'IRENA may play vital role in meeting energy demands of Pakistan'

The newly established international renewable energy agency (IRENA) can play vital role in meeting energy demands of Pakistan for which Germany is ready to provide full technical co-operation under the Pak-German Energy Efficiency program (2008-2011).
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, German Ambassador to Pakistan Micheal Koch said here at the German Embassy that the Germany has already committed, during the previous regime, to make significant financial contribution in construction of one dam in Pakistan. Therefore, Germany is helping Pakistan in all ways to ensure availability of renewal energy in the county.
Admitting that the load shedding is a big problem in Pakistan, German Ambassador stated that Pakistan has great potential of renewal energy due to its unique geographical location. "A country where load shedding is a big problem, renewal energy could play a key role in meeting energy demands", he said. In view of enormous potential, German companies would explore possibility for investing in Pakistan to provide renewal energy sources.
He said that the villages in Pakistan could generate their own solar energy, which would be a cheap source of renewal energy. The idea is to generate energy through effective ways, ensuring cheap energy sources in Pakistan.
Explaining the role of IRENA, he said that there was no international organisation whose specific aim was to support and provide concrete advice to industrialised and developing countries on the expansion of renewable energies and help them establish better regulatory frameworks through capacity building measures.
In order to remedy this deficit, the IRENA is being established to accelerate the world-wide expansion of all sustainable regenerative energy sources. The IRENA will focus its activities on promoting all forms of renewable energies.
These include Bio-energy; Geothermal energy; Ocean energy (eg tidal power and marine current power); Solar power; Hydropower; Wind energy and other forms of renewable energy (eg osmosis energy). In order for projects to be eligible for IRENA promotion, their energy production methods must fulfil certain sustainability criteria, he said. German government invited all interested countries including Pakistan to Bonn for the IRENA Founding Conference from January 26-27, 2009.
Micheal Koch further said that the IRENA's primary goal is to work towards broad-based, sustainable use of renewable energies throughout the world in the near future. This integrated approach is reflected in various specific targets. These include improving the political environment for renewable energies through targeted political advice; expanding technology transfer in the area of renewable and supporting capacity building measures for renewable energies.
Micheal Koch stated that over 1.6 billion people do not have access to electricity and more than 2.5 billion have to rely on firewood and dung as their sole sources of energy. Therefore, renewable energy offers an enormous potential. As technology cost decline, this energy can contribute to stable energy prices in the future.
Highlighting the Pak-German program on renewable energy and energy efficiency, Energy Export Dr Romeo Pacudan said that Pakistan is an active founding member of the IRENA. The potential of renewal energy in Pakistan is evident from data. There is a potential of 45,000 MW from Hydropower; 50,000 MW (Sindh and Costal Balochistan) Wing Power; 700 MW (bagasse), Biomass and there is a huge potential of solar energy as renewal energy in Pakistan.
Expert said that second phase of Pak-German renewable energy program (2008-2011) would promote the rational use of energy in small and medium enterprises to increase competitiveness and profitability; support national partners in the development of appropriate strategies and capacities to address energy conservation, energy efficiency and increase the share of micro and mini-hydro in Pakistan's energy mix-an important clean, renewable energy resource.
The program would support national partners in the creation of an enabling environment for renewable energy as well as in the development of RETs and products eg solar water heater and strengthen national rural electrification efforts for the provision of basic energy services to marginalised communities. It would also support in the development of the Medium Term Renewable Energy Policy; enabling frameworks and technical capacities for small hydropower development and ensure sustainability of Solar PV Rural Electrification Programmes.
Under the program, it would also help in promotion of market development for solar water heaters; awareness and capacity building for clean development mechanism; mainstreaming gender in rural electrification programmes; support for the introduction of energy management system (EnMS) in the textile industry; industry-Academia Linkages for energy manager training programmes; development of energy efficiency standards and labels for selected home appliances; development of economic incentives (ie clean energy fund) and awareness about CDM projects, energy expert added.