• We can harness this powerful natural resource to fuel our future lighting homes, energizing industries, and reducing the environmental cost of development

Ali Nawaz Rahimoo

Have you ever felt frustrated during the scorching summer months, enduring endless power outages and long hours of load-shedding? Have you ever wondered why, unlike many developed countries, we still struggle to provide round-the-clock electricity? The answer lies in a simple yet pressing truth: our electricity production cannot keep up with our growing demand. While temporary solutions like generators, UPS systems, and solar panels provide some relief at the individual level, they are not enough to power homes, industries, and businesses on a national scale. What we need are long-term, sustainable energy solutions.

Why Renewable Energy?

In Pakistan, electricity is generated from various sources including hydroelectric dams, coal, and fossil fuels. However, these conventional methods are increasingly harmful to the environment. With the world facing the serious threat of climate change, it’s vital that any new energy solutions are environmentally friendly. One such promising and eco-friendly source is wind energy. Surprisingly, the very winds we often consider a nuisance can be a powerful ally in our quest for clean energy. In fact, wind energy contributed about 7.33% of the world’s electricity production in 2022.

A Brief History of Wind Energy

Wind has been harnessed for centuries—first for sailing ships, then to grind grain and pump water using traditional windmills. The earliest known windmills date back over a thousand years to regions that now include Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. From there, the technology spread to India, China, and Europe, evolving with each step. Modern wind turbines—descendants of those early windmills convert wind into electricity using advanced engineering. The first practical wind-powered electricity generator was built by P. La Cour in Denmark in 1890, with widespread interest resurging during the energy crises of the 1970s.

How Wind Turbines Work

Wind turbines come in two main types: Horizontal-axis turbines, the most common, feature three long blades and are mounted on tall towers, typically 60 to 90 meters high. These blades rotate when hit by wind, turning a generator to produce electricity.

Vertical-axis turbines have blades that spin around a vertical axis. They’re often smaller and easier to maintain because their generators are located near the ground. These are suitable for urban areas and rooftops.

A group of turbines connected to the same grid is called a wind farm, which can range from a few turbines to hundreds, covering large areas either on land or offshore.

Pakistan’s Wind Power Potential

Pakistan is well-positioned to benefit from wind energy. Under its Renewable Energy Policy, the government aims to generate 60% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The country has significant wind potential, especially in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The most promising area is the Gharo-Jhimpir wind corridor, stretching along the coast between Karachi and Hyderabad. This 60km wide and 180km long region could generate up to 50,000 MW of electricity. The Jhimpir Wind Power Plant was Pakistan’s first major wind project.

Operational since March 2018, it uses high-efficiency turbines to inject 200 GWh of electricity into the national grid annually, producing 55 MW on its own. Jhimpir is just one of 26 private wind projects currently generating 1,335 MW in Pakistan, with 10 more projects (510 MW) under construction.  With full implementation and integration, these projects could significantly reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and minimize power outages.

A Global Legacy: The Asbads of Iran

The world’s oldest known windmills, called Asbads, still stand in Nashtifan, Iran. Made from clay, straw, and wood, they’ve been grinding grain for centuries using strong seasonal winds that blow for 120 days a year, sometimes reaching speeds of 100 km/h. These vertical windmills are about 65 feet tall, each featuring eight chambers and six wooden blades. Though only 15 Asbads remain today, they are considered a national heritage and are undergoing restoration to preserve this ancient engineering marvel.  Wind energy offers Pakistan a reliable, clean, and cost-effective path to energy security. With strategic investment, improved technology, and government support, we can harness this powerful natural resource to fuel our future lighting homes, energizing industries, and reducing the environmental cost of development. The wind may seem invisible, but with the right tools, it can become a visible solution to one of our most pressing challenges.

Read – Jhimpir Wind Corridor: Prosperity or Displacement?

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Ali Nawaz Rahimoo, based in Umerkot, Sindh is a social development professional. He can be contacted on anrahimoo@gmail.com 

The post Harnessing the Wind Power first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Karachi, Sindh

Sindh government is establishing Green Hydrogen Project in Thatta district in collaboration of China State Grid and Oracle Energy.

Sindh Energy Minister Sindh Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh presided over the meeting on Wednesday to discuss the establishment of Green Hydrogen Project.

While giving a briefing to Provincial Minister, it was told that this is the only project of its kind in Pakistan, which will produce 400 MW of green hydro and will be operated by wind and solar energy.

Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh said that the green hydrogen project will be established at a cost of US 25 million, and will provide employment opportunities to 6,000 people directly and 2,000 people indirectly.

He said that the provincial government had issued a Letter of Intent for the establishment and 7,000 acres of land had been allotted in Gharo in district Thatta for the establishment of the Green Hydrogen Project.

He further said that the Sindh government was working according to its vision for the welfare of the people and providing employment. “The establishment of several projects for obtaining alternative energy shows the efforts of the Sindh government,” he added.

Ms. Zheng Lei To, CEO of China State Grid, Naheed Memon, CEO of Oracle Energy, Energy Secretary Abu Bakar Madani, Director Alternate Energy Imtiaz Shah were present in the meeting. (PR)

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Karachi

The Federal government’s Alternative Renewable Energy Board selects only one out of 25 Solar Power Projects of Sindh for competitive bidding.

Expressing his utter surprise on neglecting Sindh, Provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh has demanded that all solar and wind power generation projects of Sindh should be included in competitive bidding so that cheap, transparent and environment-friendly energy projects can be encouraged.

In a letter to the Federal Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir, Sindh Minister said that as the country cannot afford expensive electricity, and particularly in view of environmental changes and harmful electricity projects, Sindh has prepared several plans for producing cheap and environment-friendly energy from sunlight.

Imtiaz Sheikh added that as per the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) and the Integrated Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP), plans to generate up to 1000 MW each from wind and solar have been drawn up. “But surprisingly, the Alternative Renewable Energy Board (AEDB) has selected only one solar power project out of 25 in Sindh for competitive bidding while the country and the people are in dire straits,” he said and added that inflation has gripped the people who need cheap electricity and the solution is with Sindh, but Sindh’s solar and wind energy projects have been neglected for a long time.

He said that it is unfair that projects of only limited capacity to get transparent and cheap energy were selected for competitive bidding.

According to the Alternative Renewable Energy Policy 2019, as many as 31 projects of 2139 MW of wind power and 69 projects of 4193 MW of solar power should have been taken up in competitive bidding. But the Alternative Renewable Energy Board (AEDB) selected only 22 wind and 27 solar energy projects without any clear criteria.

“Everyone knows that Sindh is a province rich in renewable and alternative energy resources, and at the request of the Federal Ministry of Energy, the study of renewable energy by the World Bank was carried out for laying transmission lines. A slight uptick in the network  after deification, 6765 MW of solar and wind energy can be delivered by 2025 and 10035 MW by 2030, but despite Sindh’s natural resources for generating environment-friendly electricity, Sindh’s projects are not selected for competitive bidding, Imtiaz Sheikh lamented. (PR)

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The post Fed Alternative Renewable Energy Board neglects Sindh projects first appeared on Sindh Courier.