wiredInUSA July 2016

INDEX

Peak power?

Price falls forecast

Pakistan’s ministry of water and power announced the achievement of a milestone when the total electricity generation reached a record 17,272MW for the first time in the country’s history. It included 6,080MW generated through hydroelectricity sources, while independent power producers and generating companies contributed 11,192MW. The power peak, recorded on 18 th June, had quickly followed the previous highest recorded generation of 17,120MW on 8 th June. On 18 th June, at the timeof the Iftar evening meal, around 98 percent of urban areas and over 90 percent of rural areas were provided with power. A government press release stated that with a large number of power generation and transmission projects under construction, the country should see an end to power load shedding by 2018.

A report issued by the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) suggests that average costs for electricity generated by solar and wind technologies could decrease by between 26 percent and 59 percent by 2025. The report, “The power to change: solar and wind cost reduction potential to 2025”, finds that with the right regulatory and policy frameworks in place, solar and wind technologies could continue to see cost reductions beyond 2025. It estimates that, by 2025, average electricitycosts coulddecrease59percent for solar photovoltaic, 35 percent for offshore wind, and 26 percent for onshore wind, compared to 2015. Electricity prices for concentrated solar power could also decrease as much as 43 percent, depending on the technology. By 2025, the global average cost of electricity from solar PV and onshore wind will be roughly five to six US cents per kilowatt hour. “We have already seen dramatic cost decreases in solar and wind [energy] in recent years and this report shows that prices will continue to drop, thanks to different technology and market drivers,” said IRENA director-general Adnan Z Amin.

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

wiredInUSA - July 2016

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