Air Commodore (Retd) Azfar A. Khan
The new government in Pakistan is in place since February 18, 2008 general elections. It is confronted with formidable challenges out of which power shortage is the most demanding. Due to energy shortage, the public has been warned that it should tighten its belts and get mentally prepared for massive load shedding in the summer season. The duration of this load shedding could be as long as 9 to11 hours per day!
A wind farm
Pakistan is at present short of 3500 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity. Though it’s evident that this shortage cannot be overcome all of a sudden, yet measures could be instituted that could be instrumental in meeting this shortfall. If we utilize fossil fuel for this purpose, it would be extremely costly as oil prices keep fluctuating, generally having an upward trend. Hence we should look for some other means which could be utilized for the production of electricity.
In this article, I will confine myself to the generation of electricity through wind. The core of my discussion would comprise manufacturing wind turbines i.e., the machines used for the generation of electricity, in Pakistan.
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 utilizing wind turbines. It’s not only manufacturing these turbines but exporting them too!
A layman would ask as to what a wind turbine is? As mentioned earlier, 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 would blow; 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 through this mode of production!
A typical wind turbine comprises a rotor with one, two or three blades, a gearbox, two shafts, a generator and a controller. The turbine is installed on a steel tower facing the wind. The higher the turbine is installed, the more electricity it would produce. The slow and turbulent wind near the ground would not be suitable for the generation of electricity.
The wind turbine operates for 363 out of 365 days a year and stopped only for two days during the whole year for carrying out its scheduled maintenance. If we decide to go for wind energy then the next question would be: “Should we import ready-made wind turbines from abroad or should we manufacture these turbines indigenously in our own country?â€
While delivering a lecture on Wind Energy, a participant raised a valid question regarding the manufacturing of turbines locally. I responded positively and highlighted the importance of willingness to take the initiative. It is not feasible to rely solely on foreign manufacturers for the supply of wind turbines, considering the prolonged lead time involved. For those interested in exploring more about the technical aspects of crane scales, they can visit website for detailed information.
Moreover, we would always be dependent on the manufacturers for the supply of spares. I also told him that not only we can manufacture these turbines but also export them to other countries as it’s an emerging mode for the generation of electricity and the wind turbines are in short supply the world over. One has to wait quite a bit for his order to materialize. So, if we have to choose the option of producing electricity from the wind, we’ll have to manufacture wind turbines in our own country.
Similarly, when it comes to industries relying heavily on electrical infrastructure, finding a KVA transformer is critical to maintaining efficient and reliable power distribution. These transformers play a key role in converting electrical voltage to levels suitable for different industrial applications, ensuring that machinery and equipment operate smoothly. Whether it’s for manufacturing facilities, renewable energy plants, or large-scale construction projects, the right transformer can significantly impact the performance and sustainability of operations.
Our country is blessed with innumerable gifts from God Almighty, one of them being excellent manpower that’s extremely cheap and hardworking. The skill of this manpower is just marvelous.
Here I’d like to narrate a small incident that happened during one of the country’s projects of which I happened to be the Project Director. We wanted to manufacture a certain item in one of the factories of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra for which we had to collaborate with a French company dealing in that item. The French team visited Kamra and evaluated the expertise of our technicians. The French team leader asked his Pakistani counterpart as to what would be the charges for the expertise of his (Pakistani) technicians if it was decided to manufacture the item at Kamra.
Our team leader just said off-the-cuff that he would charge US $10 per hour per technician (Probably, I would also have done the same!). On hearing this, the French team leader jumped and declared that, leaving everything else aside, he would be saving US $35 per hour per technician straightaway as a technician of such caliber was charging $45 per hour in France! Actually, the French team leader had tasked us to manufacture 18 parts of that item for which his company had also provided us required software and the material. When he again visited Kamra after a month, he personally inspected all the manufactured parts; he immediately cleared all the parts and was highly impressed with the expertise of our technicians.
So, this is the calibre of our technicians who get retired at an early age of 45 and take up all types of jobs (except technical as the same aren’t available) in their native villages where they belong to. Most of them have worked on highly sophisticated equipment including the Surface Mount Devices (SMDs). Surface Mount Devices are high performance miniature components that are directly soldered on to the PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). These components are 1/10th the size of components whom they have replaced. These technicians are a national asset and are being wasted instead of employing them for nation-building. These technicians (with electronics/avionics background) can be safely employed for the manufacture of solar systems and their counterparts who have worked on aerospace equipment can be deployed for the manufacture of wind turbines as wind turbines are mainly mechanical structures in which very less electronics is used (the control box is the only system that utilizes electronics.) These technicians would be productive the day you employ them due to their solid technical base and 20-25 years experience in a highly technical and disciplined environment. By the way, Shaheen Foundation, Islamabad maintains a computerized record of all ex-air force technicians through its excellent management system.
