I bloody loved this episode.. Would be great to hear how things are changing all over - for instance, I know India is trying to create its own solar panel industry - does this work? Are they anywhere near competing with China?
Like Australia, inexpensive solar and relatively "expensive" electricity and net metering = boom in distributed solar. As far as I can tell, Pakistan residential rates are about $0.15/kWh so in line with a lot of world. Somewhere I read that the grid rates had to go up recently because billing demand went down due to solar while fixed costs stayed the same. Same cost-shift problem as everywhere with lots of net-meter solar.
You said Pakistan has imported 30 gigawatts of solar panels in recent years, is that correct? Or do you mean 30 gigawatt hours of power generated by these imported panels.
If they imported 30 gigawatts of panels, which you say cost $0.10/watt, that is $3 billion of panels. If each panel were 400 watts that is 75 million panels. That would mean around 1 panel per family for the entire country which is a lot. Also 30 gigawatts of panels would harvest at least 30 terawatt hours of power which is about the same amount Pakistan gets from nuclear power (or hydro or oil or coal also).
On the other hand if you mean they have generated around 30 gigawatt hours of solar, then that could be done with 75,000 panels with each 400 watt panel harvesting around 400,000 watt hours (400 kwh) in one year.
Hi, David— Thanks so much, delighted to learn about solar in Pakistan. My family lived in Karachi for some years while my stepfather trained men on managing the generators in the Indus River dam. So the issues sound familiar. The interview did not touch on the cronyism and corruption in the national government, which drove preferences for the type and scale and cost of new power supplies that could be skimmed. Solar is empowering people like farmers and small businesses to pay for electricity without bureaucracy. In my view, solar is also bringing new ideas about education and skills that can fit into a religiously conservative society and maybe open some doors, even to smart girls. Anyway, just wanted to say how much I appreciated the interview. Best, Mike
I bloody loved this episode.. Would be great to hear how things are changing all over - for instance, I know India is trying to create its own solar panel industry - does this work? Are they anywhere near competing with China?
Like Australia, inexpensive solar and relatively "expensive" electricity and net metering = boom in distributed solar. As far as I can tell, Pakistan residential rates are about $0.15/kWh so in line with a lot of world. Somewhere I read that the grid rates had to go up recently because billing demand went down due to solar while fixed costs stayed the same. Same cost-shift problem as everywhere with lots of net-meter solar.
You said Pakistan has imported 30 gigawatts of solar panels in recent years, is that correct? Or do you mean 30 gigawatt hours of power generated by these imported panels.
If they imported 30 gigawatts of panels, which you say cost $0.10/watt, that is $3 billion of panels. If each panel were 400 watts that is 75 million panels. That would mean around 1 panel per family for the entire country which is a lot. Also 30 gigawatts of panels would harvest at least 30 terawatt hours of power which is about the same amount Pakistan gets from nuclear power (or hydro or oil or coal also).
On the other hand if you mean they have generated around 30 gigawatt hours of solar, then that could be done with 75,000 panels with each 400 watt panel harvesting around 400,000 watt hours (400 kwh) in one year.
Hi, David— Thanks so much, delighted to learn about solar in Pakistan. My family lived in Karachi for some years while my stepfather trained men on managing the generators in the Indus River dam. So the issues sound familiar. The interview did not touch on the cronyism and corruption in the national government, which drove preferences for the type and scale and cost of new power supplies that could be skimmed. Solar is empowering people like farmers and small businesses to pay for electricity without bureaucracy. In my view, solar is also bringing new ideas about education and skills that can fit into a religiously conservative society and maybe open some doors, even to smart girls. Anyway, just wanted to say how much I appreciated the interview. Best, Mike