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Pakistan has become the first country to benefit from duly validated, high-quality solar maps under a global initiative, allowing it to tap into its renewable energy resources more effectively, the World Bank said in a press release on Tuesday.
The new solar maps for Pakistan were unveiled today at a workshop hosted by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) and the World Bank in Islamabad.
According to the World Bank, Pakistan is now part of a small group comprising mainly developed countries with access to sustainable and affordable sources of indigenous energy.
Read more: World's largest solar park to light up Pakistan's future
"With the costs of solar power having decreased significantly over the past couple of years, Pakistan now has the opportunity to unleash investment in solar energy without the need for subsidies," said Anthony Cholst, Acting Country Director for the World Bank, Pakistan.
"The World Bank stands ready to support the federal and provincial governments in realising this objective, alongside the support we are already providing for development of hydro-power sector reform and the strengthening of the transmission grid. It is time to realize the full potential of this clean and secure source of energy," he added.
"These new solar maps will definitely ensure qualified improvement vis-a-vis previous studies, and will underscore the tremendous solar potential that exists across Pakistan," said Amjad Ali Awan, Chief Executive Officer of AEDB.
Awan also appreciated the World Bank for its "valuable contribution" to Pakistan's "continued efforts towards scaling up of renewable energy in an affordable and sustainable manner."
Details of solar mapping project
Led by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, the initiative will "facilitate investors in making more informed project decisions".
"The maps will help large solar power projects in obtaining commercial financing by reducing the resource risk," the press release further said.
The World Bank project on solar mapping in Pakistan includes field data being generated by nine solar measurement stations installed two years ago across the country.
"The project supports AEDB’s efforts to harness renewable energy in all the provinces by improving access to bankable data," the World Bank statement said. "The solar maps used the latest solar resource modeling techniques, based on 18 years of satellite and global atmospheric data from 1999-2016."
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (99) Closed
Mar 07, 2017 08:16pm
congrats pakistan !also read about QEA solar park , now solar maps , in one word WOW !
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Mar 07, 2017 08:45pm
Renewable energy is the future and should be present. Fossil fuels are drying up and also adds to global warming and ozone layer depletion. It should be a mix of Solar, Wind, Hydel and other sources.
Pakistan also ranks number one in the world with largest number of vehicles running on CNG, a much cleaner energy source.
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Mar 07, 2017 09:00pm
God bless Pakistan.
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Mar 07, 2017 09:01pm
bros can any one tell what will happen to income of oil pro countries in gulf ? how their gdp will sustain , or will they be DESERTed in world economics !world seems to be on breakthru in super energy sources from moon, mars and space the final frontier
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Mar 07, 2017 09:37pm
@Saudagar - They are busy making their lands into holiday resorts, so it seems. The other day there was a funny news that even Saudis have some plans at this :)
Renewable energy is definitely the way to go!
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Mar 07, 2017 09:41pm
World's largest solar power plant is in india today and is named as kamuthi. India heads the international solar alliance which consist of 120 countries.
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Mar 07, 2017 09:53pm
@McChrist - Yes, we know that.
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Mar 07, 2017 10:22pm
As usual Pakistan has the best natural resources but will it manage itself for its benefits?
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Mar 07, 2017 11:32pm
Go boys go !! Make Pakistan a solar 'power'. Best wishes from India.
Everyone though must remember a few things. Denmark for example is the worlds biggest producer of wind power. Most of their power needs are met by off shore wind farms. But the experts there will tell you that because there will always be 'no wind no power' days , they have tie up with neighbouring nations for emergency needs. So the right approach is an energy mix where renewable reach 90-95 pc and 5 other sources meet off day needs. Also, solar PV alone cannot be an optimum renewable energy source. Wind farms must also be incorporated at feasible spots.
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Mar 07, 2017 11:36pm
Awesome news.
Congrats to all Pakistanis.
Proud to be from Pakistan
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Mar 07, 2017 11:53pm
Blessings upon Pakistan and the people of Pakistan...that means we all !
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Mar 08, 2017 12:04am
Good one for Pakistan.Atleast now ask Chinese to build wind based and solar based power plants as part of CPEC instead of majority coal based thermal plants which are not sustainable on long run.
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Mar 08, 2017 12:07am
Immpresive
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Mar 08, 2017 12:32am
That is very nice
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Mar 08, 2017 12:36am
Well this is a good news, however; nothing will change in this country until we finish corruption and have truthful leaders.
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Mar 08, 2017 12:58am
That Solar Park is awesome!