For generating electricity through wind, we wouldn’t need a fortune. But! You definitely need a fortune if you decide to import them from abroad. The cost of manufacture can be brought down substantially if we follow a simple strategy. The strategy would be that we would utilize the expertise of those organizations which are busy in the manufacture of various high-tech items in the country and, I assure you, that there’s no dearth of such organizations. The only requirement is that you should have a distinguishing instinct! These manufacturing facilities of the country should be used for the manufacture of all the parts and components of the wind turbine. These components, once manufactured, should be tested individually and assembled at a central location, followed by rigorous testing of the whole turbine at the same location. It may be understood that there has to be NO (repeat) NO compromise of any nature as far as the quality of the manufactured parts is concerned. To obviate the possibility of any such thing, we can employ a quality inspector from the company under whose supervision the manufacturing of wind turbines would be undertaken.
During my brief survey of the country’s existing manufacturing facilities, I got convinced that all the parts and components of the wind turbine could be easily manufactured indigenously.
The blades and the hub (the item to which the blades are firmly connected) can be produced without any hassle at Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF), Kamra. Kamra is 77 KM from Islamabad while heading towards Peshawar.
The gearbox and the two shafts (low-speed shaft and high-speed shaft) are purely mechanical items, nothing special in them. We can utilize the services and expertise of Machine Tools Factory, Landhi, Karachi for the manufacture of the gear box while the expertise available at Heavy Mechanical Complex, Taxila could be used for the manufacture of both the shafts. They can even manufacture gear box, if required.
The electrical generator that’s installed behind the gearbox and connected to high-speed shaft can be produced by any of the electrical concerns at Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Lahore or Karachi.
The same goes for the controller that utilizes electronics besides computer software. We are undertaking much more complicated projects in our electromechanical cum electronics cum computers concerns of the country, Air Weapons Complex being one of them. This item can be easily manufactured in these concerns.
As for the steel towers on which the turbines would be installed; these towers are already being manufactured in the country. WAPDA is using thousands of them on the roadside along GT Road. These towers could be designed and modified as per the desired specifications for use with the wind turbines.
Regarding cables, we have numerous cable manufacturing factories in the country. If required, their existing capacity could be upgraded and augmented to produce cables of the required specs that could be used to connect wind turbines to a home, business, factory or the national grid.
In our country, we possess a lot of wind resource in the province of Sindh and coastal areas of Baluchistan. Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) has collected the Wind Data of all Pakistan from Pakistan Metrological Department and analyzed it. As per the collected data, the coastal belt of Pakistan is blessed by God Almighty with a wind corridor that is 60 km wide (Gharo to Keti Bandar) and 180 km long (up to Hyderabad.) This corridor has the exploitable potential of 50,000 MW of electricity generation through wind energy (courtesy: AEDB).We should be able to meet a major part of our electricity requirement by installing wind turbines in this corridor.
Keeping in view the urgency of the situation, the government has to move fast and solve this problem as soon as possible. It’s a serious challenge for the new government. Long spells of load shedding would be unbearable for the people. The situation would be going from bad to worse with every passing day.
If we resort to manufacturing wind turbines in Pakistan, following benefits would accrue:
The locally manufactured turbines would be cost-effective due to the availability of highly skilled and extremely cheap technical manpower. The country would not be dependent on foreign manufacturers for spares. Non-availability of spares could be a major impediment towards the successful completion of any wind turbine project. The country would save precious foreign exchange.
Rather, it would earn foreign exchange by exporting the indigenously manufactured turbines to other countries. The country would also save a huge amount of foreign exchange by curtailing the import of fossil fuel as each turbine would be utilizing wind for 20-30 years which’s free. Even after use for such a long period, these turbines could be refurbished and provided a new lease of life. There’re companies who undertake this job.
It may be mentioned that all the leading manufacturers of the world have started the same way i.e. by having a modest start in the beginning and then growing into big manufacturing giants. India has done the same. It collaborated with a world-renowned company whose 26,000 turbines are being used around the globe. This company trained Indian technicians and also transferred requisite technology. Now, India is exporting world-class turbines to other countries. We should emulate India’s example and have a joint venture with a world- renowned company to set up facilities and manufacture these turbines under its supervision. Then, slowly and steadily, we can take over complete manufacturing from that company.
Lastly, I must say it with conviction, based on my more than thirty years’ experience in the technical field that, instead of setting up manufacturing facilities for each and every part of the wind turbine, we should utilize the existing facilities of the country to their optimum level for manufacturing each and every part of the wind turbine. Wherever required, these facilities could be augmented and upgraded.
It only requires excellent management and sincerity of purpose and nothing else! By following the above-mentioned 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 shouldn’t make this experience a thundering success. We have all the facilities and expertise at our disposal.
Our manpower is second to none. The only requirement is that we should harness our manpower and facilities to get the maximum out of them. Iqbal, the renowned poet of the East, has said: “Zara num ho to yeh mattee bari zarkhez hai saqi,†meaning the earth of this country is highly fertile if we provide some water to it!
