CSS Current Affairs | Potential of Renewable Energy Sources, as Long-Term Solutions to Pakistan’s Energy Crisis
The following assignment question for CSS Current Affairs is solved by Waleeja Taj under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches: Miss Iqra Ali and Sir Ammar Hashmi. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-A Quick Overview of Pakistan’s Energy Crises
3-Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Resources: Solar, Wind, and Hydropower
- Solar energy potential in Pakistan
- Wind energy potential in Pakistan
- Hydropower potential in Pakistan
4-Contributions of Solar Energy as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Off-grid energy production: Combating transmission losses
- Independence from fossil fuels and overcoming long power outages through harnessing solar energy
5-Contributions of Wind Energy as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Maintaining the stability of electricity prices and narrowing the supply and demand gap
- Environmental sustainability: Zero emissions from wind turbines
6-Contributions of Hydropower as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Hydropower: Ease of exploitation and well-established technology to cope with energy crises
- Durability and proficiency of hydropower in alleviating the cost of rebuilding energy infrastructure
7-Critical Analysis
8-Conclusion
Answer to the question
Introduction
Sustainable energy production and consumption are benchmarks for national development of a country. However, the high consumption of non-renewable energy resources across the globe has widened the implications beyond their ultimate benefit. For instance, there is a risk of depletion of non-renewable energy resources; moreover, their high cost and environmental degradation have made their usage unsustainable. Moreover, the mentioned implications add to the energy crises of mostly developing countries, including Pakistan. Renewables, however, are an alternative in the mitigation of energy crises. The cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and abundance are some of the many features that curb the growing disadvantages of non-renewable energy resources.
A Quick Overview of Energy Crises in Pakistan
Unfortunately, Pakistan is among the nations that are struggling with an energy crisis. The heavy reliance on imported oil has made Pakistan vulnerable to price shocks in the global market. For instance, Pakistan produces almost 80% of its energy from crude oil, 11% from hydropower, 6% from coal, and 2% from nuclear resources. Not only this, but internal factors, such as energy theft, non-billing or delayed billing, and transmission and distribution losses, ultimately lead to circular debt, amplifying the already existing vulnerable energy conditions. Furthermore, consistent poverty remains an obstacle to the consumption of high-cost electricity. Therefore, a shift to a renewable energy mix is imperative for alleviating energy crises as well as for economic development and possibly reducing Pakistan’s import dependency in the long run.
Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Resources as Long-Term Solutions to Pakistan’s Energy Crises
- Solar Energy Potential in Pakistan
Pakistan, being in the Sunny Belt, has long sunshine hours and high insolation levels and is ideally located to take advantage of solar energy technologies. This energy source is widely distributed and abundantly available in the country. The mean global solar insolation falling on a horizontal surface range between 450-650 watts per m2 per day depending upon the location of the site. This amounts to about 1500-3000 sunshine hours and 1.9 – 2.3 MWh per m2 per year, with an annual mean sunshine duration of 8 to 8.5 hours a day, and these values are among the highest in the world. Among all, Thar in Sindh and the entire Balochistan province are considered ideal for the utilization of solar energy. In Balochistan, 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, making it an exceptional site for on-grid solar installation.
- Potential of Wind Energy in Pakistan
Wind Energy is a strategic choice; properly governed and financed, wind power will materially strengthen Pakistan’s energy security, economic stability, strategic autonomy, and climate resilience. Pakistan has a total wind energy potential of approximately 132 GW. The coastal regions, especially Sindh, have about 50,000 MW potential. Parts of Balochistan’s coast, including Pasni and Gwadar, have offshore wind potential. At the same time, highland areas in KP and GB offer pockets of high wind for hybrid solar-wind systems to power remote communities. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has performed a preliminary assessment of wind energy and developed a map indicating that the optimum potential for harvesting wind energy exists at 50 m, with a total capacity of about 300,000 MW. Moreover, feasibility studies in Pakistan indicate that about 3.5% of the land is suitable for wind energy, with a potential of over 132,990 MW for cost-effective utility-scale power.