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Mar 08, 2017 01:00am
Thank you Nawaz Sharif!
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Mar 08, 2017 01:10am
Do read Khurram Hussain's article published here in Dawn to understand the hype and the red tape..
https://www.dawn.com/news/1291019/cpec-snags-on-solar
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Mar 08, 2017 01:13am
What next
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Mar 08, 2017 01:17am
Not sure what the big deal is - its been used in US for ages. Info: Solar maps provide monthly average daily total solar resource information on grid cells. The insolation values represent the resource available to a flat plate collector, such as a photovoltaic panel, oriented due south at an angle from horizontal to equal to the latitude of the collector location. This is typical practice for PV system installation, although other orientations are also used.
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Mar 08, 2017 01:21am
The Pakistan solar maps can be found here: http://globalsolaratlas.info/downloads/pakistan. The site can also be used to get data for any site in the country, or globally: http://globalsolaratlas.info/
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Mar 08, 2017 01:23am
great news. actual field measurements are also available at https://energydata.info/dataset/pakistan-solar-measurement-wbg-esmap
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Mar 08, 2017 01:29am
What will happen to coal plants where you have accepted and signed to buy electricity at Rs. 15 per unit from Chinese companies?
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Mar 08, 2017 01:37am
So many feel-good stories in the pipeline these days. From new dam projects, to new roads, to CPEC tower, to orange metro, solar energy and what's not. The dead children of Tharparker must be so happy.
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Mar 08, 2017 01:48am
Always feel great to hear such constructive and progressive news from neighbors.
Congratulations Pakistan- From INDIA
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Mar 08, 2017 01:55am
Banks are only interested in getting the country into big debt! so they can make big money from interest/riba.!!!
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Mar 08, 2017 02:16am
@McChrist share this info with World bank they may not be aware ... problem is.. you didn't even read the heading of this news " Pakistan first country to benefit from high-quality solar maps: World Bank" . its not about having a largest solar park .
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Mar 08, 2017 02:24am
Since renewable energy is the future, why not invest Billions on solar energy instead of building dams? Its cleaner and cheaper. As for the oil and oil producing countries and millions of jobs in the oil sector, don't worry, it won't go away completely, no country will shut down their oil and gas production and send millions of their workers home, the renewable energy will allow the prices of oil to come down since the demand will decrease, and that's a good thing, the way the demand is right now, the oil just might not last as long as some people think.
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Mar 08, 2017 02:50am
I live in Ontario, Canada. Ontario is one of the leading place in world to put Renewable energy (RE) initiative. At the same time, Ontario has most expensive electricity in North America, simply because renewable energy is expensive (compare to hydro and coal). In 2016-17 Ontario govt. drop the tariff to 25% (no one know who will bear the cost--obviously tax-payer). It is expensive and even in USA is not popular against hydro and coal.
Prefer to see the feasibility study for this project compare to hydro and coal.
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Mar 08, 2017 02:55am
@Saudagaar -- in which way it will help Chinese !! when they have spent billions on CPEC and probably Pakistan will not pay for the wind chimes !!
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Mar 08, 2017 03:42am
Solar park will mean occupying large areas which otherwise can be used for other purposes;hydro power should be exploited
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Mar 08, 2017 04:05am
Well done. Renewable energy has great role for future energy need when fossil stock is depleting. There is one International airport at Kochi, India been run completely on solar energy. Remote parts of the subcontinent will benefit if focus is shifted to solar energy.
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Mar 08, 2017 04:14am
Phenomenal! It's so very awesome to read about Pakistan taking the lead in this solar energy program which will benefit a huge number of Pakistanis.
Great team work, AEDB and the World Bank, Islamabad! Thank you for helping Pakistan move forward, a nation which desperately needed alternative sources of energy!
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Mar 08, 2017 04:39am
Do not count chickens before they hatch. It is just a solar map, and nothing has been planned or implemented yet. On the other hand, India is already generating 10,000 MW of solar power (In 2 years, this will increase 10 times). Last year India invested $100 bn (2 x CPEC) only for solar energy.
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Mar 08, 2017 04:39am
QEA Solar Energy Plant is a shining example of the use of renewable energy. Proud of it. I hope many other projects of this type take shape in Pakistan to get over the energy crisis.
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Mar 08, 2017 04:56am
Good news. Good luck. This will benefit Pakistan as well as the whole planet.
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Mar 08, 2017 05:08am
Pakistan government needs to facilitate collaborations between local and Chinese private investors to start producing solar panels and windmills in Pakistan.
