Power Crisis II
The power crisis seems to have been overcome for the time being in Pakistan. Or the population has grown used to frequent power shutdowns. I think the second option is more probable. However the danger of plunging into darkness remains ever so imminent. While we are plunging into darkness the sun remains shining brighter and brighter above us in the never so blue sky. Our Govt. seems reluctant in harnessing the power of sun for wide scale use. To be very true almost all Govt. remain skeptical of the use of solar energy for meeting population demands. With oil prices driving everyone mad this trend might not last long enough. In the more developed parts of the world where populations hardly get to notice the vulnerability of natural resources the heat is turning on for more non-conventional methods of generating energy.
I have always been a big fan of solar cells and have had faith in all that they can do to change our world. The solar cells of the 90's however were not capable of generating net energy gain. That means they were inefficient enough to be dead before they generated enough energy to make up for the amount that went into their productions. But since then tremendous design changes and other aspects of development have made it possible for us to build solar panels that are net generators of energy. solar panels can payback their costs in 1 to 20 years depending upon their use and geographic location.
I was always relieved to see small solar panels that were used to power the emergency call stations all along the motorway. More recently Karachi Metblogs has reported that Karachi City Govt. is installing stand alone solar powered street lights. These are small steps towards effective use of solar energy but they are a beginning.
I think that installing stand alone devices is costlier and risk prone when done in Govt. sector. On the other hand stand alone units to power houses or private property can be beneficial. But similar benefits can not be expected in the stand alone setups such as street lights. The cost of individual batteries and the unit apart from the solar panel itself is high. Similarly stand alone units require individual installation and record keeping. They require maintanence that has to be done on a larger scale and in greater area. they are more susceptible to damage by environment. In a country like Pakistan these stand alone units are also more susceptible to theft and mischief. Therefore installing stand alone units is not a better idea of tackling with our growing energy needs.
On the other hand we need a small solar farm which can be connected to the city's power grid and will provide energy more ubiquitously. Such a farm will cost less on the framework and will be under direct protection and observation of the authorities. Also it will require less maintanence and produce be more energy efficient.
If all my zeros are intact my calculations tell me that we can meet all our electricity needs by building a solar cell farm of about 49 square miles. And with further development in the solar cell design this area can be drastically reduced in the next 10 or 20 years. the fourth generation solar cells promise more energy at less cost and they are something i am looking forward to.
But the best option would be to encourage home owners in Pakistan to try and meet their electricity needs through stand alone solar panels mounted on roof tops. We get enough sunlight all year long to accomplish this task through smaller panels and at reduced cost. Home owners can only be lured into this by giving them system setup rebates and by allowing them to connect their systems to the main grid and earn credits for the energy that they generate. One possibility could be that power companies buy any additional energy that a house is able to generate after having met all its energy needs. The benefit of such grid integrated systems is that the cost of generation of electricity is zero for the electricity company. There is no maintenance cost involved on the part of electricity company and the electricity produced is consumed locally on the same grid therefore drastically cutting on line losses. The home owner benefits in multiple ways too. For one the home owner feels comfortable and in charge of his/her own electricity consumption. For another it is a source of income for the middle class families. Populations are better able to control their electricity consumption if they are in charge of its production too.
Having said all this i think solar cells are jus part of the solution and not at all the complete solution. Sun's energy can be harvested in many other ways which are more efficient and easier to maintain. All we need is a committed leaders who look towards the future and not into the past.
Technorati Tags: Solar cells, Solar energy, Pakistan, Karachi, Electricty, Power, Energy
I have always been a big fan of solar cells and have had faith in all that they can do to change our world. The solar cells of the 90's however were not capable of generating net energy gain. That means they were inefficient enough to be dead before they generated enough energy to make up for the amount that went into their productions. But since then tremendous design changes and other aspects of development have made it possible for us to build solar panels that are net generators of energy. solar panels can payback their costs in 1 to 20 years depending upon their use and geographic location.
I was always relieved to see small solar panels that were used to power the emergency call stations all along the motorway. More recently Karachi Metblogs has reported that Karachi City Govt. is installing stand alone solar powered street lights. These are small steps towards effective use of solar energy but they are a beginning.
I think that installing stand alone devices is costlier and risk prone when done in Govt. sector. On the other hand stand alone units to power houses or private property can be beneficial. But similar benefits can not be expected in the stand alone setups such as street lights. The cost of individual batteries and the unit apart from the solar panel itself is high. Similarly stand alone units require individual installation and record keeping. They require maintanence that has to be done on a larger scale and in greater area. they are more susceptible to damage by environment. In a country like Pakistan these stand alone units are also more susceptible to theft and mischief. Therefore installing stand alone units is not a better idea of tackling with our growing energy needs.
On the other hand we need a small solar farm which can be connected to the city's power grid and will provide energy more ubiquitously. Such a farm will cost less on the framework and will be under direct protection and observation of the authorities. Also it will require less maintanence and produce be more energy efficient.
If all my zeros are intact my calculations tell me that we can meet all our electricity needs by building a solar cell farm of about 49 square miles. And with further development in the solar cell design this area can be drastically reduced in the next 10 or 20 years. the fourth generation solar cells promise more energy at less cost and they are something i am looking forward to.
But the best option would be to encourage home owners in Pakistan to try and meet their electricity needs through stand alone solar panels mounted on roof tops. We get enough sunlight all year long to accomplish this task through smaller panels and at reduced cost. Home owners can only be lured into this by giving them system setup rebates and by allowing them to connect their systems to the main grid and earn credits for the energy that they generate. One possibility could be that power companies buy any additional energy that a house is able to generate after having met all its energy needs. The benefit of such grid integrated systems is that the cost of generation of electricity is zero for the electricity company. There is no maintenance cost involved on the part of electricity company and the electricity produced is consumed locally on the same grid therefore drastically cutting on line losses. The home owner benefits in multiple ways too. For one the home owner feels comfortable and in charge of his/her own electricity consumption. For another it is a source of income for the middle class families. Populations are better able to control their electricity consumption if they are in charge of its production too.
Having said all this i think solar cells are jus part of the solution and not at all the complete solution. Sun's energy can be harvested in many other ways which are more efficient and easier to maintain. All we need is a committed leaders who look towards the future and not into the past.
Technorati Tags: Solar cells, Solar energy, Pakistan, Karachi, Electricty, Power, Energy
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