- Hydropower Potential of Pakistan
Though Pakistan is deficient in oil and gas, it has a vast potential of hydropower, coal, wind, and solar energy resources. Hydroelectric potential is available in Pakistan’s northern areas, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It is estimated that Pakistan has hydropower potential of about 60,000 MW, but only 16% of it is utilized for the production of electricity, and the remaining potential is still untapped. Moreover, hydropower plants can be started and stopped more rapidly and economically than fossil fuel and nuclear plants, so the use of hydropower plants to meet peak loads is particularly advantageous. Besides energy production, combining irrigation infrastructure with hydropower projects can be more advantageous for the agricultural sector too.
Contributions of Solar Energy as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Off-Grid Energy Production: Combating Transmission Losses
Standalone solar systems provide electricity to urban areas and remote villages without requiring grid connectivity. In this way, they also cope with transmission losses, reducing peak loads on national grids. Thus, electricity outages and load shedding can be addressed. Besides, net metering in off-grid systems can sell surplus energy to the national grid, again lessening the load on national grids. In net metering, a consumer can produce their own electricity, typically from rooftop solar installations, and feed it back to the grid. It represents the net electricity taken from the grid by the consumer. Its low setup cost and decentralized power not only reduce strain on grids but can also revolutionize existing power distribution by bringing electricity generation on-site for consumers, thus lowering costs. According to a recent World Bank study, utilizing just 0.071 percent of the country’s area for solar PV would meet Pakistan’s current electricity demand. Net metering reduces consumer bills, making it more likely that consumers will pay their bills. Thus, scaling up net metering can save energy, as domestic consumers are about 86% of electricity consumers in Pakistan. Ultimately, the decentralization of power through off-grid generation reduces transmission losses and fosters energy sustainability.
- Independence From Fossils and Overcoming Long Power Outages through Harnessing Solar Energy
Harnessing solar energy and its deployment will successfully empower the domestic and industrial sector to combat load shedding. As long power outages limit their productivity, solar power plants can mitigate the issue and, thus, support the economy. A study in 2015 estimated that load shedding cost the industrial sector PKR 210 billion, along with about USD 1 billion in lost exports. Moreover, shifting to a solar energy mix will, in turn, reduce dependence on imported oil and gas; consequently, the vicious circular debt that sums to a huge amount due to annual increments could be addressed. Besides, power theft that contributes to the development of circular debt will also be discouraged. In line with this, subsidies that the government pays to fulfill the shortage of bills will also be saved.
Contributions of Wind Energy as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Maintaining the Stability of Electricity Prices and Narrowing the Supply and Demand Gap
Pakistan has wind energy, offering a tremendous opportunity to transform its energy sector potential. By reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels, stabilizing electricity prices, and narrowing the demand-supply gap, greater utilization of wind energy can strengthen the country’s energy security. At present, Pakistan faces an electricity demand of approximately 28,200 MW against a supply of around 21,200 MW, resulting in a gap of nearly 7,000 MW. Moreover, the high cost of electricity, driven partly by elevated global fossil-fuel prices, makes electricity increasingly unaffordable for Pakistan’s poverty-stricken population. Existing power plants, which largely rely on non-renewable energy sources, have also failed to adequately bridge the demand–supply gap. In this context, harnessing wind energy could be a significant step towards addressing these challenges. For instance, the Jhimpir Wind Power Plant, located in the Jhimpir wind corridor of Sindh, has a capacity of 50 MW, while Pakistan’s total installed wind-power capacity has reached approximately 1,845 MW. This reflects gradual progress towards diversifying the country’s energy mix and enhancing energy security. Nevertheless, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, high initial investment costs, and inconsistent energy policies must be addressed to fully exploit Pakistan’s wind-energy potential.
- Environmental Sustainability: Zero Emissions from Wind Turbines
Furthermore, like all other renewable energy resources, utilizing wind turbines has practically restricted greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike fossil fuels, which have a huge contribution to carbon emissions, wind turbines, on the other hand, emit only 11g CO₂e/kWh compared to natural gas at 465 g CO₂e/kWh, which is a small amount. Thus, harnessing a renewable energy mix is more environmentally sustainable and healthier, as it burns no fuel. Moreover, it does not create by-products that are harmful, such as particulate matter, sulphur oxides, or nitrogen oxides. Wind energy reduces mining and drilling, preserving ecosystems; it also helps in habitat preservation. To sum up, the carbon emission reductions in wind energy stand out and fit in with net-zero targets.
