THIS is apropos article ‘Towards a solar subcontinent’ (Nov17). In Pakistan, a lot of efforts are required to be made for renewable energy. All of our sunlight that’s available in every nook and corner of the country is going to waste.

Similarly, the wind resource in a 60km-long wind corridor from Gharo to Keti Bandar in Sindh and the coastal area of Balochistan is being wasted. The private sector is shy of investing in this form of energy due to long and linking procedures involved, besides tariff problems and graft.

In renewable energy the raw material is free like sunlight and wind in case of solar and wind energy. The only investment is in solar panels and wind turbines.

And once these panels and turbines have been installed, they would keep providing service for 25 years without any break. And also no further investment would be needed.

After 25 years of service, the wind turbines can further be refurbished and given a new lease of life for another 10 years.

In the field of renewable energy, we can learn a lot from India. It is now producing more than 17,000 MW of energy from wind alone, which is approximately equal to the total energy requirement of our country.

It is a pity that we are importing tomatoes and other vegetables from India. Why shouldn’t we acquire wind turbines from that country?

The truth is that we all will be writing our hearts out and filling the pages of newspapers with thought-provoking ideas; but then, there has to be somebody in the government to read them and take timely action too on these suggestions.

Pages after pages have been written on the proposed Gadani power corridor that the government intends to establish in Balochistan with the help of China.

As far as setting up of solar parks is concerned, it is an excellent idea and the government should go ahead with it with full force. But as regards the installation of four coal-fired power plants, reservations have been shown by various specialists.

To run such plants, coal will have to be imported in huge quantities without any break which, on the one hand, would be an extremely costly proposition, besides keeping us hostage to the import of coal for times to come.

On the other hand, it would result in an environmental disaster. Also, if Pakistan is successful in drilling new oil or gas wells, or Dr Samar Mubarakmand succeeds in producing electricity from the underground coal gasification process in Thar, what would be the utility of these plants on which billions of dollars would have been spent by then?

I think Pakistan should spend its energies and efforts in boosting renewable energy alone which is available in abundance in this country. It is our future. If we have been lacking in this field till this date, we should start now.

Let us bring all our specialists to Pakistan who have been working for decades on such projects in Europe and America. Let us offer them fabulous salaries which they have been drawing while working abroad. Many countries of the world have done it and progressed. Let us believe in our own resources and expertise.

AIR CDRE (r) AZFAR A. KHAN

Rawalpindi