Energy plays a remarkable role
in the growth of any society. Currently, Pakistan is facing first and foremost
energy disaster that has seriously distressed economic development and
substantiated a stumbling block in the improvement route. Prolonged hours of
unscheduled load shading, no gas in houses to cook food, nights without lights,
unremitting decline in oil and gas assets, escalation in fuel & fertilizer
prices, depraved sanitation through secretion of toxic gas (after burning of
fossil fuel) are perilous influences which are making the urban and rural people
sick in full swing and becoming a noteworthy alarm for the ecosystem and human
health. Thus, the stage has come and we cannot put up with these principal
impediments any longer in this modern scientific age.
In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has become mandatory to get rid of
these stern evils with an iron hand because existing energy sources are next to
nothing as being used rapidly. For that reason, substitute energy sources
especially for rural community must be explored.
Over the past 50 years in Pakistan, only about 6595 MW of hydroelectricity has
been generated in spite of potentially 50,000 MW could be produced, presenting a
grim picture. Making attentive towards a best resolution to cope with grim
dispute of energy is “Biogas” for whom I am looking for.
It is renewable energy source and very similar to natural gas, generally
composed of methane, Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases, appreciably lighter
than air and creates twice as fewer calories (600-950 Kilo-Cal/m3) by burning
with equal volume of natural gas. In addition, biogas can be produced from
regionally available raw materials like farm yard manure of livestock and
recycled waste and is environmentally friendly and CO2 neutral.
We are an agricultural country where 47 percent people are related to
agriculture and more than 67 percent people are residing in rural areas having
agricultural lands and cattle; therefore the manure of cattle that is present in
abundant amount and actually being wasted into the streets of the villages can
be utilized to generate biogas. Apart from this, one cow can produce sufficient
compost (manure) in one day to possibly produce three kilowatt hours of
electricity, but regrettably we are deficient in this substance.
Potentially biogas can replace dirty old coal plants and dangerous expensive
nuclear plants and if compressed, it can depose compressed natural gas (CNG) as
fuel in vehicles like cars, trucks, vans, buses, locomotives, aircraft, ships
and engines of all classes. Nevertheless, it costs far less and can save us from
those good for nothing wars where we shed our blood and money. Probably, biogas
will get a tendency as respected source of energy then it will not only provide
us measures by saving fossil fuels, money, cooking time, time of collecting
firewood but also will assist us by improving sanitary conditions, protecting
our forests, lowering expenditures of quality fertilizer and improving the rural
standard of living.
As a matter of fact, not only it contains merits about production of electricity
but also supports to reduce global climate change as it lowers CO2 emission and
prevents the environment from air and water pollution. Furthermore, Punjab is
the most populated region with 56% of total population and central Punjab and
southern Punjab are considered the most prolific zone for installing biogas
plants because these areas are temperate in nature.
Now a days our electricity production is 8000 MW against the demand of 14000 MW,
so the short fall of 6000 MW puts a query that how it could be resolved on
instant basis? Could it be resolved by seeking two holidays per week, by
stoppage on the practice of heaters/air conditioners in civil servant offices or
turning off the extra lights in unnecessary hours on the roads of the big
cities? Would it be an everlasting key to compensate this sort of massive
magnitude of shortfall for a rapidly growing population? Obviously not, then why
we are in dark and neglecting such kind of inexpensive, short duration and
renewable alternate energy sources to overwhelmed energy crisis in our country.