News Desk
The former Chief Economist Nadeem Javed has said that if we barely focus on the transport sector, in terms of energy efficiency and conservation it would not only improve productivity but could be the reason behind the hike in our GDP. He said that the transport sector has the potential to increase GDP by 5 percent.
According to details, Nadeem Javed has stated this during a one-day virtual webinar conducted by National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) on Energy Efficiency and Conservation in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).
The webinar was aimed to empower academia, energy sector experts, and professionals from all major sectors of economy, with the knowledge of Energy Efficiency and Conservation; and raise awareness while informing about how the citizens can play their role in making Pakistan Energy Efficient by switching to energy-efficient appliances and introducing those in their social circle, homes, and daily life.
All speakers highlighted the importance of Energy Efficiency and Conservation, in addition to its relation with policy, innovation, and climate change mitigation.
The former Chief Economist further said that we have to focus on old cars and busses and set the inspection mechanism for them to inspect their consumption. He said that there should be a standard for the old busses and cars in order to bring energy efficiency in the transport sector. He suggested that the government should have to look into the market of electronic appliances and endorse or rebut the claim of the manufacturers of having energy-efficient appliances.
The Technical Unit Head, Asad Mehmood, highlighted that NEECA is working in 5 major sectors including Power, Industry, Transport, Agriculture, and building sectors and we are not limited to them. He further said that we have set a goal to achieve 3MTOE in all sectors. He addressed that we are aiming to guide youth and professionals regarding Energy Efficiency and Conservation.
The Professor Maryam Jalal, added that there is a big chance of energy efficiency and conservation in all sectors, and all we need to have is to sincerely work on it and NEECA is playing an impressive role in EE&C. She also said that renewable energy has the potential for free heating and lighting. She advised the students, faculty, and all other people that not to use high consumption appliances in peak hours and always drive the low consumption vehicles.
The lighting project Head of NEECA, Ahmad Hasnain concluded that 15 percent of the energy is consumed by the lighting and 200 million people in Pakistan use the lights, that is why NEECA has set standards for LED lighting for the first time, which are accepted by the PSQCA and are expected to be launched in the market by the coming month.
He said that NEECA is involving all the stakeholders and government to come forward and work together to make Pakistan Energy Efficient
The Webinar was followed by over 100 participants, including distinct speakers from the energy sector, including the Head of the Technical Unit for NEECA, Head of Department of Electronics Engineering at Fatima Jinnah Women University, former Chief Economist for Planning Commission, and National Project Manager for NEECA.