An assessment of renewable energy potential for electricity generation in Pakistan

Renewable energy for power generation is gaining attention around the world, and for Pakistan, these resources can fulfill the present and future energy demands of the country. Though the potential of renewable energy resources has been assessed in earlier studies, their assessment did not consider the most promising technologies. Moreover, their estimation was static and the future renewable resource potential was not estimated. This study estimates the current and future potential of renewable energy sources for power generation by employing most promising technologies. The technical potential of solar energy from solar photovoltaic and parabolic trough thermal technologies for power generation is estimated to be 149 GW in 2010 and 169 GW in 2050. The suitable area for wind energy generation is available for the capacity installation of 13 GW. The potential from biomass energy sources is 5 GW in 2010 and could be 15 GW in 2050. Small hydro installed capacity under current circumstances can reach 3 GW installed capacity. The current national plans are resulting in exploitation of wind and small hydro plants, but a large technical potential of solar and biomass technologies also exists. The study results clearly demonstrate that renewable energy sources can supplement the energy needs of Pakistan and can provide a sustainable energy base. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.