The scope of investment in solar energy is very handsome and lucrative. Not only can it address the energy shortage in Pakistan to some extent but can also be used as a huge potential in infrastructural development of the country. Future lies in solar based technology generation due to constant increase in prices of liquid fuels. We are expecting break even for cost of electricity generation from liquid fuel and solar panels in 2012. Naveed Iqbal is the Director & CEO of Akhter Solar Limited. He has graduated in Cost & Management Accountancy from a foreign university.
Briefly tell us yourself and your organization?
Naveed Iqbal: Akhter Solar was established as a Public Limited Company under registered article in 2005 with its primary aim to become the first foundation of Solar Panel Industry in Pakistan, manufacturing PV modules with all the various requisites of the silicon industry. The State-of-the-art technology was introduced in the most significant and innovative trend at the first-ever manufacturing facility in Pakistan located in the heart of Hattar Industrial area, adjacent to the Haripur vicinity in North West of Islamabad (Pakistan). It is one of its own kind Industry producing Hi Tech and precise quality PV Modules in different sizes and adjustment.
Akhter Solar is a subsidiary of Akhter Group Plc United Kingdom. Prof. Humayun Mughal, Chairman and CEO of the group leads the team of Professionals in Pakistan to ensure that quality standards are horizontally and vertically maintained in a manner that end-product meets all international standards and is comparable with any other quality global product.
The main virtue behind this generation venture has been to introduce the most compatible Photovoltaic modules, getting to the zenith of technology orientation in the field of alternate energy production and its meaningful utility. Here Akhter Solar devised a new pattern of meeting the 21st century challenges in a modern sphere renovating the silicon characteristics in the field of energy generation.
How do you see the competition among players of Solar Energy sector in Pakistan?
Not directly. Akhter Solar Limited is the only manufacturer of solar modules in Pakistan. If comes to price competition, we face immense competition with Chinese modules, whereas our prime focus is competing in quality with European modules. What is your edge over your competitors?
In our solar modules we only use solar cells, which are the prime power generation engine, manufactured by Q-cells Germany who is the largest & one of the pioneers in solar cells manufacturing globally. We have already entered in new age of solar panels by introducing concentrator photovoltaic modules.
What is the scope of investment in Solar Energy and how do you see its future?
The scope of investment in Solar Energy is very handsome and lucrative. Not only can it address the energy shortage in Pakistan to some extent but can also be used as a huge potential in infrastructural development of the country. Future lies in solar based technology generation due to constantly increase in prices of liquid fuels. We are expecting break even for cost of electricity produce from liquid fuel and solar panels in 2012.
What could be the solutions of current energy crisis in Pakistan In your viewpoint?
In current energy crisis, the government has to encourage people to reduce usage of UPS as back up storage due to high losses rate in UPS. Solar panels should be used to produce electricity at least for back up usage. Solar panels are best source for electricity to store for back up use. The government needs to enhance energy resources on both long term & short term basis.
We have to improve our energy dependence and should add more electricity resources in our energy basket to achieve abundant electricity at average affordable prices. Pakistan has very huge potential for solar due to its location and weather conditions. Building of new dams is a long term strategy. In short term, the government must subsidize and create greater awareness of alternate energy solutions usage in Pakistan. As a nation, we need to learn our responsibility of energy conservation to help the government in energy crisis both at individual and community levels.
What are future plans of your company in Pakistan?
We are AlHamdulillah expanding our production capacity to 76MW per annum from 37MW per annum in near future. The long-term planning could include transfer-of-technology and local manufacturing of solar cells. We have already procured more land for new plant. CPV is new technology in solar energy and Akhter solar is proud to have CPV modules with cells manufactured by us and sign an agreement in spain for installation of 100KW solar power plant using CPV modules. Module installation is in progress and we already shipped CPV modules manufactured in Pakistan at our own facility.
Would you like to tell us issues & challenges in Solar Energy & Suggest Solutions?
So far solar energy is only feasible for small Solar home systems in Pakistan due to non-availability of feeding tariff. If reverse metering or net metering is introduced in Pakistan along with good feeding tariff, a significant number of industrial concerns & households will be encouraged to use solar energy and not only grid usage will be reduced but in many cases it will be supplemented with supply of energy to grid. The best solutions could be energy conservation, appropriate usage, improvisation of new energy sources and enhanced usage of alternate energy solutions as resources are abundantly available locally. What are the investment opportunities in Solar energy sector?
Since there is no restriction or standardization on import of PV panels, the investors do not feel secure. Over 90% import of solar panels is non-branded products, which means a buyer cannot be sure of quality / performance of imported panels. Standardization is vital as Solar Panels are a hi-tech product where its users (in general) are non-technical. This dilemma creates difficulty in promotion solar energy and its benefits to general public. Moreover, lack of initiatives for renewable energy technologies from the govt. has worsened the situation. To give you a small comparison, in 2006 India and Pakistan were contributing 0MW from solar energy to grid, today in 2010 India is providing 1500MW to their national grid from solar energy and Pakistan is still at 0MW.
How the government could establish Solar Energy sector?
WAPDA should allow net-metering to encourage usage of alternate energy sources and by large focus on Grid-connected alternate energy solutions. This will not only help in reducing load on national grid but would additionally be an aid to meet every growing energy needs of the industrial section. The consumers can generally be categorized in 3 types; govt. and commercial offices, general consumers (including commercial markets) and industry. The demand for energy in govt. and commercial offices is higher during day time and less or almost zero at night. Whereas, general consumers especially households require less energy during the day time and more at night. The demand & supply gap between households and office consumers can significantly be fulfilled through improvisation of Solar Power Systems. Almost 20% energy can easily be inducted in WAPDA's existing system through reverse metering and greater use of solar energy solutions. Imagine every house as an independent (though small) grid that is contributing its part in national energy mix with lower cost than thermal.
Breifly tell us about the Nari Khorian Solar Energy installations?
In 2003, Akhter Group donated 100 solar panels to AEDB (for first such project in Pakistan) that involved provision of solar based lighting solutions at Nari Khorian, a village in the vicinity of Chakri - Rawalpindi. Other items used in any conventional solar system e.g. charge controller, LEDs and wiring etc. were arranged by the AEDB. Due to absence of ownership on behalf of govt. the project eventually failed. We are still willing to own that system and with confidence to run it properly. There may be certain obstacles at government end to handover this project to Akhter Group. Otherwise, we have assured and requested AEDB severally to handover this project to us with primary aim is to facilitate its final users.
Our tolerance is +3%, means 80watt module will definitely produce 3% extra energy. In our country commonly available Chinese modules are +/-10%. That means 80watt module may produce 72 watt
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