ARSALAN AHMED EE-204

ASAD IQBAL EE-174

AURANGZEB FAROOQ EE-196
SALHA BIN SAEED EE-182
RAO FAHEEM AHMED EE-306

Submitted to:
Mam Arjumand Samad

RENEWABLE
ENERGY
Need, Types, Current Status, Limitations &
Solution
Contents
Abstract: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Why Renewable Energy Source? ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Abundant supply .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Sustainable................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.3 Environment friendly ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.4 Mostly Locally Available and Needs No Networking ................................................................................................................. 4
2.5 Widely Distributed and Can Play A Vital Role In ....................................................................................................................... 4
3 Types of Renewables ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
3.1 Hydropower: ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
3.1.1 Advantages of Hydropower: ................................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Solar energy: ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
3.2.1 Solar Photovoltaics:................................................................................................................................................................ 5
3.2.2 Solar Thermal Systems:.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 Wind power: ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
3.4 Biomass ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
3.4.1 Advantages of Biomass Energy includes:............................................................................................................................... 7
3.4.2 Disadvantages of Biomass Energy includes: .......................................................................................................................... 8
3.5 Geothetmal energy : ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.5.1 Advantages of Geothermal Energy: ........................................................................................................................................ 9
4 Current Status of Renewable Energy................................................................................................................................................. 9
5 Renewable Energy Potential of Pakistan ......................................................................................................................................... 11
5.1 Hydropower ............................................................................................................................................................................... 11
5.2 Solar PV .................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
5.3 Solar thermal ............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
5.4 Wind power ............................................................................................................................................................................... 11
5.5 Biogas ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
6 Status of Renewable Energy In Pakistan ......................................................................................................................................... 11
7 Limitations ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
7.1 Many forms of renewable energy are location-specific: ............................................................................................................ 14
7.2 Renewable energy requires storage capabilities: ........................................................................................................................ 14
7.3 Quantity of energy production: .................................................................................................................................................. 14
8 Solution ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
9 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
10 References ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

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Abstract:
Harnessing energy from alternative energy source has been recorded since early history.
Renewable energy is abundantly found anywhere, free of cost and has non-polluting
characteristics. However, these energy sources are based on the weather condition and possess
inherited intermittent nature, which hinders stable power supply. Combining multiple
renewable energy resources can be a possible solution to overcome defects, which not only
provides reliable power but also leads to reduction in required storage capacity. Although an
oversized hybrid system satisfies the load demand, it can be unnecessarily expensive. An
undersized hybrid system is economical, but may not be able to meet the load demand.

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1 Introduction
Rapid depletion of fossil fuels has necessitated an urgent need for alternative sources of
energy to cater the continuously increasing energy demand. Another key reason to reduce our
consumption of fossil fuels is the growing global warming phenomena. Environmentally
friendly power generation technologies will play an important role in future power supply. The
renewable energy technologies include power generation from renewable energy sources, such
as wind, PV(photovoltaic), MH (micro hydro), biomass, ocean wave, geothermal and tides. In
general, the key reason for the deployment of the above energy systems are their benefits, such
as supply security, reduced carbon emission, and improved power quality, reliability and
employment opportunity to the local people. Since the RE resources are intermittent in nature
therefore, hybrid combinations of two or more power generation technologies, along with
storage can improve system performance.

Hybrid renewable energy systems, usually consists of two or more renewable energy sources
used together to provide increased system efficiency as well as greater balance in energy
supply. Hybrid renewable energy systems are becoming popular as stand-alone power
systems for providing electricity in remote areas due to advances in renewable
energy technologies.

2 Why Renewable Energy Source?

Environmental pollution due to the conventional sources of energy and its limited quantity
has shifted our focus towards non-conventional sources of energy, which are in plenty. Due to
the rise in price of fossil fuel, its exhaustive nature and factors concerning energy security, the
importance of renewable energy resources is increasing.

