Syed Marwan Shah

The government of Pakistan has chalked out a contingency plan to save energy and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, WealthPK reports. The energy-efficient and conservation measures being taken by the government will help to reduce greenhouse emissions and fill the gap between the demand and supply of energy.

“Energy-efficient, sustainable technologies and energy-saving measures are often referred to as the ‘first fuel’, meaning that they should be utilised before all other energy options are explored,” Waheed Ahmad, an energy expert, told WealthPK. He said that energy efficiency and conservation played a central role in reducing the negative impacts of climate change. However, it remains the lowest-cost option to meet national climate change commitments.

Besides reducing greenhouse emissions, energy efficiency has other development benefits such as enhanced energy security, reduced pressure on household and national budgets, improved power-system reliability and increased competitiveness.“To generate electricity without greenhouse emissions, it is needed to switch to renewable energy sources like solar energy, geothermal energy, wind turbines and hydel power as they do not burn fossil fuels. These renewable energy sources do not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when they generate electricity,” said Waheed Ahmad.

According to the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (NEECA) Energy Saving Policy 2022, a national contingency energy-saving plan will be in place to stabilise the economy, save energy and reduce the amount of money spent on imports that burden the economy. The policy pays particular attention to the top five sectors, including industry, construction, transport, energy and agriculture.

The plan also includes a hybrid working model under which there will be four days of working at the office and one day at home. This model will help the country to save approximately $1.5 billion annually.According to the plan, commercial markets will close at 7 pm except for pharmacies and grocery stores. It will help to save 2.9 billion units of electricity worth $282 million. However, through alternate switching of streetlights, the country will be able to save 192 million units per annum, which is estimated to be worth $19 million a year.

According to Asad Hakim, an Islamabad-based architect, the reduction in greenhouse gases necessitates the energy-efficient infrastructure that helps to keep buildings energy-efficient such as glass that reflects heat, low-flow water fixtures, smart thermostats and upgraded air conditioning technology with refrigerants that do not cause warming.

He told WealthPK that the greenhouse emissions could be tackled through geothermal energy installed in buildings. “Buildings may be heated and cooled using geothermal energy, which makes use of the temperature differential between the surface and the subsurface,” he added.

The technology basically entails installing heat pumps and water or other fluid-filled subterranean pipelines near the building. As a result, the constant flow of liquid in pipes from below to above ground will exchange heat with the earth. This device can be used to heat water and feed the building’s air conditioning system through ducts.“The heat pump will move heat from the ground to the building if the ground temperature is higher than the surrounding air temperature. It may also work in reverse, transferring heat from the inside of a structure to the outside, cooling the building,” Asad Hakim Told WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk