Solar streetlights

The idea of installing solar streetlights in Karachi, floated by a local entrepreneur to tide over the growing energy crunch in the megapolis, needs to be seriously considered by the authorities. Power supply shutdowns, both scheduled and unscheduled, have been causing damaging disruptions in civic life and industrial productivity, a telling manifestation of which we recently witnessed in the form of destructive "power riots" in the city.
According to a Recorder Report, Karachi is currently facing a daily power shortfall of between 200 and 250 megawatts, which may be cut down by 161 megawatts if the city's streetlights are connected to a separate grid run on solar energy. Karachi needs at least 2300 megawatts of electricity a day, out of which seven percent is consumed by streetlights.
According to the Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Alternative Energy, Noman Saigol, the use of latest polymer solar technology to generate energy can lead to a saving of one dollar per watt, which will add up to a handsome saving. A US-based firm has meanwhile agreed to transfer solar energy technology to Pakistan.
The manufacturing of solar cells with polymer has cut down the price to 3.5 dollar per watt, as against the prevailing market rate of monocrystaline cell at 4.5 dollars per watt. If the streetlights in Karachi are attached to a separate grid it will appreciably reduce the overall load on the central power grid.
The newly established Directorate of Alternative Energy in Sindh has already drawn up a plan under which two solar parks will be initially established as pilot projects to assess their viability.
Solar energy is probably the most reliably and abundantly available renewable source in Pakistan because there is plenty of sunshine throughout the year. For instance, Balochistan has an average mean sunshine duration of about eight hours a day that can be harnessed to meet the energy shortfall.
If solar energy parks are established in the coastal regions of Sindh, and a centralised solar energy grid is established it can go a long way not only in meeting the energy shortfall of Karachi but also of the entire province. The National Institute of Silicon Technology (NIST) has already developed technology to fabricate solar cells, modules and systems.
This technology can be used to produce solar cells on a commercial scale, to be used in solar parks. Pakistan is ideally located to make full use of the solar energy technologies it has developed.
Sindh and Balochistan particularly are so located as to make use of this extremely abundant source of renewable energy. If properly harnessed, the alternative sources of energy, which are plentiful in Pakistan, can appreciably reduce the country's dependence on such expensive sources as oil and gas.
A beneficial characteristic of solar energy is that it can be easily converted into electric energy through use of photovoltaic cells. Pressing into service such innovative technologies and techniques has become all the more important in view of the country's burgeoning energy deficit.
Solar parks and windmills are viable options for Pakistan as alternative sources of energy, and the government should make full use of these. After establishing a separate solar energy grid and installing solar streetlights in Karachi, the Sindh government should initiate bigger solar projects in the province to ease the growing energy shortage.
The government should ensure full involvement of private sector in this futuristic project, as many companies have declared their intention to go in for solar cell manufacturing. The government should allow all possible incentives and concessions to these companies.