REG

The renewable energy group at Bahria University is working towards providing practical solutions to solve the energy crisis in Pakistan. With ever increasing electricity rates in the country, the need to shift to efficient solar solutions has become a necessity. The prices of solar panels have dropped by 80% in the last five years, making solar more economical than the grid system in Pakistan. However, significant issues still exist that have limited the widespread use of solar energy. The main issue is the high initial capital cost which deters most of the consumers. Without proper financial support, most consumers cannot afford the large cost of a solar installation at their homes. Additionally, most businesses operate in Plazas where the roof rights are reserved so they cannot shift to solar energy. Furthermore, load shedding has been an endemic problem in the country, and although currently there is very limited load shedding, it can surface again if the energy prices spike up. The renewable energy research group has been focusing on addressing the issues of high energy cost, load shedding and energy efficiency. The group focuses on providing products and services that can help energy consumers save costs and shift to renewable resources. A number of interesting prototypes of different products have been developed by the group which work perfectly and can be commercially deployed with the help of investors in the industry. These products not only solve some critical problems but can bring huge profits to the private sector if properly developed and marketed.