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Mar 08, 2017 05:11am
This looks fishy... Who is behind world bank? and why are they doing this in Pakistan NOW? at a time when CPEC is building many coal projects...
Why are they suddenly becoming so meherbaan on Pakistan?
This is very fishy business!!!
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Mar 08, 2017 05:25am
@McChrist And the point is ?
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Mar 08, 2017 05:27am
Congrats Pakistan!
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Mar 08, 2017 05:38am
Many times while reading an article in the Dawn, I look for the definition of the key phrase used in the title of the article. Some times, I find the definition of the key phrase buried deep in the article. At other times the key phrase is not defined/explained at all. This is the case with this article, “Pakistan first country to benefit from high-quality solar maps: World Bank.” I did not see the phrase “solar maps” defined/explained any where in the article. So I checked Wikipedia, which says:
A solar map, in general, is a map of a city, state, country, or any piece of land that illustrates information about how much a certain piece of land, building, or home experiences a certain amount of sunlight. It normally combines topographic, meteorological, and sometimes financial data to help scholars or consumers and investors in promoting awareness of the potential of solar power.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:01am
@saudagar they are prepared to turn into nomadic tribes as before.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:02am
Great news. This will be vital in Pakistan's growing energy projects and help in diversification of energy generation. Renewable energy sources are the best because they minimize environmental damage which Im glad to see Pakistan investing so much in.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:14am
how about taking them from India. We have had it for many years.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:23am
I see right and left and wonder where all this development is taking place because I don't see anything.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:31am
Congrats Pakistan. This is what is exactly needed to develop your country. Safe and clean solar power will go long way. Good and refreshing news for which every Pakistani can be proud of.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:42am
Congratulation. Wish all the best.
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Mar 08, 2017 06:49am
Unless the cost of electricity produced is attractive, it will not be sustainable.
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Mar 08, 2017 07:25am
@anony : "HARMONY-1©ABOUT 11 HOURS AGO
@Nitish - O'bhai, it’s an APPRECIABLE step, like I said to @Saudagar by agreeing with his sensible comment. But why bring 'pride' on everything whenever there is any bit of good news?"
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Mar 08, 2017 07:42am
Where is the map? It should have been included it in this report.
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Mar 08, 2017 07:58am
Very good news but I wished this development occurred before the advent of CPEC. The government has guaranteed to buy each unit from Chinese including from imported coal and Chinese will never let their profit to be compromised.CPEC solar rates are unaffordable 14 PKR per unit compared to latest Indian bid 5 PKR per unit.
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Mar 08, 2017 08:23am
Government should give loans with no interest ti middle class ranging from 6 to 12 months to add solar panels to there home.lot will do it.clean energy is the future.no more black mailing by the petrol mafias
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Mar 08, 2017 08:36am
@saudagar can you explain your WOW.What benefit instead of huge debt?
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Mar 08, 2017 08:41am
Great News.
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Mar 08, 2017 09:07am
@Zak wow stands for wonder of world , yes pakistan will be benefitted by getting power which has multiple uses i prefer not to enlist sir ,debt is temporary but prosperity may befit permanant to pakistan ,as an indian i sincerely have most warmest feeling for all non hater bros of my neighbor country.and i am sure they are in MILLIONS !
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Mar 08, 2017 09:18am
@N.S Karachi China is number one with 4.4 million vehicles , Iran second at 4.0 million & Pakistan 3rd at 3.7 million.
http://www.ngvexpo.com/msg.php?id=1631
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Mar 08, 2017 09:28am
@McChrist. Really! Thanks for enlightenment.
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Mar 08, 2017 09:30am
@Amit IN India , Govt got solar tariff at INR 2.97 in reverse auction process. The agreement is valid for 25 years . Wind power also came down to INR 3.46 . NTPC ( Govt energy behemoth ) is selling power at INR 3.4 from coal fired plant.
Solar energy price can come down to coal energy if size of the project is large ( around 500 MW & above ).
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Mar 08, 2017 09:46am
Not only Pakistan but the entire world will be benefited with this clean source of Energy. A one small step towards survival of Mother Nature.
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Mar 08, 2017 09:56am
In India solar power cost IRS. 3/ W (In 2016 tariff) and Pakistan it is 15/- Chinese Iron brothers are looting Pakistan left and right.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:01am
Wonderful. Wish that somthing concrete will happen, other than furnishing bank accounts in latin America or a Caribbean island.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:02am
@saudagar Oil rich countries will be at the doors of India/Pak/Chaina/Japan for funds. This is main reason for ARAMCO's IPO(else why Saudi's will share their crown Jewel).
