The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun. (Ralph Nader, Politician and Activist)
IN THESE days of escalating oil prices, it’s becoming extremely difficult for a common citizen to pay off his/her monthly electricity bills. The bills keep soaring day by day and there seems to be no respite in foreseeable future. These bills can be reduced by resorting to other methods of generating electricity, solar being one of them.
The use of solar energy for the generation of electricity is not something new. This energy is being utilized to light our homes, run fans, provide power to our fridges and microwave ovens, assist in warming our homes and swimming pools, provide power to our gardens and street lights, run our TVs and computers, and extract water from the sub-soil for irrigation purposes.
A practical example of the use of solar energy could be seen in some villages of Pakistan where each house has been provided with a solar panel that’s sufficient to run an electric fan and two energy saving bulbs. Prior to this arrangement, the whole village used to be plunged in pitch dark during night. One such example is the village with the name of Narian Khorian, some 50 kilometers away from Islamabad, where 100 solar panels have been installed by a local firm, free of cost, to promote the use of solar energy among the masses.
The cost of the solar systems can be brought down if we go for the manufacture of solar panels in country. Solar panels basically utilize solar cells in their manufacture. In one panel, approximately, 80 or more solar cells are used, depending upon the power required and the electric gadgets you want to run utilizing these panels. Each solar cell costs approximately Rs. 1000 if imported from abroad. These cells would be required in millions or may be in billions if requirement of the whole country is to be met.
We cannot import such a huge quantity of solar cells from other countries due to financial constraints. So, naturally, there would be no other option but to resort to manufacturing these cells in our own country. Once it has been decided in principle to manufacture solar cells in Pakistan, then we would look for three basic requirements i.e. raw material, trained manpower and necessary infrastructure.
The basic raw material (quartz) is available in abundance in the northern areas of our country. But, this raw material is useless for us as far as its purification and development to a stage where this raw material could be converted into solar cells is concerned. This equipment will have to be imported; but it would be a one-time investment.
The other raw material required to manufacture solar cells is silica (sand) which’s available in inexhaustible quantity in our country.
The other requirement is that of manpower. I have no qualms in making a statement here that we have the finest and the most hard-working, skilled manpower available in country. From my personal experience, I could say with conviction that the retired personnel of the defence services who have been working on electronics and telecommunication equipment during their service careers would be the best choice for deployment on the manufacture of solar panels and cells.
While starting manufacturing of solar cells, it would be advisable if we do it in collaboration with a world-renowned company as India has done. This way, we would lay our hands on the best and the latest technology in the field of solar energy and our manpower would also be trained through short orientation courses as they already possess sound knowledge and strong technical base.
Presently, there’s one and the only one factory manufacturing solar panels in Pakistan which’s located at Hattar Industrial Area near Taxila, 1-1/2 hours drive from Islamabad. But, due to various compulsions, it’s importing these costly cells from abroad at an exorbitant price.In a solar system, apart from solar panels (which include solar cells), tampered glass sheets, batteries and inverters (to convert DC electricity into AC) are also used. We have innumerable factories producing these products.
Investing in a solar electric system has many benefits. It allows you to produce your own electricity with no noise, no air pollution, and no moving parts. Moreover, this system would never run out of fuel (sun light), and it will help reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted by coal and natural gas-fired power plants. Due to these unique characteristics, solar electric technology has been called “the ultimate energy source for the 21st century”.
The author could be reached at: azfar44@hotmail.com
http://www.technologytimes.pk/mag/2011/jan11/supply/why_not_manufacture_solar_system.php
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