Pakistan Eletricity

A lot has been said about the rental power since 2008, when I first heard it from ther HORSE's mouth (the person who had come to give the SALES PITCH), when the Petroleum Miinister visited Houston. It is really very stupid to let not only the people of Pakistan suffer everyday due to lack of electricity (8 to 14 hours), but also it has DECREASED the productivity (in all respects) of the nation. Being a Physicist I can tell you that all other options, like Hydel Power, Coal, etc. will not cure the problems TOMORROW, but it will take at least ten hours plus MILLIONS of DOLLARS of INVESTMENT (mostly borrowed money) when the people will start receiving ELECTRONS (Electricity) through the GRID (which cannot serve the entire geogrphical areas). THe only viable Solution is to use Renewable Energy Sources (such as SOLAR, WIND, and SMALL HYDRO), that can serve the needs of people (from POOR to RICH) in the nation, without further placing the country under ADDITIONAL DEBT.

I was in Shanghai, China during the first week of May, 2010, to attend the world's largest Solar Conference/Exhibition with 1300 exhibition booths), where the Chinese proved that not only CHINA will lead the world in Solar Technology, but they also shattered the myth of SOLAR being "too - EXPENSIVE." Compared to prices, two or three years ago, when the cost of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules was about $ 5 (dollars) per Watt, which has dropped down to $1.2 Dollars per Watt in 2010. By adding the cost of Charge Controllers/Inverters, plus hardware, the cost has come down to about $ 3.5 Dollars per Watt (installed system). There is no COST of SUNLIGHT, coming directly to each one of us everyday FREE as a gift from our Creator, and the life of these (Crystalline Silicon PV Technology) PV Modules is more than 20 Years, and since there are no moving parts, Solar Systems require least amount of maintenance. Throughout the developed world, a policy of Connecting this Electrical source to the GRID (first formulatred by Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1978) has been adopted, whereby, the Electric Utility companies are required by law to buy Electricity produced through Solar Energy by the consumer is bought back (through Grid-Tie systems). This makes everyone a winner, the Consumers earn money by sending Solar Electricity to the Grid (through their existing meter, which reads the diffference of energy to be billed), and it helps the society by decreasing the need for building more Power Generating Stations. This in turn helps the Environment to reduce the Air Pollution, which effects the changes in the Climate by reduced Earth Warming (a realty not fiction). Solar Systems are avaialble from 15-Watts to Several Kilo-Watts, and now Solar PV Farms approaching 500 Mega-Watts (largest to be built by Chinese in Arizona by the Chinese). These solar systems are within the affordable limits of all users, and do not require further burden on the nation for further indebtedness, and bribes associated with them (ref. book by John Perkins," Confessions of an Economic Hit Man."). Grid-Tie Solar PV Systems are being used as attractive facdes for Sky Scrappers in New York City and other places. More poweful systems can be utilzed that use Heat of the Sunlight to operate a Sterling Engine- operated Generators and can produce from 1 kilo-Watt to 20 kilo-Watt of Energy.

For 24-hour usage, Storage Batteries can be used to store energy like we do in automobiles. Such battery backed systems are being used in rural areas and cities as sources of Alternate power needed in places like Polic Stations, Hospitals, and Disaster Relief situations, and many more. A company in America produces flexible(transparent) Plastic (Conducting Polymer) sheets which can be hung like attractive drapes in windows , to catch any amount of light and convert it to electricity. Such plastic shheets are combined with canvass material used infabricating tents (for military and disaster relief needs, eliminating the need for heavy and noisy generators, and bulky battery packs). Such plastic is now being incorporated in Ski Jackets, ladies hand-bags, men's brief cases to serve as emergency Cell-phone chargers and other tasks. SOLAR ENERGY IS THE ULTIMATE and VIABLE SOLUTION FOR PAKISTAN and the REST OF THE WORLD, (but not the FOSSIL FUELS, which won't last more than 200 hundred year, but the SUN will keep on shining till the LAST DAY.

You install the system today, and next day it starts converting LIGHT (any amount from any source, SUN or lamps-indoors, etc) into ELECTRICITY. This is the advantage of SOLAR PV Technology (as yiou don't have to wait for ten years). In Europe, people propel boats in the rivers and seaside with Solar Power. Recently (2010), a Solar PV Powered Plane in Swizerland, piloted by a HUMAN-being, set a record of 48 hours of flight in the air without any Petrol or Gasoline fuel.



Bashir A. Syed

Retired Aerospace Physicist

Member: Amer. Phys. Soc., IEEE, Union of Concerned Scientists, Amer. Solar Energy Soc., and Sr. Member International Solar Energy Society.



REFERENCES (Eye-Opening!)

(1) Map of World Oil Reserves, data provided by British Petroleum (BP) and posted on the Web at:

http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_fullscale.php?mapID=505&theme=6



(2) PETROLISTAN: Oil & War. a 30 page PDF File posted on the web at www.environmentaldirectory.info ; Edited and Produced by Paul Robins , (as part of "The Houston Environmental Directory,") P.O. Box 1374, Austin, TX 78767 in 2007.