By Karim Madad

ISLAMABAD, August 12 (INP-WealthPK): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is working to provide wider energy access throughout Asia and the Pacific. The best way to do it is through the development of renewable energy sources, said Yong Ye, Country Director Pakistan Resident Mission, ADB in the latest report.

The report said that to bring reliable power to schools in far-flung areas that previously had no or limited electricity, the government began installing solar facilities.

It added that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported this through a $325 million loan that covered both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, where about 20% of schools are off-grid.

‘’Almost 2,500 basic health units are also being fitted with solar panels to ensure continuous delivery of healthcare services’’, the ADB said.

The project, which is nearing completion, is also supporting the construction of around 600 micro hydropower plants in off-grid areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Powering Pakistan’s schools through solar energy:

Mehak, a grade five student of a local school, said that having electricity in her school has vastly improved the learning environment.

The ADB project prioritized girls' schools and those without electricity in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Inefficient transmission and distribution networks in some rural areas of Pakistan cause power outages of up to 10 hours a day. The ADB supported the installation of solar panels in schools and primary healthcare units in far-flung and off-grid areas in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. More than 12,000 public schools are now enjoying reliable electricity thanks to the solar power, dramatically improving the learning environment for over 1.4 million students.

Fifth-grader Mehak dreams of becoming a doctor. But the first step towards that dream — getting a formal education — has been fraught with challenges.

As one of six children, her parents could barely afford to send her to school. When they did manage to enrol her to a public school in southern Punjab in Pakistan four years ago, studying was difficult because the school had no electricity.

“We had a hard time getting drinking water and we had to attend the class in an extremely hot weather. The fans didn’t work, and we were not able to sit in the class and read in the summertime,” Mehak said.

Summer temperatures in southern Punjab can regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

Around 10% of schools in Punjab are not connected to the grid due to their remote locations, leaving them completely without power. Those that are connected to the grid aren’t faring much better. Power outages in Pakistan can last up to 10 hours a day in rural areas and four hours in urban areas due to inefficient transmission and distribution networks, the report said.

“The ADB is working to provide wider energy access throughout Asia and the Pacific. The best way to do it is through the development of renewable energy sources. We are happy to support the Government of Pakistan to achieve its goal of providing clean, reliable, and sustainable electricity for all,” said Yong Ye.

“Since the approval of the ADB’s Access to Clean Energy Investment Program in late 2016, over 10,700 schools in Punjab and more than 2,000 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been fitted with rooftop solar panels. More than 1.4 million students are now benefiting from reliable electricity which is improving their learning environment.

According to Shamshir Ahmad Khan, CEO of the District Education Authority, enrolment in public schools in Punjab has risen since the installation of solar facilities.

“People who used to send their children to private schools due to the inadequate environment in public schools have started transferring their kids after the public schools got these solar facilities,” he said.

Public school teacher Komal Shahzadi said that the improvement in the learning environment has changed the parents’ and students’ outlooks.

“(Before the solar panels) many parents would not send their children to school because of the hot weather in the summer. (Having power) made a huge difference. Students now happily go to school,” she said.

These schools are not only enjoying uninterrupted electricity, they are also saving millions in utility bills. Punjab schools that were fitted with solar power collectively save around PKR509 million (about $2.8 million) annually. Some schools are even earning by selling excess electricity to the national grid.

The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, which offers courses requiring state-of-the-art technology, also benefitted from the program. The solar panels installed on the campus grounds generate 2.5 megawatts, enough to power the university’s main campus during winter.

The university’s Vice Chancellor, Athar Mehmood, said they have saved around PKR70 million (around $373,000) in utility bills, allowing them to spend on other more pressing needs.

“The solar power project has been injecting a lot of good feelings among our university community. For one thing, we are assured that we are not depending on the grid, as sometimes grid power is not available,” said Mr. Mehmood.

“It’s also environment-friendly, so we are contributing less to environmental pollution.”

As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, this project exemplifies ADB’s commitment to supporting universal access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy services in Central and West Asia, while promoting the low carbon transition.

A further 4,200 schools in Punjab and over 6,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being fitted with solar panels. Arif Qesrani, the Energy Department’s project director for the Access to Clean Energy Investment Program, said they have arranged technical training sessions on how to maintain the solar panels so the schools and health units can resolve the basic problems on their own.

“There are many benefits to this technology because operation and maintenance costs are very low. Just wipe the panels and these are long lasting,” he said.

“With the help of this project, we are giving people the means to meet their power needs. They can make their own arrangements. This new intervention is creating opportunities,” said Mr. Qesrani.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-Wealthpk