Techno-economic assessment of concentrated solar thermal power generation and potential barriers in its deployment in Pakistan.

Abstract

In this study, the current situation and future prospects of cleaner energy production through concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in Pakistan are analyzed. The assessment of required resources, evaluation of techno-economic feasibility, analysis of existing policy framework, and potential barriers in adopting the concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan are presented. Six potential sites for installing solar thermal power plants are selected on the basis of solar resource assessment, land availability, and feasible infrastructure. A case study of a 100 MW parabolic trough collector (PTC) solar thermal power plant is simulated for these potential sites by using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software. The optimization of solar field size and thermal energy storage is performed to obtain the minimum Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for each potential site. Results indicate that the LCOE under the optimized configuration of the PTC solar thermal power plant in Pishin and Quetta can be minimized to 14.7 cents/kWh and 15.3 cents/kWh, respectively. Although the LCOE is the lowest in Pishin, the better availability of the desired infrastructure including transmission lines, water facility, and grid stations in Quetta makes it a more favorable site for installing the PTC solar thermal power plant.Furthermore, a discussion of government policies, along with major barriers (financial, political, infrastructural, technical, and social) that hinder the development of concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan, is presented in detail. In order to overcome these barriers, several recommendations, including the introduction of financial incentives to investors, promoting private stakeholders, the establishment of research facilities in the country, and educating the general population regarding the benefits of clean energy are also outlined.