Pakistan is catching up on its enormous solar energy potential pretty soon: in less than a year, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) will build the country’s first on-grid solar electricity system. It will be put in place because of the energy crisis and will be a big stimulus for the local economy.
According to Rukhsana Zuberi, PEC chairperson, this system’s smart grid could be the delivering solution that they had all been waiting for: it would free the country from any foreign oil since it will become energetically autonomous and would offer billion dollar investment opportunities that will in turn provide jobs for the people.
Why is this grid so smart? Because the regular people themselves will be producing energy from their rooftop solar panels to use in their homes, and the excess would be transferred to the main grid though an electricity meter, following the model already in place in Italy.
This is beneficial in two ways: they won’t have to pay any energy bills and the energy that is left would be sold to make a profit.
The PEC and the Planning Commission will be the host for two solar electricity generation systems of 180 KW each. In the meantime, Ms Zuberi informed the public the Islamabad Electric Supply Company is interested in buying excess energy at a price that will be mutually agreed upon, and also that the Japanese government is giving out 480 million yen in funds as part of the Clean Earth program.
In the view of all this, Ms Zuberi affirmed the PEC will become the federal capital of solar energy by the beginning of 2012. Regardless if i’s true or not, one has to admit this is a major breakthrough for Pakistan’s global status, both energetically and economically.
[via Daily Times]