The world is witnessing a change-over from its present centralized generation to a future
with greater share of distributed generation. Hybrid energy systems are inter-connected with
wind power, photovoltaic power, fuel cell and micro-turbine generator to generate power to
local load and connecting to grid/micro-grids that decrease the dependence on fossil fuels. The
hybrid system is a better option for construction of modern electrical grids that includes
economic, environmental and social benefits. An overview of different distributed generation
technologies has been presented.

Following are the reasons that depict the benefits of renewable energy and indicate their use
should be preferred:

2.1 Abundant supply

The renewable energy sources are mostly obtained from nature. Such resources are
abundantly and readily available. In addition to this they have the advantage of recycling, thus
ensuring no end to its supply.

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2.2 Sustainable
Renewable energy resources are considerably sustainable and long lasting. The positive
aspect of using such a source is that these sources are efficient enough to provide the required
power supply without imposing too harmful effects on the on the environment.

2.3 Environment friendly

Such energy resources are nature’s product and thus are environment friendly. They are
derived either from the natural source of energy or by converting any of the natural material
into energy. As a result, there is minimal or no harm to the environment from harvesting them
as source of energy.

2.4 Mostly Locally Available and Needs No Networking

Another major advantage of using renewable energy resources is that they are readily,
locally, and easily available. So there is no need to bear the burden of extensive networking in
order to utilize renewable energy resources on individual or mass levels.

2.5 Widely Distributed and Can Play A Vital Role In

In addition to the factors described above, renewable energy resources turn out to be widely
distributed throughout the world and thus can provide the following benefits:

➢ Improving the socio-economic conditions;

➢ Improving the health and;
➢ Poverty alleviation of people living in remote areas.

3 Types of Renewables
3.1 Hydropower:
Hydropower is the largest renewable resource used for electricity. It plays an essential role in
many regions of the world with more than 150 countries generating hydroelectric power. A
survey in 1997 by The International Journal on Hydropower & Dams found that hydro supplies
at least 50 percent of national electricity production in 63 countries and at least 90 percent in
23
countries. There is about 700 GW of hydro capacity in operation worldwide, generating 2600
TWh/year (about 19 percent of the world’s electricity production).

Although hydroelectricity is generally considered a clean energy source, it is not totally devoid
of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and it can often have significant adverse socio-economic
impacts. There are arguments now that large-scale dams actually do not reduce overall GHG
emissions when compared to fossil fuel power plant. To build a dam significant amounts of
land
need to be flooded often in densely inhabited rural area, involving large displacements of
usually
poor, indigenous peoples. Mitigating such social impacts represents a significant cost to the
project, which if it is even taken into consideration, often not done in the past, can make the

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project economically and socially unviable.
Environmental concerns are also quite significant, as past experience has shown. This includes
reduction in biodiversity and fish populations, sedimentation that can greatly reduce dam
efficiency and destroy the river habitat, poor water quality, and the spread of water-related
diseases.

3.1.1 Advantages of Hydropower:

1. Once a dam is constructed, electricity can be produced at a constant rate.

2. If electricity is not needed, the sluice gates can be shut, stopping electricity
generation. The water can be saved for use another time when electricity demand is
high.
3. Dams are designed to last many decades and so can contribute to the generation of
electricity for many years / decades.
4. The lake that forms behind the dam can be used for water sports and leisure /
pleasure activities. Often large dams become tourist attractions in their own right.
5. The lake’s water can be used for irrigation purposes.
6. The build up of water in the lake means that energy can be stored until needed,
when the water is released to produce electricity.

