ISLAMABAD: The share of renewable energy in the energy sector will reach 30pc by year 2030 from the current 6pc, said Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) Director General Dr Baqar Raza on Friday.

“At present the share of renewable energy in the energy sector is up to 6pc which is higher than the share of nuclear energy,” the official told National Assembly Standing Committee on Science and Technology. The committee meeting chaired by MNA Sajid Mehdi was briefed on the functioning of PCRET.

The meeting was told that PCRET had not received funds for any project in the last eight years.

There is zero tax on solar panels. Due to manufacturing of substandard solar panels, the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) has proposed establishment of an internationally accredited laboratory in Islamabad to regulate the quality of production.

PCRET has introduced a solar power rickshaw with a running timing of three hours and covering up to 70km distance. PCSIR is also going to introduce electric motorcycles and wheelchairs in the near future.

The committee recommended that the renewable energy sector should flourish. The members discouraged dependency on conventional sources of energy and that construction of dams was much too expensive and time consuming. The members decided to visit PCRET to examine its ongoing renewable energy projects.

The committee directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to fill the vacant posts in PCSIR on merit and submit a report.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2019