Pakistan to power 7,000 villages with solar
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf recently spoke to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) delegates about the country’s stand on renewable energy.Pakistan aims to power 7,000 of its villages with electricity from solar in the next five years, according to Internews last Friday (July 3). The government plan was revealed by Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf who recently spoke at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)’s preparatory commission in the coastal city of Sharm Al Sheikh, Egypt.
The government will reportedly be focusing on villages that cannot be powered through the country’s electricity grid.
The minister told delegates of the 120 participating nations that Pakistan has similar renewable energy problems with other countries. He said those problems can be solved only by identifying the barriers to development, Internews reported.
According to the minister, the barriers are the inavailability of technology, skills, and knowledge, and a funding mechanism that could promote the technology. The minister also reportedly suggested the development of a global financial mechanism that can address the needs of the alternative energy sector.
For Pakistan, the renewable energy sector can be the least expensive and most sustainable energy resource if given the conditions to operate in a level-playing field, according to Internews.
Meanwhile, IRENA is the international organization of 136 states that aspires to promote a global transition towards renewable energy use. The US joined the agency last month to signify the country’s commitment in developing a new energy policy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Reuters recently.
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Jen Balboa
Sources:
1 http://www.irena.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=90
2 http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE55T0X620090630
3 http://www.esearchbook.com/files/37/eSearchBook.1228897740.PakistanFlag.jpg