About the author
Air Commodore (Retd) Azfar A Khan has 31 years’ experience in technical management. He has been MD of a factory at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra. He delivers lectures on wind and solar energy and conducts short courses on ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 17025, SA 8000, HACCP and Internal Auditing. For any clarification or information, kindly contact him at: azfar44@hotmail.com
Photo Credits:
1. Phault
ATP’s Related Post:
1. Harnessing Wind Energy in Baldia Town
Shehzad Shamim, if you are indeed the inventor of reverse counter traffic lights then you may want to patent your idea (if not already) because i’ve seen exactly the same signals with reverse counters in work in both Taiwan as well as in China.
Faisal, interesting idea about generating electricity from spring loaded pavement. I have seen a similar concept in action in a university project. These guys were using the energy transferred from a vehicle to the surface on a spead breaker to generate electrical power It was a small size proof of concept type project where one student was driving motorbike on a speed breaker and it generated enough electricity to lit bulbs etc. I like this idea that if built upon it may be able able to provide some commercial power (say) atleast to power the street lights. I guess the down side will be the flow of traffic b/c if the pavement doesn’t get enough vehicles to ply on then the power generated will be proportionally low or even zero. One may have to use huge capacitor banks to keep power flow constant just like it is done in the case of windmills when there is no wind. This will be a disadvantage
These Facts can lift our hope as a nation that we have the ability to get what we desperately desire. General Public is not aware of the facts but i think we are far behind even in the efforts of getting this technology. As we all know America started working for this tecnology in 1992 for purpose of meeting energy demands of 21st century (but its never too late).
Due to recession in economy i dont think that government (or politician) would able to do this work alone; association of private sector is also required for this purpose.
Moreover as a university student i can say there is lack of creativity in students of universities of our country, as we know in many countries people try to make home built wind turbines via scrap. So its not only the time to think but each one of us should try to do something in this regard too rather than just pointing government.
To Shahzad Shameem,
I have exactly been thinking on similar lines, though I was thinking of:
1) retractable speed breakers which would go down with the weight of a vehicle, driving a shaft connected to a generator.
2) full patches of road built on millions of micro springs which would essentially do the same. When driving upon such a patch, a vehicle would experience more than usual friction/ drag (as we walk in sand). The easy solution is to line up such patches (which can be laid down like a carpet) on downhill side of the roads in hilly areas. This will help reduce use of brakes by vehicles too.
3) the bearings method that you mentioned can be used similarly without reducing overall efficiency of the vehicle engine.
To Azfar A Khan et al.
I am surprised how much you and the readers have focused on the technological issues and feasibility. On the other hand, I believe every technology has to be institutionally, economically and socially viable in order to be widely adopted. I would recommend going through a plethora of literature that relates to institutional and political economy of power generation in particular and property rights, markets and resource management in general.
Not all technologies are viable in all these senses. For example, who will foot the bill in this case. If this is the private sector, do laws exist regarding the purchase of such power? How will you link these to the grid and will the WAPDA ready to accept ups and downs in supply? Many more complicated issues would crop up down the line.
Nothing is impossible but a fair bit of homework is needed.
Salaam ‘O’ Alaikum!
I read the article of Azfar Khan, very good research and feasible for Pakistan alos, here I have an way to produce the Electricity kindly go through it.
Prof. Adil Najam Sahib, Brother I have seen your contribution for Pakistan, Pakistani and Pakistaniat.
Here I have some suggestions if possible kindly post at your ATP, may someone come forward and made the Project feasible.
But here I personally request please go through all my suggestions and look for the theme what actually I want for Pakistan. One of my idea is already implimented that one is Reverse counting Clock at Traffic Signals (you must have seen in Paksitan). That was given by me in1997 to then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and was implimented in 2001.
Now I have an idea to generate the Electricity such as:
Electricity could be generated Free forever:-
Seems astonishing but this could be possible,
Now there are two ways to either with the flow of TRAFFIC or with the weight of TRAFFIC, we should use this marvellous mechanism to generate the ELECTRICITY.
With the flow of TRAFFIC means, with the rotation of the wheals of the TRAFFIC the Under the road bearings/rotators (those are installed at different locations of the road with keeping in eye the Continuous and Fluent Traffic Flow) should be rotated and with rotation of the bearings the TURBINES should be activated to generate the ELECTRICITY. As we know that in old days in some area still now also, the headlight of the bicycle was lightened because of Dynamo attached with the Tire of the bicycle, the dynamo cap rotated with the flow of the bicycle tire, which makes the dynamo to produce electricity to lightened the headlight of the bicycle.
So now we have two ways to generate the Electricity either by the rotation of Traffic Wheels flow or with the weightage of the TRAFFIC it means that at specific points of the main roads we will installed heavy duty SCALES (such we use to weight the big trucks or 22 wheeler trucks etc