Oil will never reach $70 in future, On peak demand with all output cuts it could cross $60 per Barrel.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:08am
In less than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Solar Alliance initiative at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, the country appears to be on schedule to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels to power homes and industries by 2030. A solar power plant in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu just became the world’s largest plant. With a capacity to produce 648 MW of electricity, the plant comprises of 2.5 million individual solar modules and covers an area of 10 sq km.
Funded by the Adani Group, the plant was built at a cost of $679 m and was completed in just eight months. It is cleaned everyday by a self-charged robotic system, Aljazeera reported. The solar power plant has the capacity to generate electricity sufficient for about 150,000 homes. According to research firm Bridge to India, the country’s solar capacity has now shot over 10 GW.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:18am
@DIL They are aware. This information got from international solar group of 130 countries.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:42am
chinese making a fool of pakistan to sell more solar panels that no one else in the world wants to buy from china -- by chinese marketing, pakistan will continue to buy chinese solar panels with whatever little foreign exchange reserves pakistan has!
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Mar 08, 2017 10:47am
Solar Radiation Resource Assessment stations (51 nos) have been installed across India by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to create a database of solar energy potential. Data is collected and reported to the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), in order to create a Solar Atlas. In June 2015, India started a ₹40 crore (US$5.9 million) project to measure solar radiation with a spatial resolution of 3 km x 3 km.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:48am
India currently has around 1.2 million solar home lighting systems and 3.2 million solar lanterns sold or distributed.[90] In addition, India has been ranked the number one market in Asia for solar off-grid products.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:49am
On 16 May 2011, India’s first solar power project (with a capacity of 5 MW) was registered under the Clean Development Mechanism. The project is in Sivagangai Village, Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu.[11] India saw a sudden rise in use of solar electricity in 2010, when 25.1 MW was added to the grid, and the trend accelerated when 468.3 MW was added in 2011
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Mar 08, 2017 10:54am
In January 2016, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the President of France, Mr. François Hollande laid the foundation stone for the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:51am
by the end of 2015, a cumulative total of just under 1 million solar lanterns had been sold in the country, reducing the need for expensive kerosene.
In addition, a cumulative total of 30,256 solar powered water pumps for agriculture and drinking water had been installed.[8] During 2015 alone, 118,700 solar home lighting systems were installed, and 46,655 solar street lighting installations were provided under a national program.[8] The same year saw just over 1.4 million solar cookers distributed or sold in India.
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Mar 08, 2017 10:52am
Solar power in India is a fast-growing industry and as of 31 December 2016, the country's solar grid had a cumulative capacity of 9,012.66 megawatts (MW) or 9.01 gigawatts (GW)
January 2015, the Indian government expanded its solar plans, targeting US$100 billion of investment[3] and 100 GW of solar capacity,[4] including 40 GW's directly from rooftop solar, by 2022.
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Mar 08, 2017 11:00am
Could Pakistan flourish under the present and coming generation of rulers. Certainly not. Until and unless a mind changing revolution strike.
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Mar 08, 2017 11:28am
@McChrist Kamuthi, India is 640 MW capacity. Quaid's Solar power plant is of 1000 MW capacity, in Pakistan. Read the related article about it at the top.
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Mar 08, 2017 11:56am
@N.S Indian plant was setup in 12 months , while Quaid solar park is still under construction for last 3 years ( only 100 MW capacity under operation) . Adani spent $ 650 million for 648 MW, while Pakistan spent $ 150 million for 100 Mw ( first phase) .
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Mar 08, 2017 12:18pm
Soon quaid electricity will be charged at 27 rs per unit as agreed. Bravo.
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Mar 08, 2017 12:19pm
pakistan shpold stop all coal based power plants, and switch to solar ans hydel
india will benefit too as polution know no boundry
all these chinese coal plants in punjab will effect india too
hope it happens
india is already into solar
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Mar 08, 2017 01:36pm
@SID India's solar dreams too are made in China. Also a solar power plants never gets to produce its installed capacity, the actual production is barely 22%-30% in the case of solar power plants.
https://qz.com/760079/indias-solar-dreams-too-are-made-in-china/
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Mar 08, 2017 01:40pm
Wapda should install All new meters on grid type to get maximum benefit from Solar and cost effective also.
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Mar 08, 2017 02:33pm
@N.S Indian solar dream are reality . Hope you understand difference between REALITY & DREAM .
