Following photo appeared in both Jang and Dawn of May 29, 2008. It shows residents of Baldia Town Karachi have resorted to harnessing Wind Energy to produce electricity. We’ve discussed Electricity shortage and alternate ways to produce electricity in Pakistan in several posts here. I am happy to see this indiginous effort on part of a middle-class community to control their own destiny where Government has failed to provide for them. Wind is usually in abundance in coastal areas of Pakistan. More communities may emulate this example.
I remember a local company with the help of a chinese company was implementing wind generating power plant in thatta in 2005. God knows what happened to it. Anyways I think that it is high time that our govt should start finding alternate ways of generating electricity. Wind power is a cheap way of generating electricity and it should be done in the entire costal belt of the country. Plus Thar coal power should also be used immediately.
Do you know what the cost of this is like?
I think wind and solar are very good options for Pakistan given our conditions and the very serious energy crisis that everyone here is facing. These should be encouraged by the govt as a way to ease the energy problem.
One of my acquaintance who runs a farm near Karachi has done the same to generate electricity. He told me that the wind speed is good in Karachi and elsewhere in the province of Sindh for generating electricity.
Jang’s caption on this picture is unfortunate. Instead of encouraging individuals Pakistanis to start harnessing the power of wind and sun, it seems to complain about the ingenuity of Wind Turbine technology as antiquated.
If I go back to Pakistan (inshallah), I would probably do the same. It is easy to install and manage and ROI over lifetime of product is far greater then paying KESC electric bill. China is becoming a market leader in Solar panels and I am hoping that they will bring down the prices for solar panels or I would try to find used panels.
Owais: Any of us living in Pakistan or with family in Pakistan are well aware of the serious energy crisis that Pakistan faces. Imagine a society trying to modernize itself while a majority of its citizens are either without electricity or sit in 100F+ weather for hours without power. How could one even begin to try to improve their productivity.
The photo you highlight is pointing not just to the desperation of the people, as the caption states, but also to the fact that a serious market demand has evolved that remains unserved and unexploited. i.e. that of off-grid energy production systems (chinese-made diesel/gas generators come to mind but there are better, cleaner sources available).
Nearly 40-50% of energy is stolen from the grid by the Kunda thiefs. Hence it makes little sense for small-scale power producers (renewable or not) to try and sell energy back to the main grid. While this windmill is probably highly inefficient, there are better technologies available (and are not so expensive) to provide grid independence.
Question is: can we create an off-grid energy system, at least for backup power, that supplies the residential and small commercial/industrial customers that only need enough power to drive fans, refrigerators and lights. Isn’t this how the cable -TV system started in Pakistani cities? And this can be done in a clean, renewable fashion.