal Energy?

Solar Thermal is a bit different methodology. The sun rays are used to heat water for smaller
segments like a residence or small office. For a large-scale operations the same solar energy is
used to heat oil that further produces steam and throttles machines, turbines and other larger
mechanical cycles. In essence, the electricity that can be produced through this method can also
produce electricity to thousands of households and commercial buildings.

Customer Reviews

I have three gorgeous daughters who live abroad and come back during the summers. The
summers are the best because of the timelines. However, the electricity problem is the biggest
hurdle. I love seeing the kids for extended amount of time, but the heat keeps them away from
Pakistan. Our UPS and generators can do so much. So, we finally decided to go for a solar panel
system for our residence and found that the services from thinkfaculty was amazing. They gave
us demo of different products and the installation was easy. No big issues. It is working great.
Recommend it to everyone. Mrs. Bokhari, Lahore

Solar power[edit]
Solar power in Pakistan
There have been some efforts to install and expand the use of solar energy in Pakistan. The
average amount of daily sunlight in Pakistan is nine and a half hours[citation needed]; there are a few
cloudy days even in the wettest regions. Eight power generation plants have been installed and
eleven are in various stages of completion.[when?] Further feasibility studies are undergoing. In
December 1981, the first solar photovoltaic system was commissioned, located in Mumniala (a
village 60 km from Islamabad). Four solar systems has been commissioned in Khukhera
(Lasbela district), Ghakar (Attock district), Malmari (Thatta district) (now that system is
unserviceable) and Dittal Khan Laghari, Digri (Mirpurkhas district).The Punjab government
announced the establishment of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park over an area of 5,000 acres in the
Cholistan Development Authority in Bahawalpur.[1]
A practical example of the use of solar energy can be seen in some rural villages of Pakistan
where houses have been provided with solar panels that run electric fans and energy-saving
bulbs. One notable and successfully implemented case was the village of Narian Khorian (about
50 kilometers from Islamabad), which employs the use of 100 solar panels installed by a local
firm, free of cost; these panels have provide energy through lights and fan facilities to some 100
households.[2] The alternative energy development board installed 200 solar home systems at
District Khuzdar Balochistan in a remote off-grid village Karak. Government of Balochistan
launched a programme to electrify off-grid villages of various districts through solar technology.

Solar power in Pakistan discusses the generation and development of electricity via solar
thermal or photovoltaictechnology in that country. The country has solar plants in
Pakistani Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Initiatives are under development by
the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Chinese
companies, and Pakistani private sector energy companies. The country aims to build the world's
largest solar power park, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park (QASP) in the Cholistan Desert, Punjab,
by 2017 with a 1 GW capacity. A plant of this size would be enough to power around 320,000
homes.[1]

Contents

[hide]

1Projects

o 1.1Introduction of Clean Energy by Solar Electricity Generation System

o 1.2Other projects

2Annual solar irradiation

3Photovoltaic installations

4Government policy

5See also

6References

Projects[edit]

Introduction of Clean Energy by Solar Electricity Generation System[edit]

On May 29, 2012, Pakistan inaugurated its first solar power on-grid power plant in Islamabad.
Introduction of Clean Energy by Solar Electricity Generation System is a special grant aid project by
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Coolio Earth Partnership. This project
includes the installation of two 178 kW photovoltaic (PV) systems at the premises of the Planning
Commission and Pakistan Engineering Council.

This is the first on-grid solar PV project that employs net-metering, thereby allowing the
beneficiaries to sell surplus electricity to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), the
electricity distribution company of the Islamabad Division. The project was executed with grant
assistance, worth 480 million Yen (approx. 553.63 million Pakistani Rupees) over three years
commencing in 2010.[2]

Other projects[edit]

Beaconhouse installed the first high quality integrated solar energy system with a 10 kW power
generation capacity capable of grid tie-in at Beaconhouse Canal Side Campus, Lahore. It was a pilot
project for BSS designed by U.S. consultants, based upon feasibility by the U.S. Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA).[3]
50 to 100 MW of photovoltaics is expected to be installed in 2013, and at least 300 MW in 2014.[4] In
May 2015, 100 MW of a planned 1,000 MW were installed in the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park.[5]

Annual solar irradiation[edit]

Solar irradiance in Pakistan is 5.3 kWh/m/day.[6] Pakistan set a target to add approximately 10 GW
of renewable capacity by 2030 in addition to replacing 5% diesel with biodieselby 2015 and 10% by
2025.[7]

Photovoltaic installations[edit]

Installations in MWp
Year Notes
Cumulative Added
Capacity Capacity

2014 400 Calculated back from 2015 added capacity data.[8]

2015 1,000 600 Preliminary data.[8]

Government policy[edit]

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former Federal Minister of Water & Power announced on July 2, 2009 that 7,000
villages would be electrified using solar energy by 2014. Senior adviser Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa stated
that the Punjab government would begin new projects aimed at power production through coal,
solar energy and wind power; this would generate additional resources.[9]

The Government of Pakistan allowed the provincial government of Sindh to conduct feasibility
research. The government planned to install a desalination plant powered by solar energy.[10]

Is Pakistan's solar
power poised to take
off amid energy
crisis?
Rina Saeed Khan
7 MIN READ


ISLAMABAD, May 8 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) -
Solar energy production in Pakistan is poised to take off -
just as the South Asian country is ramping up coal
production to help plug a crippling power crisis, energy
experts say.

