ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain on Tuesday urged the investors to opt for Pakistan’s Renewable Energy Sector which has immense potential.
Opening a three-day international conference and exhibition on “Renewable Energy Technologies” in Islamabad, he said Pakistan has been facing power shortage for the last so many years, adding incumbent government, since its inception, was taking strides to overcome the menace of load-shedding.
He said promotion of RE sector was also top priority of the government and it has launched many projects to tap the renewable energy potential.
He expressed the hope that the people would get rid of power load-shedding in early 2018.
The minister said Pakistan was blessed with high exposure solar energy which could be utilized for getting environmentally clean energy.
He said the developed countries made immense progress to get clean energy from the RE sector. However, underdeveloped countries could not yet tap the RE sector, he added.
The minister said there was a dire need to promote the environment friendly energy for survival of mankind.
He said the conference would help provide exchange of innovative and new ideas to promote RE sector.
Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Fazl Abbas said that in past adequate importance was not given to promote RE sector adding that it has limited share in energy mix.
He said solar potential should be captured to harness the clean energy.
Director General Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) Dr Basharat Mahmood said around 2 billion people across the globe have not yet access to the grid line system of electricity adding these could easily be facilitated through promoting RE sector.
Conference Coordinator, M Nadeem Zakir said the conference would help sensitize relevant quarters towards the importance of research and development, commercialization and widespread use of renewable energy technologies (RETs).
Deputy Director COMSATS Irfan Hayee and Secretary General Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO Hafiz Sher Ali also spoke on the occasion.
The conference was organized jointly by Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) and Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS).
Later, the Minister distributed shields among the foreign delegates.