3.2 Solar energy:

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-
evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar
architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis. It is an important source
of renewable energy.
There are two basic categories of technologies that convert sunlight into useful forms of energy,
aside from biomass-based systems that do this in a broader sense by using photosynthesis from
plants as an intermediate step. First, solar photovoltaic (PV) modules convert sunlight directly
into electricity. Second, solar thermal power systems use focused solar radiation to produce
steam, which is then used to turn a turbine producing electricity. The following provides a brief
overview of these technologies, along with their current commercial status.
3.2.1 Solar Photovoltaics:
Solar PV modules are solid-state semiconductor devices with no moving parts that convert
sunlight into direct-current electricity. The basic principle underlying the operation of
PVmodules dates back more than 150 years, but significant development really began
following
Bell Labs’ invention of the silicon solar cell in 1954. The first major application of PV

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technology was to power satellites in the late 1950s, and this was an application where
simplicity and reliability were paramount and cost was a secondary concern.

3.2.2 Solar Thermal Systems:

Solar thermal power systems use various techniques to focus sunlight to heat an intermediary
fluid, known as heat transfer fluid that then is used to generate steam. The steam is then used
in a
conventional steam turbine to generate electricity. At present, there are three solar thermal
power
systems currently being developed: parabolic troughs, power towers, and dish/engine systems.
Because these technologies involve a thermal intermediary, they can be readily hybridized with
fossil fuels and in some cases adapted to utilize thermal storage. The primary advantage of
hybridization and thermal storage is that the technologies can provide dispatchable power and
operate during periods when solar energy is not available.

3.3 Wind power:

Wind power is the use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power generators
for electricity. Wind power, as an alternative to burning fossil fuels, is plentiful, renewable,
widely distributed, clean, produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and uses
little land.
Societies have taken advantage of wind power for thousands of years. The first known use
was in 5000 BC when people used sails to navigate the Nile River. Persians had already been
using windmills for 400 years by 900 AD in order to pump water and grind grain. Windmills
may have even been developed in China before 1 AD, but the earliest written documentation
comes from 1219. Cretans were using literally hundreds of sail-rotor windmills to pump water
for crops and livestock.
Since 1990 the average annual growth rate in world wind generating capacity has been 24
percent, with rates of over 30 percent in the last two years. Today there is more than 13,000
MW of installed wind power, double the capacity that was in place just three years earlier. This
dramatic growth rate in wind power has created one of the most rapidly expanding industries
in the world, with sales of roughly $2 billion in 1998, and predictions of tenfold growth over
the next decade. Most 2000 forecasts for installed capacity are being quickly eclipsed with
wind power having already passed the 10,000 MW mark in early 1999.
Wind energy is currently one of the most cost-competitive renewable energy technologies.
Worldwide, the cost of generating electricity from wind has fallen by more than 80 percent,
from about 38 US cents in the early1980s to a current range of 3-6 UScents/kWh levelized over

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a plant's lifetime, and analysts forecast that costs will drop an additional 20-30 percent in the

next five years. Consequently, in the not-too-distant future, analysts believe, wind energy costs
could fall lower than most conventional fossil fuel generators, reaching a cost of 2.5
UScents/kW. Wind energy although considered an environmentally sound energy option does
have several negative environmental aspects connected to its use. These include: acoustic noise
emission, visual impact on the landscape, impact on bird’s life, shadow caused by the rotor,
and electromagnetic interference influencing the reception of radio, TV and radar signals. In
practice the noise and visual impacts appear to cause the most problems for siting projects.
Noise issues have been reduced by progress in aero-acoustic research providing design tools
and blade configurations that have successfully made blades considerably quieter. Some of the
problems with wind power involve siting wind turbines.

3.4 Biomass
The term “biomass” refers to organic matter that has stored energy through the process
of photosynthesis.it exist in one form as plants and may be transferred through the food chain
to animals’ bodies and their wastes, all of which can be converted for everyday human use
through processes such as combustion, which releases the carbon dioxide stored in the plant
material.
Many of the biomass fuels used today come in the form of wood products, dried vegetation,
crop residues, and aquatic plants. Biomass has become one of the most commonly used
renewable sources of energy in the last two decades, second only to hydropower in the
generation of electricity.
It is such a widely utilized source of energy, probably due to its low cost and indigenous
nature, that it accounts for almost 15% of the world’s total energy supply and as much as 35%
in developing countries, mostly for cooking and heating.

3.4.1 Advantages of Biomass Energy includes:

1) Biomass used as a fuel reduces need for fossil fuels for the production of heat, steam, and
electricity for residential, industrial and agricultural use.
2)Biomass is always available and can be produced as a renewable resource.
3)Biomass fuel from agriculture wastes maybe a secondary product that adds value to
agricultural crop.

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4)Growing Biomass crops produce oxygen and use up carbon dioxide.
5)The use of waste materials reduce landfill disposal and makes more space for everything
else.
6)Carbon Dioxide which is released when Biomass fuel is burned, is taken in by plants.
7)Less money spent on foreign oil.

3.4.2 Disadvantages of Biomass Energy includes:

1. Agricultural wastes will not be available if the basic crop is no longer grown.
2. Additional work is needed in areas such as harvesting methods.
3. Land used for energy crops maybe in demand for other purposes, such as faming,
conservation, housing, resort or agricultural use.

3.5 Geothermal energy :

Geothermal energy, the natural heat within the earth, arises from the ancient heat remaining in
the Earth's core, from friction where continental plates slide beneath each other, and from the
decay of radioactive elements that occur naturally in small amounts in all rocks. For thousands
of
years, people have benefited from hot springs and steam vents, using them for bathing, cooking,
and heating. During this century, technological advances have made it possible and economic
to locate and drill into hydrothermal reservoirs, pipe the steam or hot water to the surface, and
use the heat directly (for space heating, aquaculture, and industrial processes) or to convert the
heat into electricity. The amount of geothermal energy is enormous. Scientists estimate that
just 1 percent of the heat contained in just the uppermost 10 kilometers of the earth’s crust is
equivalent to 500 times the energy contained in all of the earth's oil and gas resources. Yet,
despite the fact that this heat is present in practically inexhaustible quantities, it is unevenly
distributed, seldom concentrated and often at depths too great to be exploited industrially and
economically.
Geothermal energy has been produced commercially for 70 years for both electricity generation
and direct use. Its use has increased rapidly during the last three decades and from 1975 – 1995
the growth rate for electricity generation worldwide has been about 9 percent per year and for
direct use of geothermal energy it has been about 6 percent per year. In 1997 geothermal

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resources had been identified in over 80 countries and there were quantified records of
geothermal utilization in at least 46 countries.

3.5.1 Advantages of Geothermal Energy:

1. Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels: Dependence on fossil fuels decreases with the
increase in the use of geothermal energy. With the sky-rocketing prices of oil, many
countries are pushing companies to adopt these clean sources of energy. Burning of
fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases which are responsible for global warming.
2. No Pollution: This is one of the main advantage of using geothermal energy since it
does not create any pollution and help in creating clean environment. Being the
renewable source of energy, geothermal energy has helped in reducing global warming
and pollution. Moreover, Geothermal systems does not create any pollution as it
releases some gases from deep within the earth which are not very harmful to the
environment.

4 Current Status of Renewable Energy

The world now adds more renewable power capacity annually than it adds (net) capacity
from all fossil fuels combined.

➢ In 2016, renewables accounted for an estimated nearly 62% of net additions to global
power generating capacity, and represented far higher shares of capacity added in
several countries around the world.
➢ By year’s end, renewables comprised an estimated 30% of the world’s power
generating capacity – enough to supply an estimated 24.5% of global electricity (up
from 23.7 the year before), with hydropower providing about 16.6%.
➢ Modern renewable energy supplies approximately 9% of total global heat demand.
➢ In 2016, the vast majority of renewable heat continued to be supplied by biomass,
with smaller contributions from solar thermal and geothermal energy.

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 ➢ While additional capacities of modern bio-heat and solar thermal were installed in
2016, growth in both markets has slowed.
➢ District heating systems are incorporating solar thermal energy for larger
installations.
➢ Interest is expanding in the use of district heating as a way to provide flexibility to
power systems, by storing energy from the electric power grid as heat, which reflects
a more general increased interest in the electrification of the heating sector.
➢ Continued improvements of materials, systems and industrial processes in the
heating and cooling sector facilitated increases in renewable energy use.
➢ In general, however, deployment of renewable technologies in this market continued
to be constrained by a number of factors including comparatively low fossil fuel
prices and a relative lack of policy support.

In 2008, non-conventional renewables contributed about 3.4% (depending on the calculation

rules applied) to global energy generation demand. Including large hydropower and biomass,
renewable generation increases to about 19.8% (REN21, 2009; BNEF,2010). In 2008, new
renewables represented about 229 gigawatts (GW) (excluding large hydro and biomass) of the
electricity generating capacity, which is nearly 5% of total global power capacity (about 4700
GW). In 2008, global wind capacity was 53% (121 GW) of global renewable capacity
(excluding large hydro and biomass), small hydropower was 37% (85 GW), grid-connected
solar photovoltaics (PV) was 6% (13 GW), and geothermal was 4% (10 GW). As a percent of
installed capacity, renewables increased by about 50% between 2000 and 2008 (see Fig. 1) —
the share of new renewables in global electricity production is also increasing. In 2008, the
highest installed capacities were found in China (76 GW), the United States (40 GW), Germany
(34 GW), Spain (22 GW), and India (13 GW). Further, renewable energy accounted for ~10%
of global energy infrastructure investment, for 25% (40 GW) of new electricity generating
capacity, and 6.2% of installed generation capacity in 2008 (BNEF, 2010).

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5 Renewable Energy Potential of Pakistan
In addition to taking short term and long term measuring for solving the energy crisis in
Pakistan, exploitation of the renewable energy resources can also provide a probable solution
to the eradicate the problem. The renewable energy resources and potential of Pakistan have
been explained in detail the above paragraphs. The following lines give a brief overview of it:

5.1 Hydropower
The documented hydro power potential of Pakistan is about 51,700 MW. This includes large
Hydro source PPIB, MoW&P.

5.2 Solar PV
Pakistan is lucky to receive a great deal of solar radiation and thus is rich in this form of
energy. The average solar irradiation in Pakistan is 5–7 kW h/m2/day which is one of the best
figures of solar irradiation received anywhere in the world. By harnessing the solar energy,
Pakistan can produce over a Million MW of Solar PV electricity provided there is adequate
space for installation.

5.3 Solar thermal

With average solar irradiation of 5–7 kW/m2/day, Pakistan can produce thousands of MW
from Thermal Solar Power. Although the exact figure is not yet documented, but it is expected
that it would be enough to contribute in power generation. Strong irradiation can also utilized
for small scale purposes such as for solar water Heaters (Households as well as Industrial
applications).

5.4 Wind power

Pakistan’s total wind power potential is over 300,000 MW. This amount of wind energy can
be effectively employed to over increase the generation of electricity to meet the demand.

5.5 Biogas
Pakistan is mainly an agricultural country and is rich in livestock. Thus the country has great
potential of power generation using biogas. The estimated potential of production by biogas is
found to be 8.8 to 17.2 billion m3 (equiv. to 55 to 106 TW h of energy equal to Pakistan current
total power requirements). This shows that about 5700 GW h (6.6% of Pakistan current power
generation) of electricity can be produced using biogas.

6 Status of Renewable Energy In Pakistan

The past decade has seen a worldwide realization in the use of renewable energy
technologies. The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg
attempted to set targets energy resources include hydel, solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, sea-

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wave, Hydrogen cell energy, etc. Most of the renewable energy sources in Pakistan can at best
be termed as at experimental or initial stages of development. As of today, the renewable
technologies have not made any notable contribution to the national energy supplies except the
hydel energy.

Pakistan has a large resource-base for employing renewable energy for meeting its energy
needs but the potentials of renewable energy sources in the country have not been properly
explored and evaluated as yet. There are apparently large potentials of power generation from
renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and tidal available in the country.
In this connection, a concise survey and assessment has already been made.

In fact, geological and geomorphological features of Pakistan vary longitudinally as well as

latitudinally and affect the nature and the availability of renewable energy sources accordingly.

Northern area of Pakistan has high mountains covered with glaciers and river systems with
turbulent flow. That area suits very well for the micro, macro and mega hydel energy
procurement systems. Moreover, Pakistan has one of the largest irrigation networks in Punjab
and Sindh plains, the low-head canal power generation technology can also be adopted over a
very large region.

Likewise, Punjab and Sindh provinces have enormous agricultural and cattle-farming
activities. The animal and agricultural waste can be utilized for the generation of electricity by
adopting biogas and incineration technologies.

Down the coastal areas of Pakistan stretching over 1000 km have bright prospects for
generation of electricity through exploitation of sea-waves along the coastal areas and tidal-
waves along the creeks of Indus delta. It may be mentioned here that the tidal-wave impact has
relatively very high energy trends in the creeks of Indus delta.

The mountainous belts of Sindh, Balochistan and N.W.F.P. provinces and Northern areas of
the country have hot-springs right from the coastal region of Arabian Sea to the northern
Himalayan-Karakoram ranges, which indicate wide prospects to generate electricity from these
hydro-geothermal sources in the years to come.

The southern Indus basin and Thar Desert region inclusive of Karachi synclinoriumarea in
Sindh province, Chagai Arc region and the Kharan–Panjgur tectonic depression in the western
Balochistan province are also inferred as the potential areas for the hot dry-rock geothermal
resources.

The solar and the wind are the most abundant renewable sources spread all over the country.
Recently, solar energy technology has been adopted significantly in one or the other way in the
country. However, it is at an early stage of development. In this connection, more intense
research related to field data, their evaluation and adoption of technologies need to be adopted
to acquire energy at a low cost.

Though Pakistan has apparently significant prospect for exploitation of wind energy to
generate electricity but practically no accelerated progress has so far been made for the

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generation of commercial grid-connected electricity except community-level standalone units
in limited rural areas mostly along the coastal regions.

Till today, Pakistan is in earlier stages in using wind energy technology due to the lack of
reliable and complete data on wind resources. At present, limited daily and monthly wind
related data are available in the Meteorological Department, which are being collected at low
altitudes with significant time gaps. In fact, the data related to higher altitudes and shorter
intervals are needed to assess the technical feasibility and economic viability for the
commercial wind power project(s). The available data seem useful in identifying sites where
wind power potential could be reaccessed in detail. Currently, available data indicate that wind
regimes in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces,

some parts of the north mountainous areas and the Indus valley may have adequate wind
velocities for enough duration to be used. Pakistan has apparently enough wind velocity for
sufficient duration in the year which can be harnessed.

By the end of 2009, the only significant milestone for the generation of electricity on the
commercial or grid-connected scale through the exploitation of renewable sources was the
installation of 6 MW wind farm at Jhimpir, 70 km northeast of Karachi city in Sindh province.
This wind farm was completed on October 15, 2008 by a local subsidiary of Turkish company
named Zorlu Enerji Pakistan. The farm consists of five 1.2 MW gearless VENSYS-62 wind
turbines and was conned to the national electricity grid in mid of 2009.

Since 2001, the Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) remains the
focal point for the activities related to development and promotion of renewable energies in
Pakistan after its inception by merging the National Institute of Silicon Technology (NIST) and
Pakistan Council for Appropriate Technologies (PCAT). The main activity regime for PCRET
circles around the installation and promotion of renewable energy sources on community level.

