Pakistan can generate 50,000 MW of hydroelectricity but only about 6,595 MW has been developed over the past 50 years, presenting a grim picture.

This was stated by experts at the international conference on "Solar and Bio Energy System," arranged by the Department of Farm Machinery and Power, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

The session was presided over by Punjab Energy Department Secretary, Rab Nawaz.

Expressing his views, Rab Nawaz said Punjab government will encourage the UAF for setting up a power plant to generate one megawatt of electricity using solar and solid waste technologies in a bid to promoting technology in the country. He urged UAF scientists to develop and promote solar and solid waste energy mechanism at university campus in order to help emerge the UAF as the first-ever environment friendly 'Green University' of the country.

He said power circular debt was standing at 570 billion and it was need of the hour to promote other sources of power He urged the university to establish model bio-gas plant from the UAF farm containing 300 animals. He praised UAF role for playing a vital role in increasing agricultural productivity and globalisation by attracting foreign delegates.

He said that the provincial government had allocated Rs200 billion for providing 200 tube-wells running on solar energy to the farming community. He said the government was work on 10kilowatts of solar energy system in Lahore in order to develop alternate source of power generation. He said that the government will be able to get three megawatt from the bio-gas and 700 megawatt through coal.

Rab Nawaz said that the energy department had been established on June 3, 2011 that would generate the 3,000megawatt of energy in the next five years. He said that the province was operating the 55 million tonnes of bio-mass that could be used for getting bio energy.

He said that the solar energy plants, which were available in the markets, were expensive and had no warranty that were hindrance to the process of its promotion in the country. To curtail the trend, a comprehensive mechanism should be mapped out, he added. Rab Nawaz stressed the need to set up focal group of experts of university and industry in order to devise a mechanism of providing uninterrupted power to the country.

In his address, UAF VC, Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the university had set up energy cell aimed at addressing the issue of energy and providing best solutions to cope with the crisis. He said, "We should not put our consideration on solar and bio-energy. But now, we have to expedite the pace of work in this regard." He stressed the need for working on small models in a bid to providing uninterrupted power supply to the villagers as the tube well and other agricultural inputs run on the power. The interrupted power supply causes low production and increase in fertiliser etc, he added.

He also suggested producing energy from by setting up turbines at the canal. He called for establishing the plant producing electricity from the solid waste for fighting the problem of power in the country.

German Solar Brucke Organisation Chief Executive, Wolfgang Scheffler said that in Germany, people used the solar energy for cooking purposes and heating the houses. Using the sun can save a lot of time or money, and thinking about progressing desertification it is of direct ecological advantage. He said to ensure permanent, appropriate and non-harmful ways of energy supply it is also very important to rethink the way energy is used. He said that due to climate changes, the temperature of the world had increased one centigrade.

Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology Dean, Prof Dr Rai Niaz said the country could benefit, if these resources are explored, exploited and developed properly. Pakistan lies in an area of one of the highest solar radiation in the world and there is a vast potential for converting the untapped solar energy source for useful means. Similarly, according to Renewable Energy Report of Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology, 21.35 million cu. meter bio-gas can be produced daily from existing bio-mass resources in the country. In addition the same resource can produce 450 million tons of bio-fertiliser per day, which is essential requirement for a sustaining fertility of agricultural land.

He said Pakistan lacks in food processing and industrial engineering. The food processing industry is facing difficulty without trained Food Engineers. We have introduced "Food Engineering Degree Program" in the Faculty, where energy will play an important role. He suggested introducing a new discipline of "Energy Resources Management & Engineering" which will further help boosting the Food Engineering Degree Program, as well as addressing the energy issues in other sectors.

Later, Rab Nawaz inaugurated solar energy exhibition at the campus.