New high quality solar maps - essential to securing

financing for major solar projects - show Pakistan is one of
the world's best countries for producing solar energy
because of its arid climate and latitude.

Pakistans solar potential is huge," said Jamil Masud, an

energy expert who helped draft Pakistans national
renewable energy policy.

The government is waking up to its potential," said

Masud, a director of Hagler Bailly Pakistan, an energy and
environmental consulting firm in Islamabad. "With the
prices of (photovoltaic panels) falling drastically in the last
four years, the switchover to renewables will happen -
gradually."

Pakistan's current national power shortfall is estimated to be

more than 6,000 megawatts, causing long power outages
across the country.

The country is building nearly a dozen coal power plants

over the next 15 years with Chinese investment, as part of
its attempts to end the crisis.

But Pakistan also has a range of major solar projects in the

pipeline, amounting to more than 4,400 megawatts in
potential power, said Amjad Awan, chief executive officer
of the federal governments Alternative Energy
Development Board (AEDB), an autonomous body
working under the Ministry of Water and Power.

Until now, the country's lack of detailed solar maps -

needed by major investors, especially U.S. companies - has
held back development of renewable energy, said Ali
Habib, managing partner of Shama Solar, a company based
in Lahore.
That changed in March, when Pakistan became one of the
few developing countries to produce the maps. They were
developed by the AEDB and World Bank, drawing on data
from nine solar data stations and 12 wind masts installed
across the country.

This is credible data according to which banks can give

funding to potential projects, said Awan. The government
can now do the appropriate zoning and develop solar and
wind areas.

'Better Than Germany'

The solar maps highlight which regions are most suitable

for solar power generation. The southwestern province of
Balochistan - a desert area with little cloud cover or air
pollution - has the country's largest solar potential, they
show.

"The maps reveal that even areas ... receiving the least
average annual irradiation are better than Germanys best
regions for solar power generation, said Masud.

Germany is a world leader in producing solar energy, and

uses detailed solar maps to assess its own solar resources.

Pakistan's data has been made public as part of the Global

Solar Atlas website, giving commercial scale projects
ready-to-use seasonal and monthly data.

This means investors do not have to spend significant time

and money gathering data for their projects. Instead, "they
can instantaneously acquire certified data of 'bankable'
quality that should be acceptable to commercial financing
institutions", said Masud.
That can substantially lower the costs around projects,
which in turn encourages companies to set up large-scale
solar power facilities, he said.

Solar 'Already Taking Off'

Frustrated with constant power cuts, consumers are already

installing small-scale roof-top solar systems for their homes
and businesses.

Solar is already taking off in Pakistan its going to

challenge grid-connected power, said Fariel Salahuddin,
an energy specialist based in Karachi.

"Roof-top solar panels are growing organically and as for

the grid-connected solar projects, lots of pieces are coming
together like regulation, tariffs, investments and grid
capacity, she added.

Pakistans National Electric Power Regulatory Authority

(NEPRA) has issued guidelines for net metering so
consumers can now sell excess solar energy they produce
back to the grid, Salahuddin said.

One of the first licenses for net metering was issued to

Pakistans parliament building in Islamabad, which
switched to solar energy last year. Some banks have started
financing home solar systems, which are cropping up across
the country.

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company has introduced net

metering, and other power companies in large cities such as
Lahore and Karachi will be following suit "in a matter of
months, not years said AEDB's Awan.

However, the government still needs to simplify connection

rules and procedures for small-scale solar power to be more
widely adopted, Masud said.
"There are several procedural and commercial details to be
worked out before rooftop photovoltaic panels become a
common sight in Pakistan, but its only a matter of time
before it does, said Masud.

Pakistan already has one major solar park - the Quaid-e-

Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur, built with Chinese
investment. It produces 400 megawatts with plans to rise to
1,500 megawatts of solar production.

Not just the Chinese, but many other companies from

countries like Germany and the United States are coming
into Pakistan to invest in solar energy, said Vaqar Zakaria,
the chief executive officer of Haigler Bailly Pakistan.

However, the support and incentives being offered for

coal-based power generation are far more attractive than
those being offered for investment in solar power, added
Zakaria.

Coal Burning

However, despite its considerable solar and wind potential

and the rapidly decreasing costs of renewable energy,
Pakistan continues to focus on building its coal-powered
generating capacity.

The government plans to add 10,000 megawatts of coal

energy to the countrys energy mix by 2020.

Solar and wind have their limitations. Solar cant produce

electricity at night," said Shama Solar's Habib. "Every
country needs a base load that can run all the time - and that
still comes from coal and gas or oil. (Reporting by Rina
Saeed Khan; Editing by Alex Whiting.; Please credit the
Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of
Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate
change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property
rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate)