TABLE OF CONTENTS:

ELECTRICITY SECTOR IN PAKISTAN:.................................................................................................2

GOVERNMENT ENERGY POLICY:.........................................................................................................2
ENERGY POLICY...............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION OF INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCERS (IPPS)..................................................................................2
SUPPLY & DEMAND OF ELECTRICITY IN PAKISTAN:.....................................................................3
INSTALLED CAPACITY:.......................................................................................................................................3
ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION:.................................................................................................................................3
CURRENT CRISIS:.......................................................................................................................................5
RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS:......................................................................................................................5
WIND ENERGY................................................................................................................................................6
SOLAR ENERGY:...............................................................................................................................................6
GENERATING ELECTRICITY THROUGH WIND ENERGY:.............................................................6
HOW IT OPERATES:............................................................................................................................................7
BASIC COMPONENTS OF WIND TURBINES ..............................................................................................................8
TWO TYPES OF TURBINES ..................................................................................................................................8
SIZES OF TURBINES ..........................................................................................................................................9
WHERE CAN BE LOCATED:..................................................................................................................................9
WIND ENERGY IN PAKISTAN:...............................................................................................................10
PAKISTAN CAN MANUFACTURE WIND ENERGY PLANTS:...........................................................................................11
GENERATING ELECTRICITY THROUGH SOLAR ENERGY:.........................................................12
ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ENERGY IN PAKISTAN:....................................................................................................12
HURDLES:.....................................................................................................................................................14
PROJECT EVALUATION:.........................................................................................................................14
1ST ALTERNATIVE:..........................................................................................................................................15
WIND ENERGY:.............................................................................................................................................15
2ND ALTERNATIVE:.........................................................................................................................................15
SOLAR ENERGY:............................................................................................................................................15
ANALYSIS:...................................................................................................................................................16
NOISE POLLUTION:..........................................................................................................................................16
HUGE AREA CONSUMED:..................................................................................................................................17
VARIABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION:......................................................................................................................17
CONCLUSION:............................................................................................................................................18
FUTURE PLANS:........................................................................................................................................18
PILOT PROJECT FOR INSTALLATION OF INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED MICRO WIND TURBINES:.....................................18
(2X50) MW WIND POWER GENERATION PROJECT AT GHARO, SINDH .................................................................18
Electricity sector in Pakistan:
Electricity in Pakistan is generated, transmitted, distributed and retail supplied by two
vertically integrated public sector utilities; Water and Power Development Authority
(WAPDA) - For the whole Pakistan (Except Karachi) and the Karachi Electric Supply
Corporation (KESC) - For the City of Karachi and its surrounding Areas. There are
around 16 independent power producers that contribute significantly in electricity
generation in Pakistan.
The electric power sector in Pakistan is still primarily state-owned. Over half of the
electricity goes to household consumers, about one third to industrial consumers, and the
rest to commercial and government consumers. Rates are determined by the National
Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
Other sources of generating electricity are Independent Power Producers (IPP's), some of
which have been funded by foreign investors, and a few WAPDA hydroelectric dam
projects. The two largest private power plants in Pakistan are the Hub Power Company
(HUBCO) and the Kot Addu power company (KAPCO). HUBCO, with a 1,300-MW
capacity, is owned by a consortium of International Power (UK), Xenal (Saudi Arabia),
and Mitsui Corporation. The Kot Addu plant, with a 1,600-MW capacity, was privatized
in 1996 (from WAPDA). International Power holds a 36 percent equity stake in the Kot
Addu plant, while the government holds a soon-to-be divested 64 percent stake. Both of
these plants, as well as a few other small private operators, sell power to the national grid
currently run by WAPDA.
Government Energy Policy:
The govt. policy for the energy sector has been reformed from time to time but we will
take a closer look at the policies.
Energy Policy
Energy sector is regulated and to a large extent owned and operated by the Government
of Pakistan (GOP). GOP has been carrying out institutional reforms in the energy sector
for the last 15 years. Besides improving the efficiency of public sector institutions,
policies are aimed at increasing private sector participation in the development of energy
sector. In line with these objectives, in 1986, the GOP encouraged setting up of private
sector power projects on BOO (Build-Own-Operate) basis as a matter of policy, but the
response was not very encouraging. The GOP announced comprehensive frameworks in
1994 and 1995 aimed at attracting private sector investments for the development of
power sector. In 1998, the GOP announced a policy to increase the role of regulatory
body – National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for the power producers.
Various policies have also been announced for other sub sectors of the energy sector (e.g.
Petroleum, etc.) in order to increase the private participation.
Introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
When the ‘Policy Framework and Package of Incentives for Private Sector Power
Generation Projects in Pakistan‘ was announced by GOP in March 1994, the total
installed capacity in the country was 10,800 MW. This capacity was insufficient to meet
the demand on year round basis, particularly during low river flows period, and it
necessitated load shedding of the magnitude of 2,000 MW during peak load hours. At that
time, an optimistic load projection at the rate of 8% per annum for the next 25 years gave
rise to an estimated 54,000 MW additional electricity generation capacity requirement up
to year 2018. Such an ambitious programme could not be financed by the GOP, and
therefore, resource mobilization in the private sector was considered essential to meet
these development targets.
Due to poor response of 1986 policy a policy package was devised in March 1994 for
attracting overseas investment as well as domestic capital for developing power projects.
The lucrative terms, with a high rate of return on equity, attracted a large number of
foreign investors and created a situation of surplus power in the country, since the
economic growth slowed down in the following years and power demand did not grow as
projected. The financial position of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
was adversely affected due to high tariffs and guaranteed payments to be made to the
IPPs.
The GOP revised the power policy in July 1998. This policy envisages power generation
additions in future through competitive bidding for specific sites and types of plants and
gives priority to indigenous fuel based (hydro and local coal) projects. Competitive
bidding amongst power suppliers is likely to keep the tariff low. In the mean time efforts
are being made to solve the problem of surplus power by revival of the sick industry. The
present policy of the government is not to use public sector funds for power production,
except for hydro generation.
Supply & Demand of electricity in Pakistan:
Pakistan's current installed capacity is around 19,845 MW, of which around 20% is
hydroelectric. Much of the rest is thermal, fueled primarily by gas and oil.
Installed Capacity:
• Electricity - total installed capacity: 19,505 MW (2007)
• Electricity - Sources (2007)
o fossil fuel - 12,580 MW - 65% of total
o hydro - 6,463 MW - 33% of total
o nuclear - 462 MW - 2% of total
Electricity production:
• Electricity - production: 88.42 TWh
• Electricity - production by source
o fossil fuel: 63.7% of total
o hydro: 33.9% of total
o nuclear: 2.4% of total Growing demand
 Supply & demand of electricity

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Existing Generation 15,903 15,903 15,903 15,903 15,903 15,903 15,903 15,903

Proposal / Committed
530 4,235 7,226 10,115 10,556 13,307 13,520 14,607
Generation

Total
Existing/Committed 16,484 20,138 23,129 26,018 26,459 29,210 29,423 30,510
Generation

Expected Available
13,146 16,110 18,503 20,814 21,167 23,368 23,538 24,408
Generation

Demand (Summer
16,484 17,868 19,352 20,874 22,460 24,126 25,919 28,029
Peak)

Surplus/Deficit
-3,338 -1,758 -849 -60 -1,293 -758 -2,381 -3,621
Generation
Current Crisis:
In June 2007, the power cuts in Pakistan lasted no more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Today, in
extremely hot weather, Pakistanis have to endure without electricity for 8 to 10 hours a
day. Industrial production is suffering, exports are down, jobs are being lost, and the
national economy is in a downward spiral. By all indications, the power crisis in Pakistan
is getting worse than ever.
Pakistan Electric Power Company PEPCO blames independent power producers (IPPs)
for the electricity crisis, as they have been able to give PEPCO only 3,800 MW on
average out of 5,800 MW of confirmed capacity. Most of the IPPs are running fuel stocks
below the required minimum of 21 days. IPPs complain that they are not being paid on
time by PEPCO.
Extended electricity load shedding in Karachi's five major industrial estates is causing
losses in billions of rupees as the production activity has fallen by about 50 per cent.
KESC, Karachi's power supply utility, is dealing with with a shortfall of around 700MW
against a total demand of 2200MW. Almost all forms of power generation from fossil
fuel-fired thermal to hydroelectric to nuclear are down from a year ago. As a result of the
daily rolling blackouts, the economy, major exports and overall employment are also
down and the daily wage earners are suffering. The KESC and PEPCO owe more than
Rs. 10b to the independent power producers (IPPs) and paying them will help bring them
into full operation and ease the crisis at least partially.

Per capita energy consumption of the country is estimated at 14 million Btu, which is
about the same as India's but only a fraction of other industrializing economies in the
region such as Thailand and Malaysia, according to the US Dept of Energy 2006 report.
To put it in perspective, the world average per capita energy use is about 65 million BTUs
and the average American consumes 352 million BTUs. With 40% of the Pakistani
households that have yet to receive electricity, and only 18% of the households that have
access to pipeline gas, the energy sector is expected to play a critical role in economic
and social development. With this growth comes higher energy consumption and stronger
pressures on the country’s energy resources. At present, natural gas and oil supply the
bulk (80 percent) of Pakistan’s energy needs. However, the consumption of those energy
sources vastly exceeds the supply. For instance, Pakistan currently produces only 18.3
percent of the oil it consumes, fostering a dependency on expensive, imported oil that
places considerable strain on the country’s financial position, creating growing budget
deficits. On the other hand, hydro, coal, wind and solar are perhaps underutilized and
underdeveloped today, as Pakistan has ample potential to exploit these resources.
Response to the crisis:
Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project, first formally announced by former Minister Omar
Ayub on June 10, 2007, is finally starting in earnest under the PPP government of Prime
Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. This hydro project is expected to add 963MW power
generating capacity at a cost US $2.2 billion, according to Business Wire. Prior to this
project, the new Pakistani Prime Minister signed a deal with a Chinese company, Dong
Fong, for setting up 525 MW thermal power plant with an investment of $450 million at
Chichoki Mallian (Sheikhupura). Both of these projects are expected help partially close
the 3000 MW gap that exists today between supply and demand in Pakistan.

Green Energy Opportunities

In response to the warnings of energy crisis in Pakistan, President Musharraf's
government recognized the need and the potential for renewable alternatives and, in
2006, created Alternative Energy Development Board to pursue renewable energy. In
particular, AEDB is focusing on wind and solar as viable alternatives. AEDB is
facilitating setting up of small renewable energy projects in line with government’s policy
of promoting the use of renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix, says the
board’s chief executive officer Mr Arif Alauddin.
Wind Energy
Pakistan is fortunate to have something many other countries do not, which are high wind
speeds near major centers. Near Islamabad, the wind speed is anywhere from 6.2 to 7.4
meters per second (between 13.8 and 16.5 miles per hour). Near Karachi, the range is
between 6.2 and 6.9 (between 13.8 and 15.4 miles per hour). In addition to high wind
speeds near major centers as well as the Gharo and Keti Bandar corridor, Pakistan is also
very fortunate to have many rivers and lakes. Wind turbines that are situated in or near
water enjoy an uninterrupted flow of wind, which virtually guarantees that power will be
available all the time.
AEDB has recently issued Makwind Power Private Ltd (MPPL) a Letter of Intent for the
setting up of 50MW wind farm at Nooriabad in Sindh, as part of its efforts to facilitate
700 MW wind energy by 2010.
Solar energy:
Pakistan is an exceptionally sunny country. If 0.25% of Balochistan was covered with
solar panels with an efficiency of 20%, enough electricity would be generated to cover all
of Pakistani demand. In all provinces the AEDB has created 100 solar homes in order to
exploit solar energy.
Solar energy makes much sense for Pakistan for several reasons: firstly, 70% of the
population lives in 50,000 villages that are very far away from the national grid,
according to a report by the Solar Energy Research Center (SERC). Connecting these
villages to the national grid would be very costly, thus giving each house a solar panel
would be cost efficient and would empower people both economically and socially.
After having discussed the alternates we will now how wind & solar energy resources
work, what are their advantages and disadvantages & whether they are suitable for
Pakistan’s environment.
Generating Electricity through Wind energy:
Since 2001, global wind capacity has nearly doubled to 47,760 megawatts and is cheaper
than natural gas even without subsidies. On good sites, wind is even closing in on coal.
The world's global sales of wind power equipment are projected to reach $49 billion a
year by 2012. The global wind industry now employs well over 100,000 people, and
Germany alone expects to have more than 100,000 wind energy related jobs by 2010.
 Total installed windpower capacity
(end of year & latest estimates)

Capacity (MW)

Rank Nation Latest 2005 2004

1 Germany 20,622 18,428 16,629

2 Spain 11,615 10,028 8,504

3 USA 11,078 9,149 6,725

4 India 6,053 4,430 3,000

5 Denmark No change 3,128 3,124

6 Italy No change 1,717 1,265

7 United Kingdom 1,962 1,353 888

8 China No change 1,260 764

9 Netherlands No change 1,219 1,078

10 Japan No change 1,040 896

World total 65000 58982 47651

How it operates:
Wind turbines harness the wind to generate electricity. Wind turns the turbine blades,
which spin a shaft, which connects to the generator and makes electricity. A local
transformer is then used to step up the electrical voltage, so that the electricity can then
be sent through transmission and distribution lines to homes, businesses and other users.
Wind turbines generally produce electricity when winds blow at speeds of 13 kilometres
an hour or greater. They shut down at above 90 kilometres per hour for safety reasons.
Wind turbines can also be used to generate mechanical power for specific tasks such as
grinding grain or pumping water. On the Canadian Prairies, for example, there are
several thousand wind turbines that pump water.
Basic components of wind turbines
Electricity-producing wind turbines have four basic components:
♦ A rotor consisting of two or three blades attached to a hub
♦ A generator that produces electricity in the form of alternating current
♦ A control and protection system that optimizes performance and keeps the
machinery operating within safe limits
♦ A tower that raises the rotor off the ground.
Modern wind turbines make use of very few but very large blades (ranging between 40
to 80 metres in diameter) to capture wind energy, extracting energy from the largest
possible volume of air. The blades are set at different angles to cope with varying wind
speeds, and the generator and the blades can be turned to face the changing direction of
the wind. The turbines are mounted on towers 40 to 80 metres tall, so as to capture
stronger wind flows.

Two types of turbines

Modern turbines fall into two basic groups:
♦ Horizontal axis turbines
♦ Vertical axis turbines.
Horizontal axis turbines resemble airplane propellers, with two to three rotor blades
fixed at the front of the tower and facing into the wind. This is the most common design
found today, making up most of the large utility-scale turbines on the global market.
Vertical axis turbines resemble a large eggbeater with rotor blades attached vertically at
the top and near the bottom of the tower and bulging out in the middle.
Sizes of turbines
Wind turbines come in different sizes and can be used in small-scale and large-scale
applications.
Single small turbines, up to 300 kilowatts, can be used in a variety of applications,
including battery charging, providing power to remote cottages or communities, and
powering farms and industrial facilities. These turbines are sometimes combined with
other energy sources such diesel generators and solar photovoltaic systems to provide a
reliable source of power.
Utility-scale turbines, 500 kilowatts and larger, provide power to the electricity grid.
These are often grouped together in wind farms or wind power plants. By grouping wind
turbines into wind farms, it is possible to generate electricity more economically and to
produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes. It can also be more cost-
effective to maintain and operate turbines.

Where can be located:

As a general rule, wind generators are practical where the average wind speed is 10 mph
(16 km/h or 4.5 m/s) or greater. Usually sites are pre-selected on basis of a wind atlas,
and validated with wind measurements. Obviously, meteorology plays an important part
in determining possible locations for wind parks, though it has great accuracy limitations.
Meteorological wind data is not usually sufficient for accurate siting of a large wind
power project. An 'ideal' location would have a near constant flow of non-turbulent wind
throughout the year and would not suffer too many sudden powerful bursts of wind. An
important turbine siting factor is access to local demand or transmission capacity.
Onshore turbine installations in hilly or mountainous regions tend to be on ridgelines
generally three kilometers or more inland from the nearest shoreline. This is done to
exploit the so-called topographic acceleration. The hill or ridge causes the wind to
accelerate as it is forced over it. The additional wind speeds gained in this way make
large differences to the amount of energy that is produced. Great attention must be paid to
the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference
of 30 m can sometimes mean a doubling in output. Local winds are often monitored for a
year or more with anemometers and detailed wind maps constructed before wind
generators are installed.
Near-Shore turbine installations are generally considered to be inside a zone that is on
land within three kilometers of a shoreline and on water within ten kilometers of land.
Wind speeds in these zones share wind speed characteristics of both onshore wind and
offshore wind depending on the prevailing wind direction. Common issues that are
shared within Near-shore wind development zones are aviary (including bird migration
and nesting), aquatic habitat, transportation (including shipping and boating) and visual
aesthetics amongst several others.
Sea shores also tend to be windy areas and good sites for turbine installation, because a
primary source of wind is convection from the differential heating and cooling of land
and sea over the course of day and night. Winds at sea level carry somewhat more energy
than winds of the same speed in mountainous areas because the air at sea level is denser.
Wind Energy in Pakistan:
Pakistan is fortunate to have something many other countries do not, which is high wind
speeds near major centers. Near Islamabad, the wind speed is anywhere from 6.2 to 7.4
meters per second (between 13.8 and 16.5 miles per hour). Near Karachi, the range is
between 6.2 and 6.9 (between 13.8 and 15.4 miles per hour).

In only the Balochistan and Sindh provinces, sufficient wind exists to power every
coastal village in the country. There also exists a corridor between Gharo and Keti Bandar
that alone could produce between 40,000 and 50,000 megawatts of electricity, says Ms.
Katz who has studied and written about alternative energy potential in South Asia. Given
this surplus potential, Pakistan has much to offer Asia with regards to wind energy. In
recent years, the government has completed several projects to demonstrate that wind
energy is viable in the country. In Mirpur Sakro, 85 micro turbines have been installed to
power 356 homes. In Kund Malir, 40 turbines have been installed, which power 111
homes. The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has also acquired 18,000
acres for the installation of more wind turbines.

In addition to high wind speeds near major centers as well as the Gharo and Keti Bandar
corridor, Pakistan is also very fortunate to have many rivers and lakes. Wind turbines that
are situated in or near water enjoy an uninterrupted flow of wind, which virtually
guarantees that power will be available all the time. Within towns and cities, wind speeds
can often change quickly due to the presence of buildings and other structures, which can
damage wind turbines. In addition, many people do not wish for turbines to be sited near
cities because of noise, though these problems are often exaggerated. Wind turbines make
less noise than an office and people comfortably carry on conversations while standing
near them.

Pakistan can import wind energy plants from neighboring India, the company Suzlon
manufactures wind turbines, thus decreasing transportation costs. Working with Suzlon,
Pakistan can begin to build its own wind-turbine industry and create thousands of new
jobs while solving its energy problems. Suzlon turbines start to turn at a speed of 3
meters per second. Vestas, which is one of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers,
has wind turbines that start turning at a speed of 4 meters per second. In addition to
Karachi and Islamabad, there are other areas in Pakistan that receive a significant amount
of wind.

Pakistan can manufacture wind energy plants:

During a survey of the country’s existing manufacturing facilities, surveyor got
convinced that all the parts and components of the wind turbine could be easily
manufactured indigenously.
The blades and the hub (the item to which the blades are firmly connected) can be
produced without any hassle at Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF), Kamra. If Kamra
is unable to undertake this job due to its over-commitment, then there’re other reputable
concerns as well where this job could be undertaken.
The gearbox and the two shafts are purely mechanical items, nothing special in them. We
can utilize the services and expertise of Machine Tools Factory, Landhi, Karachi. We can
also utilize the expertise available at Heavy Mechanical Complex, Taxila or any other
facility dealing in mechanical items. The electrical generator that’s installed behind the
gearbox can be produced by any of the electrical concerns at Lahore or Karachi.
The same goes for the controller that utilizes electronics besides computer software. We
are undertaking much more complicated projects in our electromechanical cum
electronics cum computers concerns of the country. This item can be manufactured in
these concerns.
As for the steel towers on which the turbines would be installed; these towers are already
being manufactured in the country. WAPDA is using thousands of them on the roadside.
These towers could be designed and modified as per the desired specifications for use
with the wind turbines.
Regarding cables, we have numerous cable manufacturing factories in the country. If
required, their existing capacity could be upgraded and augmented to produce cables of
the required specs that could be used to connect wind turbines to a home, business,
factory or the national grid.
Generating Electricity through solar energy:
Solar energy supports all life on earth and is basis of almost every form of energy which
we use. Amount of solar energy that falls on earth is enormous. It will be surprising to
note that all energy stored in earth’s reserves of coal, oil and natural gas is just equivalent
to energy from only 20 days of sunshine. Yet solar energy accounts for only 1 per cent of
global energy sources

Solar panel

Advantages of solar energy in Pakistan:

Proponents of solar energy are now convinced that the development and adaptation of
solar energy technology in Pakistan can bring a revolution in the life style and living
standards of low income people living in the remote areas. While propagating this option
they fail to understand that infrastructure, required know-how and limited production
levels are the bottlenecks in the mass scale adaptation of solar energy. For years we have
been providing incentives and funds for practical demonstration of solar energy,
convincing the people for their utilities, educating the masses and developing the pilot
scale activities for its promotion but could not achieve a breakthrough as yet due to these
limitations.
The role of solar energy has been negligible in the total energy picture of Pakistan. Solar
energy technology has so far been used in our country only for demonstration purposes.
The experiments in the past in this area were not so successful due to variety of reasons
including lack of understanding and handling of this technology.

The solar energy technologies have not been exploited on a large scale for a number of
reasons such as, high cost, lack of motivation and inadequate demonstration of effective
use of the technology. Recently there is a realization among government circles, about the
necessity of using solar energy for the purpose of saving the environment and socio-
economic uplift of the peoples living in the remote areas.

Traditional energy sources like firewood, animal dung, and bagasse (the woody residue
left-over from crushed sugar-cane) still make up more than half of all energy consumed
in the rural areas. There is no denying the fact that solar-generated electricity will
improve rural life, thereby reducing the urban migration that is taxing the ability of cities
to cope with their own environmental problems. Further, by harnessing solar power for
energy in rural areas reliance on firewood would be reduced considerably but question
arises that how to bring the know-how for operating such delicate systems in remote
areas of the country?

Thar in Sindh and entire Balochistan province is considered ideal for utilization of solar
energy. In Balochistan, 80 per cent of the population lives in the rural areas. The
population density is very thin and villages are separated by large distances with
absolutely no approach roads. About 85 per cent of the villages are yet to be electrified.

Light is the only requirement for these houses located in remote areas of the province and
the electric requirement for each house is 100 watt at maximum. Extension of grid lines
for such small power requirements would certainly be very uneconomical and local
power generation could be the best solution. In case, diesel generators are used,
transportation of fuel to such remote areas and maintenance is again costly proposition
therefore solar energy seems an attractive option for these areas.

Pakistan is ideally located in the sun belt to take advantage of solar energy technologies.
This energy source is widely distributed and abundantly available in the country.
Balochistan province is particularly rich in solar energy. It has the highest annual mean
sunshine duration in the world.

Impressed by advantages of solar power like infinite and renewable amount of energy,
environment friendliness and fuel-less power generation the government of Pakistan
under the umbrella of Ministry of Science and Technology some 20 years ago, accorded
top priority to solar power generation and for that matter established some research and
development institutes like the National Institute of Silicon Technology (NIST), the
Pakistan Council of Appropriate Technology (PCAT) and the Solar Energy Research
Centre (SERC) and the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).
In addition to it certain departments in various national engineering universities were
involved in solar thermal technologies.

