Oil in some major producing countries will start declining after 2020, resulting the swift increase in the demand-supply gap, which is to be filled by renewable energy sources. In the wake of high cost of oil, developed as well as the developing countries are vying to meet their needs through solar and other sources of alternative energy.
It is believed that after 2050, 50 percent of the world energy supply will come from renewables. The magnitude of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is enormous. Pakistan is also an energy deficient country and spends every year, huge amount of foreign exchange to import oil with annual growth rate of nearly one percent. Under the present scenario of energy pattern, the renewable energy sources have become most important for Pakistan. The electricity consumption in the country is increasing at annual rate of over four percent which will double the consumption by 2020. Whereas thousands of village are yet to be electrified. Most of these are far away from the grid line and there is no hope that these will get electricity even in coming 20 years.
Energy services needs to be extended to the poorest of the poor living in the far-flung areas to raise their standards of living to a respectable level. This goal can be achieved by utilising renewable energy sources. Renewable energies have emerged as important future energy technologies for sustainable development and Pakistan cannot afford to ignore these.
Realising the importance of RES, numerous projects have already been initiated to illuminate villages through solar energy in the country. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is working on a project to electrify around 300 villages in Balochistan and 100 in Sindh through solar energy.
The AEDB in collabouration with the Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) has illuminated 109 houses of village Bharmal in Tharparkar through solar energy. The village has a population of 780 people.
An official at AEDB said, "Every house in the village has been electrified through solar energy. Every house can now enjoy the facility of four bulbs, one fan besides a solar cooker."
"The solar cooker works only during the day, directly through the radiation of the sun," he added. He said children of the village can now study during the night and women can do their embroidery work. The village was short of fuel wood due to drought and was spending Rs 600-800 per month on oil for a home, he added.
The official said after the village has been provided solar energy, every family was contributing Rs 100 per month for the maintenance of the project. About the procedure to choose a village for electrification through solar energy, he said it is that it should be 20 kilometres away from the grid and we are collabourating with TRDP that provided us a list of villages in Thar which need solar energy.
Similarly, Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) is also implementing a number of projects such as electrification of remote villages of hilly areas of NWFP, Fata and Northern areas through installation of 70 micro hydropower plants, development of low power high intensity solar lights, pilot project on rural electrification using solar energy, provision of electricity to earthquake areas through installation of 100 micro hydropower plants and some others.
The PCRET has also implemented a project to provide electricity to mosques and schools in remote rural areas using solar energy. The project provided solar electricity to 120 mosques and schools across the four provinces. The project proposes a 200 watt PV system for each mosque to power four lights (20W), an amplifier, and two fans (80W), while the PV system will be of 400 watts to power one light, one computer, and two fans for schools.