Abstract
The non-renewable energy resources are limited and depleting gradually. As such, energy security has attained the greatest amount of attention globally than ever before. In the meantime, energy crises are already affecting the developing countries such as Pakistan, even though one-third of the population of the country is not even not connected to the national electricity grid. The population with access to on-grid electricity is enduring load shedding of more than 12 h a day. This situation is alarming and require immediate attention is required so as to add alternative energy resources to the country, which has long been relying on imported fuels. It is, therefore, high time that the abundant potential in the renewable energy resources of Pakistan such as solar, wind, and biomass are harnessed. These renewable energy resources are economical and environmentally friendly, and thus considered as sustainable, and the utilization of these in meeting energy demands can help to conserve conventional resources early diminishing. This paper provides a detailed description of the energy consumption and load-shedding scenario in Pakistan thereby focusing specifically Sindh and Baluchistan provinces. Since, wind energy is considered one of the cost-effective renewable resources, six potential sites in these two provinces are considered in this study. These sites lie within 250 km of the southeastern and 800 km of the southwestern regions of Pakistan. One-year wind speed data have been reported for variable heights of these proposed sites which represent to have an annual average wind speed of 6.63 m/s and 5.33 m/s respectively. The power generation data for these location of two provinces is 7.653 GWh, and 5.456 GWh per annum respectively. This study also elaborates on the advantages and disadvantages of harvesting and installing the wind energy and provides a technical proposal for the generation of electricity from the wind in the selected remote zones which are off the national grid. The findings of this paper will help concerned government departments to devise appropriate policies and attract investment in the wind energy sector to eradicate the on-going electricity crisis.
Highlights
Energy, mainly in the form of electricity plays a significant role in the socio-economic growth and social prosperity of any country
And annual average wind speed data from different wind stations are shown in Table A1 Considering WT classification, if the speed of wind of a given location is from 7.2 to 8 m/s and from 8 to 8.8 m/s at 30 m and 50 m hub-heights, respectively, such l location would excellent for the installation of WTs
On an urgent basis, the GoP must focus on national energy strategy projects that are low cost and requires minimum completion time to tackle the electricity crisis issues and furnish the required power of the country
Summary
Mainly in the form of electricity plays a significant role in the socio-economic growth and social prosperity of any country. Power generation through renewable energy resources, solar and wind, is the best available option for investment towards meeting the rapidly growing electricity demand [1]. At the moment even massive consumption of indigenous and imported non-renewable resources seems to be inadequate for meeting the energy requirements of the country These deficits in conventional resources can be compensated by harnessing abundantly available renewable resources such as the wind, solar and biomass energy. Amongst these renewable energy alternatives, the wind energy scenario is the most attractive and in the southern wind corridor of Pakistan, which is comprised of appropriate sites for exploring wind behavior and wind power generation potential, is the focus of study. Measures for extending the transmission system to remote zones using HVDC and wind model integration with the national central power network is discussed
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