Hurdles:
General hurdles are cost effectiveness, collection, conversion and storage of solar
energy the other potential bottle neck in promotion of solar power is lack of trained
technicians to design, install and maintain solar electric system particularly in country-
wide remote areas. Proponents of solar electricity systems for off-grid small villages fail
to understand the key fact of illiteracy in our villages. The vital point to consider is that
when technically qualified staff of concerned authorities has failed to demonstrate and
make pilot scale solar generated system run efficiently, how can we expect that a non-
qualified illiterate dwellers of our remote areas will supervise and operate a solar system?
Further low efficiency of solar cells, non-availability of household appliances that run on
low voltages, requirement and maintenance of backup energy sources like batteries for
having electricity in night are other potential reasons for which dream of solar
electrification in remote areas of our country could not turn into a reality.
To top it all another significant barrier in promotion of solar power in Pakistan which has
never been considered by the proponents of solar energy is our dusty atmosphere.
Whether it is a photovoltaic type or thermal collector type solar electricity generation
unit, the performance of the system directly depends upon obstacle-free contact of
sunlight to the system.
Any blockage of the sunlight to the system would certainly decrease the efficiency of the
system. In all of our potential areas of Thar and Balochistan where solar power is being
considered dust storms are a noteworthy atmospheric characteristic. Therefore a thin
layer of dust particles will certainly deposit on photovoltaic device or thermal collector
glass thus reducing the sunlight intensity on the system just like clouds and fog which
ultimately decreases the performance of the solar system.
Keeping in view these limitations of solar energy, evaluating the past poor performance
of concerned institutes and considering lack of qualified manpower to design, install,
supervise and operate the solar system it seems that solar power electricity generation in
Pakistan even on small household scale level in remote areas is not a good proposition.
Project Evaluation:
We are evaluating here two types electricity generation resources using same variables &
the method we are using is present worth cost in which we assume

♦ Land cost is zero because it is provided by govt.

♦ Interest rate is 5%.
♦ Project life is 20 years
♦ The values of plants & operating expenses are taken from international agencies.
1st Alternative:

Wind Energy:
Initial Expense = US $585000…. 0year
Production capacity = 600KW
Operating Expense = US $6750
n = 20year
ROR = 5%

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

585000
- ……… 6750
6750 …….. ………
.

Present worth Cost = R [(1+i) ^n-1/1+i) ^n *i] + initial cost

Present Worth Cost =US $ 84119.53+585000

Present Worth Cost =US $ 669119.53

2nd Alternative:

Solar Energy:
Initial Expense = US $ 3972577.5 ………0year
Production capacity = 600KW
Operating Expense = US $ 3000
n =20
ROR =5%
 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

3972577.5

3000 …….. …..... ……… 3000

Present worth Cost = R [(1+i) ^n-1/1+i) ^n *i] + initial cost

Present Worth Cost= 3784.39+3972577.5

Present Worth Cost= US $ 4009961.89

Analysis:
After applying the present worth cost technique we can say the wind energy is beneficial
because the cost of the project is lesser than that of solar power electricity plant.
After evaluation we will have a closer look at the implications of wind energy plant
which are

♦ Noise pollution
♦ Huge area consumed
♦ Variable energy production

Noise pollution:
Wind turbines, particularly older designs, emit noise that can be heard near wind farms.
According to the U.S. Renewable Energy Policy Project, the noise from a typical wind
farm at 350 meters can vary between 35 and 45 decibels. Sound levels can grow with
increases in wind speeds, and are objectionable to some people.
To minimize noise levels, operators are using improved rotor technology, citing plants
away from densely populated areas and including sound-absorbing materials in the
generator. The frequency and volume of this noise can be controlled, but not eliminated
by wind turbine design.
Huge area consumed:
The leasing of land for wind turbines can benefit landowners in the form of increased
income and land values. But in some cases, wind power development may create land
conflicts. In forested areas, these developments may mean clearing trees and cutting
roads. And near populated areas, wind projects may run into opposition from people
who regard them as unsightly and noisy.
Wind developers are using stakeholder consultation and careful project planning to
address potential citing and environmental concerns. Geothermal power plants take up
little land area and do not produce wastes. But depending on the technology used, they
may also have environmental impacts.
Geothermal power plants exploit hot, underground fluid, which consists of mostly steam
and small amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, methane and ammonia. The
amounts of chemicals released when geothermal fields are tapped can be hazardous or
objectionable to people living and working nearby.

