Sources from Ministry of Science and Technology Pakistan revealed that Pakistan would soon initiate the indigenous production of solar energy panels. Working on science and technology, solar energy projects is the top priority of the present government.
Pakistan’s government had proposed to eliminate taxes associated with the manufacturing of solar and wind energy equipment in the country, in an effort to boost the production and use of renewable power and overcome power shortages.
Pakistan is keen to work with China on solar panel technology. Cooperation with China for financing and transfer of solar panel technology can save foreign exchange by reducing the import of solar panels, the sources added.
China being the largest market in the world for both photovoltaics and solar thermal energy has previously shown its keen interest to invest in multiple solar energy projects in Pakistan.
Earlier the Centre for Advanced Studies and Energy of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar, developed solar panels at half the price of the existing silicon ones with the help of international partners by using the third-generation solar photovoltaic technology.
Prof. Han of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, and Dr. Toby Meyer of Solaronixmix, Switzerland, were also part of the initiative.
Moreover, the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, is set to launch the nation’s first locally manufactured solar power panels.
Principal investigator of the project at the UET Dr. Najeebullah urged the Chinese and Pakistani governments to promote technology transfer and allocate funds to commercialize the emerging solar technology under the multi-billion dollars’ worth of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
The fundamentals of China’s renewable energy sector are relevant to Pakistan in light of the current global discourse on Sustainable and Low Carbon Development. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China has the potential to be a catalyst for growth in the renewable energy sector.
The transfer of knowledge and know-how can be achieved from this cooperation with China in the renewable energy domain, provided the state has adequate policies facilitating the flow of knowledge to the local industry.
