Hybrid Renewable Energy Sources (Solar and Wind) Potential and Its Application for Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan: A Case Study of Potohar Plateau ^†

Abstract

The agriculture sector in Pakistan has a significant amount of potential in terms of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy production and consumption. Most of the farm machinery on agriculture farms runs on high-cost fossil fuels and is also our source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Utilizing renewable energy (RE) technology in the agriculture sector will reduce the cost of agricultural farming and will lower GHG emissions. The objective of this study is to determine and compare the solar and wind energy potential for the different districts in the Potohar region of Pakistan. The solar and wind energy data are obtained from HOMER Pro, RETScreen, and the weather station of the National Center of Industrial Biotechnology (NCIB), PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi. The results obtained are analyzed and compared which depicts that the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan has a significant amount of solar potential for its application in agriculture. This article gives an overview of renewable solar and wind energy potential and its applications for farmers and ranchers to make RE a rising source of energy and rural income in Pakistan.

1. Introduction

According to the economic survey of Pakistan 2022 [1] report, Pakistan’s overall energy generation capacity climbed 11.5% between April and July 2022, rising to 41,557 Megawatt (MW) from 37,261 MW during the same period in the previous fiscal year. Pakistan is reportedly experiencing an above 5000 MW electricity shortfall and is having difficulty harnessing its energy resources. Electricity consumption in the Pakistan agricultural sector has marginally grown from 8.9% to 9% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.

Nowadays, the agriculture sector’s needs are geared toward modernization and efficiency to compete in a globalized market, and one of the challenges that must be addressed is escalating energy prices. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agri-food chain systems now utilize 30% of the world’s energy production, with transportation, processing, packing, shipping, storage, and marketing consuming around 70% of the energy [2]. By 2050, renewable energy would account for 63% of all primary energy supply, up from 14% in 2015. In comparison to former years, this translates to an average yearly annual growth of 1.4%, which is a six-fold increase. The share of fossil fuels would also decrease, from 86% to 37% [3]. Pakistan’s maximum electricity is generated from thermal energy comprising 61% of the generation capacity while the remaining energy is generated through hydel 24%, nuclear 12%, and a very small amount by RE sources 3% [1].

Pakistan’s present energy environment has failed to meet the energy demands of domestic, industrial, agricultural, and different sectors. In these circumstances, it is necessary to rely increasingly on renewable energy supplies, particularly in remote places without access to the national grid. The landowners and farmers should be encouraged to adopt RE technologies through incentives and subsidies. Utilizing renewable energy sources for agricultural purposes could provide farmers with a steady source of income. The schematic diagram of hybrid RE systems that could be used in agricultural farms has been illustrated in Figure 1.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Area

The Potohar Plateau comprises the districts Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, and Rawalpindi. There are 2.2 mha of land on the Potohar Plateau [4]. The location map of the study area is shown in Figure 2 and the geographical coordinates of the Potohar Plateau districts.

2.2. Methods

Hybrid energy modeling tools such as HOMER Pro [5], and RETScreen [6] have been used to obtain the solar and wind energy data for the study areas. HOMER Pro fetches the data for solar irradiance over 22 years from July 1983 to June 2005 from NASA’s prediction of worldwide energy resources [7]. Solar irradiance data has also been obtained from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) database [8]. The wind energy potential and temperature data are obtained from NASA for 30 years from January 1984 to December 2013. The real-time measured data of wind speed and temperature from March 2022 to October 2022 have been obtained from the weather station of the National Center of Industrial Biotechnology (NCIB), PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The solar and wind energy potential of the study areas were compared and analyzed for installation of hybrid RE systems for its application in precision agriculture.

3. Results and Discussion

As represented in Figure 3a, the average annual solar irradiance data obtained from HOMER Pro and NREL were compared. The comparison shows that all the districts of the Potohar plateau have sufficient solar energy potential for its application in smart agriculture farms. Figure 3b shows the comparison of average annual wind speed data obtained from HOMER Pro and RETScreen software. It is quite clear that study areas have comparatively low wind speed potential for the installation of high speed, and high-capacity wind turbines. However, low wind speed turbines such as EOCYCLE E010, having cut-in wind speed of 2.75 m/s and nominal capacity of 10 kW, could be installed in such sites. The nominal generation capacity of these wind turbines is sufficient for small farmers in rural farm locations in remote areas. Figure 4 represents a comparative analysis of wind speed potential data for the Rawalpindi district obtained from HOMER Pro, RETScreen, and real-time data obtained from the weather station of NCIB.

4. Conclusions

The maximum annual average solar irradiance of 5.3 & 5.06 (W/m²) obtained from HOMER Pro and NREL, respectively, is found to be of Chakwal district. However, the maximum annual average wind speed potential of 3.48 & 2.5 (m/s) obtained from HOMER Pro and RETscreen , respectively, is of Jhelum district. The data of wind speed potential obtained from HOMER Pro, RETScreen, and Weather Station of NCIB is 3.24, 2.4, and 1.62, respectively. It can be concluded from the results that there is huge potential of solar irradiance in the districts of Potohar Plateau for the installation of PV system and its application in smart agricultural farms. However, wind potential is not sufficient for the installation of high-capacity and high-speed wind turbines.