Variable energy production:

Annual electricity production will vary enormously depending on the amount of wind on
your turbine site. Therefore, there is not a single price for wind energy, but a range of
prices, depending on wind speeds

The graph below shows how the cost of electricity produced by a typical Danish 600 kW
wind turbine varies with annual production.

The relationship is really very simple: If you produce twice as much energy per year, you
pay half the cost per kilowatt hour. (If you believe that maintenance costs increase with
turbine use, the graph might not be exactly true, but close to true).
Conclusion:
It is clear that Pakistan is a suitable country for the installation of wind, due to high winds
near cities; the presence of rivers and lakes as well as the availability of wind turbines
from nearby India. There are also other reasons for installing renewable energy. It is quite
normal for extended power outages to happen on a daily basis in the country, but this
cannot continue if the Pakistani economy is to grow. In March 2007, President Musharraf
stated that renewable energy should be part of the push to increase energy supplies by 10
to 12 percent every year. The government also set a target of 10 percent of energy to
come from renewable by 2015. If the new PPP-led government follows through with
aggressive renewable energy push, Pakistan could be an Asian leader in renewable energy
given its natural resources of wind and solar as its strategic endowments.

Future plans:

Pilot Project for Installation of Indigenously Developed Micro Wind Turbines:

A total of 140 Micro Wind Turbines have been installed at various sites within Sindh and
Balochistan, for providing electricity to the rural households, as well as for water
pumping.

(2x50) MW Wind Power Generation Project at Gharo, Sindh

On commercial grid connected electricity generation program, the Government of
Pakistan has decided to install 100 MW Wind Power Farm by June 2009. This program
initiated by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), involves financing
through private sector, land from Government of Sindh and power purchase by NTDC for
HESCO. The Government of Pakistan guarantees are backed through NEPRA. The Board
has recently issued LOIs to 30 national and international companies for generation of
1500 MW power through wind energy.
A wind corridor at Gharo-Keti Bandar, Sindh has been identified with an actual potential
of 50,000 MW. The pre-feasibility study of the site has been done by AEDB. AEDB
drafted the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and the Implementation Agreement. 8
companies with financial and technical viability have been short-listed. OEMs/Suppliers
like GE, VESTAS and GAMESA have been short-listed for the project. Three companies
have submitted applications to NEPRA for obtaining Generation License. NTDC has
submitted the request for Power Acquisition Permission to NEPRA for procuring power
from the proposed wind plants. HESCO has agreed to purchase the initial 100 MW Wind
Power generated through this project. Private investors have entered the PPA negotiations
with NTDC/WAPDA. Sindh Government has leased out approximately 5000 Acres of
land for the project. AEDB has allocated 1000 acres of land each to five (5) investors,
namely M/s New Park Energy Ltd., M/s Green Power, M/s Zephyr Ltd., M/s Win Power
Ltd. and M/s Tenaga. Tariff would be determined by NEPRA in consultation with the IPP
and the Power Purchaser i.e. NTDC, as per Government of Pakistan’s Policy for Power
Generation 2002, and under the Section 7(6) of the Regulation Generation, Transmission
and Distribution of Electric Power Act (XL of) 1997 (NEPRA Act). New Transmission
Network from Mirpur Sakro to Thatta is to be constructed by NTDC in order to sustain
the load generated by 100 MW Wind Power. PC-I for the project has been approved by
the CDWP.
Once the initial target of generating 100 MW through Wind Energy is achieved, it will be
upgraded to 700 MW by the year 2010 and 9700 MW by the year 2030.