SILICON SOLAR CELLS TO MEET POWER NEEDS

Associated Press of Pakistan, July 2005

The pilot production of silicon solar cells and modules project would not only improve socio-economic conditions of the people in remote areas but also meet power needs of the country. The government had approved the Rs 37.41 million project recently, which would be executed by the Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET), Islamabad.

Official sources said here, on Tuesday, the project would improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in the remote areas that were deprived of the basic necessities of life. The sources said Pakistan has a great potential to enhance the use of solar energy to produce electricity using silicon solar cells as it is situated in a region that receives maximum sunshine in the year.

They said renewable energy was priority area of the government for the development and poverty alleviation of rural masses in remote areas and setting up a pilot production plant of solar cells and modules is a first step in this direction.

"This very advanced form of renewable energy is for a region that is far from the grid line and there is no likelihood of its electrification in near future," they added.

Moreover, it suits to weather forecasting and other signal transmitting sections that need low power but are in far-flung and not easily accessible regions. The Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies is the sole institute in the country involved in making silicon solar cells. It has the trained manpower, know-how and R&D equipment for production of solar cells and solar panels.

The production from the proposed plant besides providing solar electricity to remote area will enhance activities of private sector and industry in the allied fields such as batteries, inverters, charge regulators and many other applications.

A section of marketing has also been proposed in this project.