Solar photovoltaic potential and diffusion assessment for Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan, around 58% of current electricity is generated from fossil fuels and only 2.4% is generated using renewable energy (RE) resources even though country is blessed with enormous RE potential. Among other RE resources, Pakistan's geographical location offers high solar energy potential, which implies that actual potential assessment should be undertaken. This study, as such, undertakes a comprehensive assessment of solar energy potential and prospects of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for both off-grid and gridconnected systems. This study also estimates the future available capacity of rooftop and rural off-grid solar PV capacity. Three different types of solar PV modules of the same size, that is, thin-film, premium, and standard were modeled to compare energy outputs. NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) is used to estimate the geographical and technical potential of solar PV considering updated data and geographical information. SAM results suggest that an average of 4.5 kWh/kWp/day is obtained from an installed capacity of 1 KWp. The logistic modeling equations are further used to forecast the solar PV penetration over a period until 2090. The research investigation concludes that 2.8 × 10 6 GWh of electricity can be generated annually in Pakistan. The estimated results prove that solar PV has the potential to meet the present as well as future energy needs of Pakistan.

Towards Achieving 100% Renewable Energy Supply for Sustainable Climate Change in Pakistan

“…The country receives 8 to 10 h of sunlight each day in most of its regions, which receive an average of 15.5 to 1014 KWh of solar radiation annually, with 20 MJ/m of solar insulation and an average of 8.5 h of sunlight every day [48]. The province of Baluchistan has one of the highest potentials for sun irradiation, according to [49]. In addition, there is significant potential for solar energy production in the deserts of Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan.…”

“…In addition, there is significant potential for solar energy production in the deserts of Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan. This land is perfect for solar installations because it is fertile and cannot be used for anything else [49]. Around 1600 GW per year, which is more than 40 times the capacity of the existing power generation system, is the estimated solar potential [50].…”

Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Materials: State-of-the-Art and Future Perspectives

“…The main heat flow or waste heat energy of this system can be output and transformed into electric energy . The investigation reports that 2.8 × 106 GWh of electricity in Pakistan is available annually . Awais et al utilized RET Screen software to simulate a photovoltaic system, and the study showed that the designed model was sufficient to provide the required electrical power for the area and transfer any surplus energy to the grid due to the abundant solar energy resources in Pakistan.…”

“…10 The investigation reports that 2.8 × 106 GWh of electricity in Pakistan is available annually. 11 Awais et al 12 utilized RET Screen software to simulate a photovoltaic system, and the study showed that the designed model was sufficient to provide the required electrical power for the area and transfer any surplus energy to the grid due to the abundant solar energy resources in Pakistan. Economic studies have indicated that the power system will start generating profits after 7.4 years from installation and will continue to do so until the 25th year of the life of the project.…”

Modeling and simulation of direct contact membrane distillation system integrated with a photovoltaic thermal for electricity and freshwater production

“…The PV sector has increased by over 35% annually over the last decade. Global PV capacity was 591 GW in 2019, including 184 GW of module manufacture and 125 GW of sales (Feldman and Margolis, 2019;Khatri et al, 2022). Current solar technology comprises PV and solar thermal panels, which are combined to generate electricity and heat in hybrid PV/T systems (Barbu et al, 2019).…”