Solar power is getting cheaper as the years go by, and the cheaper it gets, the more the solar revolution takes hold. Recently, that revolution made its way to Pakistan.
Last year, the Pakistani parliament became the first in the world to power itself solely on solar power. An 80 megawatt array was successfully installed. 62 megawatts of power is consumed by the assembly, and the remaining 18 megawatts are distributed throughout the local grid.
Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of parliament, announced the initiative while thanking the Chinese government, who played a role in helping the country upgrade their parliament building.
The project cost around $55 million and was funded primarily by the Chinese. The project will save the Pakistani government about a quarter million dollars a year.
There has been an ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan, with more people demanding more juice without the infrastructure to provide it. Sharif has promised that the country will fix this problem by next year, and solar will play a crucial role in that.
As the world’s population continues to grow and the demand for power outstrips the ability of fossil fuels to keep up, sustainable energy sources, like wind, solar, and geothermal will become more popular. Already, developing countries are relying primarily on solar to provide power to its citizens.
This is one revolution that isn’t stopping for anyone.
