(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Renewable Tuesday: Pakistan [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-12-03 There is some serious good news about EVs in Pakistan, against a staggering backdrop of catastrophe. So I decided to take a deeper dive today, to make the import and impact of the good and bad news clearer. Air pollution, that is, smog, turns out to be the pivot point of the tale. Good news first. Pakistan’s government wants 30% of all new vehicles including cars, vans, and small trucks sold to be electric or hybrid by 2030 with that going up to 90% by 2040 to combat air pollution. [image or embed] In Pakistan, concerns about worsening air pollution are making EVs an attractive option Experts say the dangerous smog is a by-product of large numbers of vehicles, construction, and industrial work, as well as burning crops at the start of the winter wheat-planting season. Any so-called “expert” who doesn’t mention Pakistan’s reliance on the dirtiest form of coal is trying to sell you something harmful. It is claimed that 45% of the pollution comes from cars, but I find that claim suspect. 🇵🇰 Regal Automobiles Industries Ltd (RAIL) has launched Pakistan’s 1st locally assembled electric SUV, the Seres 3, at its Lahore plant. 🔌 Priced at Rs 8.39 mil, it comes with a complimentary 22kW charger & has fast charging (20-80%) in 30 min with slow charging in 6 hrs. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/1SRIlbHxuu That’s $30,100. Carbon Brief has had a similar idea. The Carbon Brief Profile: Pakistan As part of a series on how key emitters are responding to climate change, Carbon Brief explains the causes of Pakistan’s deep-rooted energy crisis and how catastrophic floods fuelled its call for loss-and-damage finance at UN climate talks. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. It is currently in the midst of a crippling energy and economic crisis that has brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. The country, which is the fifth most populous in the world and home to more than 230 million people, was the 18th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2018. Its current crisis is closely tied to its dependency on fossil-fuel imports, particularly in light of global price hikes driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Imported fuels currently make up 40% of the country’s primary energy supply. Pakistan in 2020 committed to a moratorium on building coal-fired power plants. However, the government in 2023 promised to quadruple power plants fuelled with domestic coal to meet energy needs without relying on imports. Coal mining in the country has been linked to fatal disasters, slavery and child abuse. This is purest insanity, which someone defined as Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. NOT Albert Einstein, as was claimed, but the ever-prolific Anonymous. Pakistan has immense, barely tapped resources of sun and wind that it is barred by politics and finance from investing in. So the people are having to do it themselves. Pakistan’s power sector is plagued by a large circular debt, a type of public debt that has built up due to the cascading impact of unpaid government subsidies on power distributors and producers, as well as deep structural issues in the sector. Pollution Pakistan air pollution: Multan's AQI crosses 2,000-mark; Punjab closes parks, schools | Details Pakistan experienced a surge in air pollution, with seven cities ranking among the world’s most polluted. An Air Quality Index of 500 is extremely dangerous. 2,000 is criminal, like the killer London smogs of old. Coal and Gas Coal mining in Pakistan Carbon Brief explains In June 2022, Pakistan’s petroleum minister told journalists that the country was struggling to secure supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it was being outbid by European countries looking to source fuels away from Russia. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, minister Musadik Malik said: “We don’t have enough energy right now. The gas is not available and we can’t afford such expensive gas. So what we are doing is arranging alternates. The recent increase in production, imports of coal and furnace oil is part of the same strategy.” Fossil fuels have long dominated Pakistan’s energy supplies. In 2021, gas (42%), oil (27%) and coal (17%) accounted for a combined 86% of the country’s energy needs, with renewables (10%, mainly hydro) and nuclear (4%) making up the rest Pakistan has deposits of high-quality coal and also vast amounts of terribly dirty lignite. Pakistan’s coal deposits are concentrated in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, with total reserves estimated at 185bn tonnes. Sindh is host to two major coalfields: the Lakhra coalfield and the Thar coalfield in the Thar desert bordering India, the latter containing one of the world’s largest lignite deposits. Lignite is the most polluting form of coal. Renewable Energy There is currently a small number of wind and solar farms in Pakistan. They accounted for 3% of electricity generation in 2020, according to IEA data. Pakistan “intends” to have 20% of its total electricity generation capacity from wind and solar by 2025 and 30% by 2030. According to the World Bank, this will require Pakistan to install around 24,000MW of solar and wind by 2030, up from 1,500MW today. This represents 150-200MW a month from now until 2030, it notes. The World Bank’s analysis also says that this would represent a “least-cost” electricity expansion scenario, resulting in fuel savings equal to $5bn over 20 years. Not even counting lives. Pakistan estimated in its 2021 international climate pledge that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable including hydropower will require $101bn in foreign investment by 2030. (See: Climate finance.) This includes $50bn for meeting its pledge of generating 60% of its electricity from renewables including hydro by 2030. Rays of change: can Pakistan harness the solar power shift? According to BloombergNEF, the country imported an astonishing 13 gigawatts of solar modules in the first six months of 2023, making it the third-largest destination for Chinese exporters. This surge in imports has increased Pakistan's electricity capacity by 30%, a staggering achievement that has gone largely unnoticed. That’s a 30% increase over 3%, which is to say a 1% increment in Pakistan’s power production overall. Despite power prices soaring in the wake of Putin's Ukraine invasion, the country's economy has continued to grow, defying expectations. Sales of electricity have dropped by 10% in the last two years, yet the economy has grown by 2%. This paradox is largely due to Pakistanis embracing solar energy, buying cheap Chinese solar panels and installing them on their homes and factories. However, a report by Mordor Intelligence [sic] suggests that Pakistan's solar energy market is poised for exponential growth, with the installed capacity expected to grow from 1.41 gigawatts in 2024 to 9.53 gigawatts by 2029, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46.55%. This remarkable growth is driven by increasing adoption of solar PV systems, declining solar panel and installation costs, and rising environmental concerns. OK, a gigawatt here, a gigawatt there, and now we are starting to talk about Real MoneyTM, real lives, and real solutions. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/3/2289895/-Renewable-Tuesday-Pakistan?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/