Alternate energy is the answer

REPORTS that a Turkish company is in the process of generating 30 mw of wind power and a Chinese energy company is about to install solar powered lights at different places in Karachi, though at a small scale, are very encouraging in the perspective of the energy crisis the country is confronted with.
As the prices of oil and gas are skyrocketing, there is no choice for Pakistan and in fact all the developing countries but to look at alternative sources of energy if they are to sustain their march towards economic development. Frequent power outages are severely hampering the industrial and agricultural growth of the country and mega projects to generate electricity have their own plus and minuses. They take a long time in the preparation of feasibility studies and execution. Despite having abundance coal reserves we are still unable to install a plant of sizeable capacity to meet our growing needs. Among other available options, one is to generate electricity through wind and the second through solar. Several international companies have shown interest to install wind turbines in Pakistan as the country possesses a lot of wind resource in Sindh and coastal areas of Balochistan. Through wind mills we can at least meet the entire electricity requirements of the two Provinces. With higher oil costs, it is expected that even the developed countries would shift their attention to finding alternative sources of energy and in fact work has already started on bio-fuel. Our neighbour India is already producing more than 8000 MW of electricity from wind. Only initial investment is required for windmills and this investment can be brought down to a great extent if we adopt a strategy devised through careful planning to utilize the existing manufacturing facilities. It is therefore of utmost importance that the government allocate adequate funds and launch pilot projects to generate energy through solar and wind resources to over come the crisis of power shortages and reduce our dependence on imported oil.