During 2010–2011, no major achievement was made by public as well as private sector for
the development and/or installation of renewable based energy generation plants. Few
community-based projects were completed by PCRET and are as follows:

➢ Six hundred photovoltaic (PV) modules were manufactured with the total generation
capacity of 14 KW.
➢ A photovoltaic unit of 10 KW was installed in a public-sector office for basic
electricity purpose.
➢ One hundred solar water heaters were installed under PCRETMILTRONICS joint
venture.
➢ Fourteen solar concentrators were fabricated and disseminated for public sector.
➢ Six box-type solar cookers were disseminated publically.
➢ Eighty-five fuel efficient biomass energy-based cook stoves were disseminated
throughout the country during 2010–2011, making it about 100,000 units of these
fuel-efficient stoves disseminated till yet.

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 ➢ One thousand biogas plants of 5 m3 capacity were installed with an annual production
of 1.94 million m3 of biogas, 1.6 million Kg of fertilizer and 4 million Kg of CO2
abatement.
➢ Thirty biogas plants of commercial size from 50 to 250 m3 were installed.
➢ Ten micro-hydel power plants with the total generation capacity of 112 KW were
installed to provide electricity to 949 rural houses.
➢ A 7.5 KW micro-hydel plant was developed and installed in agricultural canal at
Taxila, Punjab.

7 Limitations
Renewable energy systems are being considered as promising power generating source due
to their free and everlasting availability and environmental friendly effect. However, these
energy sources are based on the weather condition and possess inherited intermittent nature,
which hinders stable power supply. Listed below are the limitations of renewable energies.

7.1 Many forms of renewable energy are location-specific:

Even solar energy has limited potential in some locations. In Seattle, Washington, just 71
days per year are classified as “sunny,” or having a cloud cover that is less than 30%. Northern
cities may go prolonged periods without any sunlight during the winter months. Because
renewable energy is often location-specific, it may not be available for every community to
use.

7.2 Renewable energy requires storage capabilities:

With traditional power resources, a home or business is connected to a local distribution grid
so that it can be accessed 24/7. When using a renewable energy resource, back-up and storage
resources must be included with the power generation opportunity. Sunlight doesn’t happen at
night. Wind speeds are not always consistent. The storage capabilities that are required can
push the cost of a new renewable energy system beyond what the average person or community
can afford.

7.3 Quantity of energy production:

One disadvantage with renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate the quantities of
electricity that are as large as those produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. This may
mean that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use or simply build more energy
facilities.

8 Solution
Combining multiple renewable energy (hybrid) resources can be a possible solution to
overcome defects. Hybrid renewable power system would apparently provide a good
uninterruptible power system. Different renewable generators would complement each other.
However, a lot of requirements have to be considered first. It is important to understand all the

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factors that influence its behavior, in order to get the best of it. The most important factors are
location, time and user needs (power). Location associates information about climate, energy
sources availability and environment conditions. This information is very important to decide
what kind of renewable generators can be chosen.

All the renewable energy generating systems have some drawbacks, so if these are combined
into one hybrid power generating system the drawbacks can be avoided, depending on the
control units.
Hybrid systems can be designed to maximize the use of renewables, resulting in a system with
lower emissions than traditional fossil-fueled technologies. It can also increase the availability
and quality of power supply.

By using hybrid renewable energy system the drawback of one renewable can be overcome
by another renewable. For instance, the wind often blows more strongly at night in some
regions, and solar technology can only produce energy during the day. By making more
sophisticated use of that basic concept in a connected grid, and pairing it with more advanced
forms of energy storage, the door could be opened for a much wider use of renewable energy
systems.

