ISLAMABAD: The World Bank, in partnership with the Alternative
Energy Development Board (AEDB), on Tuesday launched a series of new solar maps
for Pakistan in support of the efforts to increase the deployment of renewable
energy in Pakistan.
“These
new solar maps will definitely ensure qualified improvement vis-à-vis previous
studies, and will underscore the tremendous solar potential that exists across
Pakistan,” a statement quoted Amjad Ali Awan, chief executive officer of AEDB
as saying.
“For
this very effort, I would like to congratulate the World Bank for their
valuable contribution to our continued efforts towards scaling up of renewable
energy in an affordable and sustainable manner in the country.”
The
World Bank said the solar mapping will help in expanding access to sustainable
and affordable sources of indigenous energy in the country. Pakistan becomes
the first country to benefit from validated solar maps under a global
initiative on renewable energy resource mapping, led by the energy sector
management assistance program, a multi-donor trust fund administered by the
World Bank, it added.
Pakistan
joins a small group of mainly developed countries, having access to duly
validated and high quality solar energy maps available for planning and
prospecting purposes. This initiative will facilitate investors in making more
informed project decisions.
The
World Bank project on solar mapping in Pakistan includes field data, which is
being generated by nine solar measurement stations installed two years ago
throughout the country. The project supports AEDB’s efforts to harness
renewable energy in all the provinces by improving access to bankable data.
The
solar maps used the latest solar resource modeling techniques, based on 18-years
of satellite and global atmospheric data from 1999-2016. The new solar
maps were launched at a workshop where participants learned about the
ground-based measurement campaign, and discussed various options for continued
operation of the nine solar measurement stations installed at diverse locations
in Pakistan.
The
maps will help large solar power projects in obtaining commercial financing by
reducing the resource risk. “With the cost of solar power having decreased
significantly over the past couple of years, Pakistan now has the opportunity
to unleash investment in solar energy without the need for subsidies,” said
Anthony Cholst, acting country director for the World Bank.
“The
World Bank stands ready to support the federal and provincial governments in
realising this objective, alongside the support we are already providing for
development of hydropower, sector reform, and the strengthening of the
transmission grid.
It
is time to realise the full potential of this clean and secure source of
energy.” The solar maps, and the underlying solar data, can be accessed for
free via the Global Solar Atlas, a recently-launched tool provided by the World
Bank Group and covering all the countries. In addition, the maps are available
in digital format for use in geographic information system applications and
Google earth.
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