For Renewable Energy Capacity Building in Pakistan
Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: The German Solar Academy Network (GSAN) and Harmony Group Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish their cooperation for the promotion and delivery of high-quality training, research and education in the field of Renewable Energy (with focus on Solar Energy) in the country.
The MoU is an outcome of the Pakistan-German Renewable Energy Forum (PGREF) B2B facilitation among German and Pakistani entities. The Pakistan-German Renewable Energy Forum (PGREF) is promoting collaboration among policy-makers, industries, institutes, science and civil society from both countries for knowledge-transfer and Sustainable Development. To implement PGREF, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Pakistan Federal Ministry of Energy, represented by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), have signed an MoU. Both countries have also agreed to establish a High-Level Steering Committee.
With the efforts of PGREF, a delegate of the German Solar Academy Network (GSAN), Germany, is visiting Pakistan. The objective of this visit is, to establish ties for education, training & Capacity Building in the Renewable Energy domain with focus on Solar Energy in Pakistan.
The GSAN has now signed an MoU with one of Pakistan’s leading privately owned service providers in the field of Research and Education, the Rawalpindi-based Harmony Group, to put the cooperation into action.
The PGREF and GSAN delegation visited CASHT – Center of Advanced Studies in Health & Technology (a project of Harmony Group) – on Thursday. A press briefing was also arranged in this regard. In his address, the Co-founder & Project Head of GSAN, Matthias Raab, pointed out the huge potentials of photovoltaics and all other Renewable Energy applications in Pakistan. Geographic and social conditions are asking for this kind of energy supply, an improved decentralized integration of Solar and Wind Energy into the national grid and an appropriate technical management of it would be needed, and the work of the GIZ REEEE II project is an appreciated effort in this regard. High quality education and training for installers and marketers would be key for a further successful dissemination of PV/RE supply in Pakistan, and the new collaboration will be able to contribute effectively to that.
Speaking to reporters later, Chairman Harmony Group, Tayyab H. Malik said that Pakistan has a large potential for Solar Energy and “we have to unleash this potential for Sustainable Development in Pakistan”. He appreciated the support of the German Government & PGREF efforts in this regard. He emphasized that this is the best time for rapid advancement in Solar & Renewable Energy in Pakistan. As the new Renewable Policy is in place, Government is supportive, AEDB, NEPRA and other institutes delivering, import of high-quality solar equipment is being ensured, subsidized financing is available, and due to Net-Metering facility domestic and industrial consumers are encouraged to install the Solar Energy. However, the main hurdle in quality implementation of these projects is lack of a technically strong workforce.
In collaboration with GSAN, Malik added: “We will introduce German quality training in Pakistan. Master trainers from Pakistan will also receive training from Germany. In this way we will be connected to a global network and thus Capacity Building through highly trained manpower in the field of Solar Energy will begin in Pakistan. Inshallah this will also bring new opportunities of employment in Pakistan.”
A strong focus of PGREF lies on introducing German companies and investors to the Pakistani market. This will help Pakistan’s Renewable Energy sector to benefit from the German experience in terms of technology and quality at the same time. With the financial support from BMZ, PGREF supports German companies from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency sector in entering the market and developing their business in Pakistan. At the PGREF, you can get in touch with selected industry partners that voiced growing interest in the market in Pakistan. “The PGREF-team is available to take you along in the journey to find your most competent German business partner”, was then also one central message Mohammad Saeed from PGREF addressed the group of 25 guests joining the press conference. “Due to PGREF’s efforts in regard to arranging B2B meetings and as a result, this MoU between the German Solar Academy Network (GSAN) and the Harmony Group has been signed on Thursday. This MoU will establish ties for education, training & Capacity Building in the Renewable Energy domain with focus on Solar Energy in Pakistan.”
Speaking on the occasion, Majid Afzal, Leading Technical Educationist, said that there has been a gap in Capacity Building in the field of Technical Education in Pakistan for the last several decades. Especially in the energy sector, its need is even greater because the current energy crisis in Pakistan seems to be intensifying. It is the right time to introduce modern education and research in the Renewable Energy sector to promote green energy in Pakistan.
Prof. Dr. Michael Hartmann, GSAN Co-founder and Dean of the Berlin School of Technology at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, also extended his best wishes and looks forward to having the new GSAN chapter on board. The GSAN Pakistan chapter will also facilitate Pakistani universities and students to collaborate with SRH for research linkages and student exchange programs.
Mir Shah (General Secretary of REAP – Renewable & Alternative Energy Association Pakistan) finally appreciated all the great work and positive developments the German Development Cooperation, implemented by GIZ, is introducing to the Pakistani energy market.