9 Conclusion
The sustainable energy supply in future is becoming a big challenge in many developing
countries due to increasing prices of primary energy sources. Furthermore, due to
environmental consequences resulting from excessive utilization of fossil fuels have led the
develop countries to explore renewable energy sources. Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing
severe energy crises from the last decade resulting electricity blackouts ranging from 8 to 18
h. Under this situation, it is the need of the time that Pakistan should focus to explore existing
renewable energy sources in the country for energy sustainability in future. In this paper, the
current status and available power potential of different renewable energy sources in Pakistan
is discussed to enable the stakeholder for the site specific design, development and installation
of available renewable energy technologies. It is concluded that huge potential of renewable
energy sources exist in the country which if utilized effectively can play a vital role to overcome
the current energy deficit. Pakistan is blessed with 5.5 kW h m2 d-1 solar insolation with annual

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daily mean sunshine duration of 8–10 h d-1 throughout the country which if properly utilized
could yield 6840–8280 MJ m2 (1.9– 2.3 MW h m2) in a year. Additionally, huge potential in
the form of thermal energy can effectively be used to perform different processes in textile and
agro-industries. Wind speed 5–7 m s1 persists in the coastal regions of Sindh and Baluchistan
provinces. It is concluded that total wind energy potential in Pakistan is around 346,000 MW
out of which 120,000 MW is viable. Similarly, about 72 million animals and 785 million
poultry birds could yield 14.68 million m3 per day biogas which can produce 1012 MW along
with slurry benefits in the form of N–P–K to increase crop yield. More than 1200 MW
hydropower potential also exists in the form of micro and mini-hydel and between 30,000 and
50,000 MW employing macro hydel plants. Furthermore, About 81 million ton/annum biomass
production has a huge potential to produce enough bio-energy by employing different
technologies viz. combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, transesterification process along with
5000 MW from municipal solid waste. Thanks to the naturally available biomass for biofuels
production. A huge potential of biofuels also exist in the country.

Jatropha has capacity to produce 1800-2800 L ha1 yr1 biodiesel while switchgrass can
produce 2200-4400 L ha1 yr1 bioethanol. About 155 million liter biodiesel and 20,339 million
liter bioethanol can be produced using jatropha, kallar and switchgrass. The current status of
renewable energy sources in Pakistan in negligible with few installations at various places in
the country. Therefore, it is the dire need of the time to enhance R&D and utilization of these
potentially existing sources in the country for the sustainable energy supply in future.
Government should take initiative to promote renewable energy technologies by providing
incentives to the community. Furthermore, awareness campaigns should be launched to enable
the local community to understand the uses and benefits of these innovative renewable energy
solutions. The community involvement will left a long lasting impact on the economy and will
help to overcome current energy deficit along with cleaner environment of the country as well
as the globe.

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10 References
1. Binayak Bhandari1, Shiva Raj Poudel1, Kyung-Tae Lee1, Sung-Hoon Ahn,
“Mathematical Modeling of Hybrid Renewable Energy System: A Review on Small
Hydro-Solar-Wind Power Generation”, International journal of precision engineering
and manufacturing-green Technology vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 157-173
2. Wei Zhou a, Chengzhi Lou b, Zhongshi Li a, Lin Lu a, Hongxing Yang, “Current status
of research on optimum sizing of stand-alone hybrid solar–wind power generation
systems”.
3. G. Tina *, S. Gagliano, S. Raiti, “Hybrid solar/wind power system probabilistic
modelling for long-term performance assessment”.
4. Zeeshan Alam Nayyar a,b,n, Nayyer Alam Zaigham b, Abdul Qadeer, “Assessment of
present conventional and non-conventional energy scenario of Pakistan.”
5. Omer Rauf n, Shujie Wang,Peng Yuan,Junzhe Tan , “An overview of energy status and
development in Pakistan”, 3April 2015.
6. Abdul Ghafoor a,n, Tanzeel ur Rehman a, Anjum Munir b, Manzoor Ahmad a,
Muhammad Iqbal, “Current status and overview of renewable energy potential in
Pakistan for continuous energy sustainability”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

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