Pakistan’s First Solar Project Is One Of The World’s Largest

[Edevelop]

Last week Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated Pakistan’s first solar power park, which will start generating 100 megawatts of energy by the end of the year and a total of 1,000 megawatts by 2016. The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park project has 400,000 solar panels, with a total cost of around $131 million. When complete the plant will produce about 2.5 times the power coming from the 392 megawatt Ivanpah solar thermal plant in California’s Mojave Desert, making it one of the largest solar parks in the world.

“If you come here after one and a half years, you will see a river of solar panels, residential buildings and offices — it will be a new world,” said site engineer Muhammad Sajid, pointing towards the surrounding desert.

This is big news for a country suffering from chronic energy shortages that leave people without power for large chunks of the day on a regular basis. And then there’s the nearly half of the households that aren’t even connected to the grid, according to a World Bank study. When temperatures soar in the summer, electricity demand can fall short by around 4,000 megawatts.

At the inauguration, the prime minister said “the dearth of electricity has pushed the country backwards and its entire industry and agriculture sector have suffered immensely.”

Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change due to its location, population, and environmental degradation. A recent study in the journal Nature Climate Change found that people are already migrating out of the Pakistan for climate-related reasons such as flooding and heat stress, which have negative effects on agriculture and can prove very costly.

“We need energy badly and we need clean energy, this is a sustainable solution for years to come,” Imran Sikandar Baluch, head of the Bahawalpur district administration in Punjab where the plant is located, told the AFP. “Pakistan is a place where you have a lot of solar potential. In Bahawalpur, with very little rain and a lot of sunshine, it makes the project feasible and more economical.”

At a meeting shortly after the inauguration, Sharif approved expanding the project from from 10,000 acres to 15,000 acres and increasing the capacity from 1,000 megawatts to 1,500 megawatts.

Pakistan's First Solar Project Is One Of The World's Largest | ThinkProgress

 

[ssethii]

fancy project for green cities around the world.
We are not even producing according to our demand how can we invest in such fancy project?
And thus the Mughal Empire continues its Legacy.

 

[Dubious]

fancy project for green cities around the world.
We are not even producing according to our demand how can we invest in such fancy project?
And thus the Mughal Empire continues its Legacy.

My very thoughts!!

 

[dawn_news]

Anyone knows ler unit cost?

 

[surya kiran]

Anyone knows ler unit cost?

The cost for power generation for a 4,000 MW UMPP in Rajasthan, is expected to be round Rs.5. Earlier this month, Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, accepted to purchase solar power to the state grid at Rs 6.5 a unit. Costs are dropping at a rapid rate.

You can estimate further for the Pak currency.

 

[Areesh]

The cost for power generation for a 4,000 MW UMPP in Rajasthan, is expected to be round Rs.5. Earlier this month, Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, accepted to purchase solar power to the state grid at Rs 6.5 a unit. Costs are dropping at a rapid rate.

You can estimate further for the Pak currency.

And why is that? Why costs are dropping? Aren't solar power called to be very expensive?

 

[surya kiran]

We are not even producing according to our demand how can we invest in such fancy project?

Your current production is as follows:

Of this if reduction in oil and gas can be achieved, through substitution of solar/wind and nuclear it will save the country precious forex. And if coal and hydro dependency is not increased, it saves the environment and reduces carbon footprints, while improving the quality of air and lifestyle.

And why is that? Why costs are dropping? Aren't solar power called to be very expensive?

Its like any model. When demand is less, production per unit is high. The costs of the equipment and technology is dropping.

 

[dawn_news]

This is interesting part,

''At a meeting shortly after the inauguration, Sharif approved expanding the project from from 10,000 acres to 15,000 acres and increasing the capacity from 1,000 megawatts to 1,500 megawatts.''

So it will be 1500mw.

The cost for power generation for a 4,000 MW UMPP in Rajasthan, is expected to be round Rs.5. Earlier this month, Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, accepted to purchase solar power to the state grid at Rs 6.5 a unit. Costs are dropping at a rapid rate.

You can estimate further for the Pak currency.

Seem like Pakistan solar panel unit cost is Rs 15, which is around 8-9 Indian rupees. This will be dropped further after few years. Even then still less expensive then burning oil. But nothing beats Hydropower with cost of just Rs 1.35 per unit as of 2013.

 

[SBD-3]

And why is that? Why costs are dropping? Aren't solar power called to be very expensive?

Its because of immaturity of the technology. For example, how much a solar panel used to cost in early 2000s when the industry was nascent. This was because huge fixed and research cost was attributable to only a small number of products, increasing overall costs. However, as the technology matures and production expands, the high fixed costs reduce, making product more affordable and more economical.
US solar power costs fall 60% in just 18 months: pv-magazine
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/56776.pdf

 

[ssethii]

Your current production is as follows:

Of this if reduction in oil and gas can be achieved, through substitution of solar/wind and nuclear it will save the country precious forex. And if coal and hydro dependency is not increased, it saves the environment and reduces carbon footprints, while improving the quality of air and lifestyle.



Its like any model. When demand is less, production per unit is high. The costs of the equipment and technology is dropping.

There are other more efficient and cost effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint. And we are an energy thirsty nation ATM we don't need to adopt such fancy projects, leave it to the developed countries to think about saving the environment. When your stomach is empty the environment doesn't concern you.

 

[surya kiran]

There are other more efficient and cost effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint. And we are an energy thirsty nation ATM we don't need to adopt such fancy projects, leave it to the developed countries to think about saving the environment. When your stomach is empty the environment doesn't concern you.

The argument is less environmental and more economic and less to do with developed country power generation and more to do with self sufficient power generation.

 

[ssethii]

The argument is less environmental and more economic and less to do with developed country power generation and more to do with self sufficient power generation.

Good Energy mix is a thing but solar is the last thing in that list. And there is no such thing as indigenous energy production.

 

[surya kiran]

Good Energy mix is a thing but solar is the last thing in that list. And there is no such thing as indigenous energy production.

My friend, let me re-phrase for the indigenous part. Wind and Solar = no usage of hard earned forex for fossil fuels. Feel free to do the calculations.

Good energy mix is important, that is the point I am making too. Currently, your total installed capacity for renewable energy is purely hydro.

For fossil fuels you need pipelines, which means you need deals and iron clad guarantees. AND you need currency.

 

[xyxmt]

fancy project for green cities around the world.
We are not even producing according to our demand how can we invest in such fancy project?
And thus the Mughal Empire continues its Legacy.

its fancy because it has shiny glasses?
to me its fancy because an investment of $131 million will produce 1000 megawatts, seems very low as compared to 660 megawatts coal power plant with the investment of over 300 million. Somehow I dont believe these numbers but if these numbers are right than go for it, one two and three more solar parks

 

[raazh]

to me its fancy because an investment of $131 million will produce 1000 megawatts

I dont know what are the specs of this system, but $131 Million for 1000MW is impossible. Maybe $131mil is for the first 100MW stage but even that is very conservative. I have done solar sizing many times and the best Rates (Chinese origin systems) I have managed to calculate are around $1.5~2 Million for 1MW .. This is easily going to top $1 Billion for 1000MW (with min margins for the manufacturers and Contractors). This is why Solar generation is the MOST EXPENSIVE electricity generation system.