Contributions of Hydropower as a Long-Term Solution in Overcoming the Energy Crisis in Pakistan
- Hydropower: Ease of Exploitation and Well-Established Technology to Cope with Energy Crises
Hydropower can act as a preferred source of energy for Pakistan, as power generation from this resource is amongst the cheapest ones. Moreover, hydropower is a reliable and proven technology. In Pakistan, having a power generation history starting from 1925, with a 1.1 MW run-of-canal project at Renala. Mangla and Tarbela were commissioned in 1967 and 1977, respectively. Moreover, the country has well-trained technical staff and constructors. Contrary to hydropower, the exploitation of wind, solar, and biomass for power generation on a large scale is relatively new in Pakistan; therefore, relevant technology and high-quality materials are not easily available, especially for wind and biomass energy production.
- Durability and Proficiency of Hydropower Alleviate the Cost of Rebuilding Energy Infrastructure
Transforming the power sector into an efficient, resilient, and modern system to improve energy security is one of the objectives in overcoming energy crises. In this regard, hydropower plants generally have a long life, usually more than fifty years. Besides, after initial periods of debt reimbursement, these units can generate cheap electricity without any need for fuel. Owing to their cost-effectiveness, a little investment can increase their generating capacity, along with working on other hydropower projects. Thus, it helps the government to achieve the Energy Security Plan 2005, which plans to increase the hydropower generation capacity to 32,660 MW by the year 2030 from 6460 MW. Another benefit regarding its endurance is that it involves fewer challenges as compared to other sources of energy like thermal, nuclear, solar, or wind. Ultimately, hydropower proves to be the best substitute and long-term solution to the energy crises of Pakistan.
Critical Analysis
Critically, the energy crisis remains a bottleneck in Pakistan’s economic development. A major threat to national security, as the overreliance on imported oil pushes Pakistan into a circular debt of billions of rupees. Moreover, the environmental issues regarding non-renewable energy resources have further worsened the situation, as almost every year, Pakistan has to pay high costs of environmental disasters in flooding and landslides due to rising temperatures, mainly due to maximum carbon emissions from fossil fuels. According to the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, circular debt in the power sector is rising to Rs. 1.614 trillion on June 30, 2025. Payments to IPPs are nearing Rs 1,800 billion in 2024; inefficiencies, mismanagement, and lack of transparency in the sector are further compounding the issue. Moreover, the growing demand for energy outpaces energy production growth. However, along with short-term and medium-term solutions, the energy crisis can be offset through a transition to a renewable energy mix, which is clean and abundant, cost-effective, and environmentally healthy. The only substitute for fossil fuels, as the world is also shifting towards it.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, anticipating the implications of the current energy crisis needs to be resolved with long-term commitment. The struggling economy of Pakistan is further burdened by paying the IPPs and being in circular debt. Owing to this, a shift to sustainable energy resources is imperative. In this context, renewable energy resources are the most suitable option, as they have the potential to cope with the energy-related issues. From imported to homegrown energy, Pakistan can maximize its economic well-being along with social class uplift, enhancing social inclusion and eradicating poverty. Thus, the transition to renewable energy resources is the elixir that will enable Pakistan to strengthen the energy sector.
CSS Solved Past Papers’ Essays
Looking for the last ten years of CSS and PMS Solved Essays and want to know how Sir Kazim’s students write and score the highest marks in the essays’ papers? Then, click on the CSS Solved Essays to start reading them.
CSS Solved Essays
CSS Solved Islamiyat Past Papers
Want to read the last ten years’ Islamiyat Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Pakistan’s top CSS Islamiyat coaches having the highest score of their students.
CSS Solved Islamiyat
CSS Solved General Science & Ability Past Papers
Want to read the last ten years’ General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Pakistan’s top CSS GSA coachez having the highest score of their students.
CSS Solved General Science & Ability
CSS Solved Pakistan Affairs Past Papers
Want to read the last fifteen years’ Pakistan Affairs Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Pakistan’s top CSS Pakistan Affairs coaches having the highest score of their students.
CSS Solved Pakistan Affairs
CSS Solved Current Affairs Past Papers
Want to read the last fifteen years’ Current Affairs Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Pakistan’s top CSS Current Affairs coaches having the highest score of their students.
CSS Solved Current Affairs
