Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is in process of installing solar units at around 50 different places across the country to promote this source of energy among people.
The Council under Prime Minister's Initiative for Solar Power (PMISP) has launched this programme to install 600 watt to 5 KW stand alone solar power systems at selected sites that include universities, polytechnics, public and religious places.
A senior official at PEC on Sunday told APP that solar units have already been installed at Quaid-e-Azam's Maazar, Baitul Mukkarram Mosque, Ram Mandir, Abdullah Shah Ghazi's Mazar and work is in progress at other places.
The official said Rukhsana Zubairi, after taking charge as Chairperson of PEC, has taken numerous steps and one of them was installation of country's first on-grid solar system in Islamabad to meet its energy needs.
The work on this project is in progress for which Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) has extended support. To start with, the official said two solar electricity generation systems of 180 KW each will be installed at PEC building and Planning Commission.
The smart-grid can turn Pakistan into energy self-sufficient, the official said and added PEC is trying to make the solar energy accessible and viable business for common man. The six-story building of the PEC will be converted on solar energy by 2012 after solar project's completion.
The new system is a way forward to completely overcome energy shortage, as the solar system to be installed by the people in their places, will be connected with the grid system to pass on surplus power to the main power system. The official said PEC is determined to popularise this new solar system throughout the country, as this is the best way forward for producing energy at lower rates in the long run.