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Mar 08, 2017 02:49pm
@SID Read the article it said "Pakistan first country to benefit from high-quality solar maps: World Bank".
It is actually a dream for India and a reality for Pakistan. India nowhere to be found to benefit from high-quality solar maps.
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Mar 08, 2017 03:50pm
Currently the world's biggest solar plant is in India.. Hope Pakistan also invests in clean energy
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Mar 08, 2017 06:50pm
@NS in India solar power is 3 rupees per unit and in Pakistan it is 14 rupees per unit.Hope,now you knew what is dream and what is reality.
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Mar 08, 2017 07:48pm
@McChrist and your point is?? because no where in this article said Pakistan has the World's largest solar plant... focus on content is not only essential for argument but also for your peanut brain
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Mar 08, 2017 07:47pm
2017-03-08 - AMK Comments
Reading various comments on this article, I notice that there are a lot of competitive data appearing from India regarding installed solar power capacity, growth rate and per unit price. Notwithstanding the accuracy of the data, it should motivate Pakistan to speed up addition of solar power generation and reduce the per unit solar power generation price to be competitive at the world stage. A continuing public debate in this regard will certainly be helpful.
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Mar 08, 2017 08:07pm
@viv The rate in Pakistan is now 10.5 rupee per Kv, also in India it is 4 rupee which comes to 7 Pak rupees per Kv.
The solar power rate keeps on decreasing after the break even is achieved as initial capital to set up a solar power plant is high and with the economy of scales achieved it keeps on decreasing after initial years...
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Mar 08, 2017 08:43pm
@MAXX In latest competitive bidding, the new rate offered by a German company is 2.97 INR which comes to 5.20 PKR.Also the solar plants offered under CPEC are unlikely to give cheaper rates.Chinese companies are given guarantees by government to buy every single unit so where is the scope of cheap power?
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Mar 08, 2017 09:09pm
@viv The initial upfront tariff is always on the higher side to get in the desired investment as with lower rates private investment will shy away. So it keeps decreasing with other power generating sources like coal, RLNG, Nuclear, Hydel, wind power keeps coming up.
As there was acute shortage here in Pakistan a higher tariff was proposed to get in the initial investment. Also as for the CPEC “ loans will carry less than 2 per cent interest rate".
Assuming energy elasticity of greater than one, a two per cent growth in energy production and usage would increase GDP by more than 2pc from the current level (b) indirect, measured by the multiplier effect of activities resulting from the direct demand of goods and services and (c) induced effects or externalities
https://www.dawn.com/news/1244068
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Mar 09, 2017 07:49am
According to the World Bank, Pakistan is now part of a small group comprising mainly developed countries
Pakistan always leading the developing countries. Well done.
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Mar 09, 2017 01:53pm
Very good achievement . God Bless Pakistan .
Syed Naseem Ahmed
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Mar 09, 2017 02:17pm
Didn't understand the title of the Article. There are are so many countries in the world already using solar energy .
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Mar 09, 2017 06:04pm
@N.S What is this high quality solar map. As of 2016 India produce 10,000MW electicity @ INR 3/ Unit and our plan is 80,000 MW at 2025.
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Mar 09, 2017 06:08pm
@N.S But india producing 10,000 MW solar power 2016 and our aim is to produce 80,000 MW in 2025. We are very ahead in Solar power and wind power than China.
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Mar 09, 2017 08:08pm
@McChrist, thats really good but Quaid e Azam solar plant (being built in Bahawalpur) will take over as the largest once it finishes. I read it the news if i am not mistaken
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Mar 09, 2017 08:34pm
Ha Ha, will this be actually materialized OR will the money end up in some politician's Swiss bank account.
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Mar 09, 2017 08:40pm
@LAHORI KID dams are neceessary for irrigation purpose ....if we do not build dams than their will be water scarcity and in result food production will reduce
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Mar 09, 2017 09:00pm
By lighting up Pakistani households Solar energy is a great boon.
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Mar 10, 2017 12:56am
world bank is not a credible source for such info... all money paid statement only being arranged by world bank and asia development bank...
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Mar 10, 2017 12:59am
if this was a true news, why our media / politicians / govt departments could not break this news ??? its a mere gimmick on the back of money paid to world bank + asia development bank by our ruling party, as both these banks keep on issuing false/ misleading and funny statements about such issue(s) and our imaginary growth ..
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Mar 10, 2017 04:53am
@LAHORI KID
My friend, I agree that renewable energy is cheaper but its NOT CHEAP compare to other energy sources such as hydro, fossil fuel, coal etc.
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