Generation of electricity through wind is not something new. India, the fourth in line of countries in the world for the generation of electricity, is producing more than 8000 MW of electricity by utilising wind turbines. It is manufacturing these turbines and exporting them. One would be surprised to know that in the region of Nevarra, Spain, 70 per cent of the region’s energy needs are fulfilled by wind and solar energy. It’s a classic example of using renewable energy in any country. The question that automatically comes to one’s mind is: “If it can be done in Spain, why can’t it be done in Pakistan?” The answer is a big Yes.
A layman would ask as to what a wind turbine is? Simply put, a wind turbine is a machine that is used for the generation of electricity from wind. It’s installed on a tower at a windy location to capture wind so as to generate electricity. The faster the wind blows, the more electricity would be produced. Once a wind turbine is installed, it would produce energy for 25-30 years free of cost as no other fuel is used except wind.
A typical wind turbine comprises a rotor with one, two or three blades, a gearbox, two shafts, a generator and a controller. It is installed on a steel tower facing the wind. The higher the turbine is installed, the more electricity it would produce. If the wind is slow and turbulent near the ground, that would not be suitable for energy generation. The turbine operates for 363 out of 365 days a year and stopped only for two days during the year for carrying out its scheduled maintenance.
A question often asked is: “If we go for the wind energy option, we would be needing hundreds of wind turbines in order to make up for the shortfall of electricity. Why can’t we manufacture these turbines ourselves?” Yes, we can, if there’s a will. We cannot expect foreign manufacturers to provide these turbines to us as and when we need them due to the long lead time involved. Moreover, we would be dependent on manufacturers for the supply of spares.
Pakistan can manufacture these turbines and also export them to other countries as it’s an emerging mode of generating electricity and the wind turbines are in short supply the world over. One has to wait quite a bit for an order to materialise. So, if we have to choose the option of producing electricity from the wind, we will have to manufacture wind turbines in our own country.
Our country is blessed with excellent manpower that’s extremely cheap and hardworking. Here I would like to narrate a small incident. We wanted to manufacture a certain item in Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra for which we had to collaborate with a French company. The French team evaluated the expertise of our technicians. The French team leader asked his counterpart as to what would be the charges for the expertise of his technicians if it was decided to manufacture the item in Kamra. Our team leader just said off-the-cuff that he would charge $10 per hour per technician.
On hearing this, the French team leader said, he would be saving $35 per hour per technician as a technician of such calibre was charging $45 per hour in France. Such technicians can be used for manufacturing wind turbines. Shaheen Foundation, Islamabad maintains a record of such technicians.
The cost of manufacture can be brought down drastically if we were to utilise the existing facilities for manufacturing parts and components of turbines and assemble them at a central location, followed by rigorous testing.
During a survey of the manufacturing facilities, I got convinced that parts and components of wind turbine could be easily manufactured indigenously. Blades and hubs (the item to which blades are firmly connected) can be produced without any hassle at Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF), Kamra. If Kamra is unable to undertake this job due to its over-commitment, there are other reputable concerns where this job could be undertaken. The gearbox and the two shafts are purely mechanical items, nothing special about them.The services and expertise of Machine Tools Factory, Landhi, Karachi or at Heavy Mechanical Complex, Taxila or any other facility dealing in mechanical items can be utilised..
The electrical generator installed behind the gearbox can be produced by any of the electrical concerns at Lahore or Karachi. The same goes for controller that utilises electronics besides computer software. Much more complicated projects are undertaken in our electromechanical-cum-electronics-cum computers concerns. As for the steel towers on which the turbines would be installed; these are being manufactured in the country.
Wapda is using thousands of them on the roadside. These towers could be designed and modified as per the desired specifications for use with the wind turbines. Regarding cables, we have numerous manufacturing factories. If required, their existing capacity could be upgraded to produce cables of the required specs that could be used to connect wind turbines to a home, business, factory or the national grid.
Lastly, instead of setting up manufacturing facilities for each and every part of wind turbine, the facilities available to their optimum level for manufacturing these parts should be utilised. Wherever required, these facilities could be upgraded. It only requires excellent management and sincerity of purpose and nothing else. By following this strategy, the cost of manufacturing would come down drastically. If we plan carefully and apply all tools of modern management, there’s no reason why we cannot make this experience a success. The only requirement is that our manpower and facilities may be harnessed to get the maximum out of them.
The writer is the ex-managing director, Kamra Avionics & Radar Factory.