Pakistan can Generate 250K MW electricity from Solar Energy!

[Path-Finder]

wah LNG wah LNG. wah wah wah.

 

[CrazyZ]

Theoretically the number is huge. But solar needs batteries/energy storage to make sense. Combing solar and pumped hydro energy storage make most sense in Pakistan since we are still building many dams. I haven't seen many pumped hydro proposals from WAPDA but they need to start thinking about it to combine with large solar projects.

 

[UKBengali]

Yes Pakistan has massive solar potential like with hydro as well.

It is lucky that it can generate it's entire electricity needs just from renewables. The cost upfront will be high but this will be paid back in unlimited almost free and clean energy for decades to come down the line.

 

[CrazyZ]

Yes Pakistan has massive solar potential like with hydro as well.

It is lucky that it can generate it's entire electricity needs just from renewables. The cost upfront will be high but this will be paid back in unlimited almost free and clean energy for decades to come down the line.

Pakistan's land mass is either mountain, desert or farmland located in the Indus river basin. Put solar in deserts, pumped hydro in the mountains...........100% renewables in large quantities is very possible. Only issue is costs. We should approach international lenders like WB or ADB for interest in funding this.

 

[UKBengali]

Pakistan's land mass is either mountain, desert or farmland located in the Indus river basin. Put solar in deserts, pumped hydro in the mountains...........100% renewables in large quantities is very possible. Only issue is costs. We should approach international lenders like WB or ADB for interest in funding this.

Think about what Pakistan spends on importing oil and gas to power it's electricity generating stations.

Pakistan needs to have a 2 decade plan in order to slowly decommission these and build the solar parks in their place.

I think the hydro electric sector is ok with around 10Gw of capacity actively being added.

 

[CrazyZ]

Think about what Pakistan spends on importing oil and gas to power it's electricity generating stations.

Pakistan needs to have a 2 decade plan in order to slowly decommission these and build the solar parks in their place.

I think the hydro electric sector is ok with around 10Gw of capacity actively being added.

Oil has already been reduced....replaced by Thar or imported coal. Thar coal, imported coal and hydro are currently the cheapest options for Pakistan.

If our energy sector is planned properly, in a few years Pakistan can go to $50 billion in exports while cutting imports to $25 billion. Forex and IMF issues would be a thing of the past. Energy independence would give us a strong macro economic position.

 

[Trango Towers]

Pakistan should make it a rule that every new house constructed must have solar panels on it and there should be a size requirement so that they generate their own electricity

 

[CrazyZ]

Pakistan should make it a rule that every new house constructed must have solar panels on it and there should be a size requirement so that they generate their own electricity

Not that easy. In order to be viable as a large percentage of electric, it needs energy storage. Plus its cheaper to do this on a large scale (economies of size). If household can afford it then go for it but in general its better done as utility scale solar backed by large pumped hydros.

 

[UKBengali]

Oil has already been reduced....replaced by Thar or imported coal. Thar coal, imported coal and hydro are currently the cheapest options for Pakistan.

If our energy sector is planned properly, in a few years Pakistan can go to $50 billion in exports while cutting imports to $25 billion. Forex and IMF issues would be a thing of the past. Energy independence would give us a strong macro economic position.

Coal is not a good idea as it is quite dirty.
I know the cost of building a coal plant is low but Pakistan should stay away from coal.

It needs to have a 20 year plan to go totally hydro, solar and nuclear(good to use as a "top up" as the other two may not always provide power at the required times).

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Pakistan should stay away from coal.

Pakistan has to go for coal. This 'clean' crap is only a luxury for the rich. Pakistan's carbon print is in the negative compared to the rich countries. We have duty to develop Pakistan. India produces over 60% from coal. Pakistan less than 10%.

So you expect poor Pakistani consumer to pay extra to compensate for rest of the worlds addiction to cheap coal electricity? Wtf?

 

[UKBengali]

Pakistan has to go for coal. This 'clean' crap is only a luxury for the rich. Pakistan's carbon print is in the negative compared to the rich countries. We have duty to develop Pakistan. India produces over 60% from coal. Pakistan less than 10%.

So you expect poor Pakistani consumer to pay extra to compensate for rest of the worlds addiction to cheap coal electricity? Wtf?

Solar will be no more expensive when costs are factored in over some decades.
Solar panels are getting cheaper and more efficient every year.
In fact India just last year completed a 2GW solar plant for only 2 billion US dollars which is not that much more expensive than if it build a coal fired power plant of the same capacity.

Pakistan just needs to try to find more money up front to build the solar plants and then will get almost free electricity afterwards for many decades.

Pakistan needs to use it's fortunate geography and climate to it's advantage in electricity generation.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Solar will be no more expensive when costs are factored in over some decades.

Do you even see the contradiction in what your saying. So you expect one of the poorest countries on earth to find money on long term return. Money is exactly what Pakistan does NOT have. Your solution is or the capital surplus rich countries. The cheap option is for Pakistan. That is coal.

Bizzarely you expect Pakistani poor to take the burden of everyone else [China,India,USA] using cheap coal by going for solar. Surely it should be other way around. Or those who use coal give Pakistan subsidy for solar energy. But will they?

 

[Path-Finder]

'clean' crap

the new coal plants are more efficient and cleaner than before!

 

[UKBengali]

Do you even see the contradiction in what your saying. So you expect one of the poorest countries on earth to find money on long term return. Money is exactly what Pakistan does NOT have. Your solution is or the capital surplus rich countries. The cheap option is for Pakistan. That is coal.

Bizzarely you expect Pakistani poor to take the burden of everyone else [China,India,USA] using cheap coal by going for solar. Surely it should be other way around. Or those who use coal give Pakistan subsidy for solar energy. But will they?

Is coal a "cheap" solution even in the short-term?

Pakistan can build a 2GW solar plant for 2 billion US dollars now - in 10 years it may be 1.5 billion US dollars as costs of panels are falling all the time and they are getting more efficient at generating electricity from sunlight.

How much does a 2GW coal-fired power plant cost in Pakistan right now? I guess no cheaper than 1.5 billion US dollars and then add in the coast of importing or digging out the coal from Thar and even from the first year is Pakistan any better off financially?

Southern Pakistan is one of the sunniest areas on the planet and so needs to use some of this area to generate GWs of solar electricity.

PS - Just checked and China charged 2 billion US dollars for a 1.32GW coal-fired power station that it built in Pakistan last year. Only advantage I can see with coal plants then is that it can provide electricity all the time compared to hydro and solar, but with proper planning even this advantage can be mitigated to a great extent.

 

[Trango Towers]

Not that easy. In order to be viable as a large percentage of electric, it needs energy storage. Plus its cheaper to do this on a large scale (economies of size). If household can afford it then go for it but in general its better done as utility scale solar backed by large pumped hydros.

Ok so when in the west it costs about 15000 pounds sterling to set up a system with complete power bank for several days to run a house its going to be trouble in pakistan. Pakistan is a weird country as they will spend 3 or 4 crore on a kotli but will not spend 30 lakh on getting free electric for the next 25 to 30 years.