Solar energy potential in Pakistan

In view of the growing needs of energy in Pakistan, the efficient use and development of renewable energy sources has become a major issue in the country. This has brought the intention of several national and multinational companies to design and implement a major work plan for energy conservation and construction of renewable energy sources like wind mills and solar panels. Fortunately, Pakistan is among those countries in which sun warms the surface throughout the year and therefore has a strong potential for solar power generation. This study was conducted to explore those areas which are most suitable for solar energy potential using fifty eight meteorological stations covering the whole country. Angstrom equation and Hargreaves formula was used to calculate monthly solar energy potential by utilizing monthly climatical data of bright sunshine hours, mean maximum and minimum temperatures. The lowest solar radiation intensity 76.49 W/m(2) observed at Cherat during December and highest 339.25 W/m(2) at Gilgit. The average monthly solar radiation intensity remains 136.05 to 287.36 W/m2 in the country. The results indicate that the values of solar radiation intensity greater than 200 W/m(2) were observed in the months: February to October in Sindh, March to October in almost all regions of Balochistan, April to September in NWFP, Northern Areas and Kashmir regions while March to October in Punjab. For 10 h a day, average solar radiation intensity ranges from 1500 W/m(2)/day to 2750 W/m(2)/day in Pakistan especially in southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan regions throughout the year. In an area of 100 m(2), 45 MW to 83 MW power per month may be generated in the above mentioned regions. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4712051]