Potential of Untapped Renewable Energy Resources in Pakistan: Current Status and Future Prospects †
Department of Structures and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 4th International Electronic Conference on Applied Sciences, 27 October–10 November 2023; Available online: https://asec2023.sciforum.net/ .
Eng. Proc. 2023, 56(1), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/ASEC2023-15274
Published: 26 October 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 4th International Electronic Conference on Applied Sciences)
Abstract
:Energy is a very essential indicator for the sustainable development and economic growth of any country. Pakistan heavily relies on imported fossil fuels; their excessive use contributes to environmental pollution. According to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, Pakistan produces 63% of its electricity from fossil fuels. The world is now shifting towards renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind energy, solar energy, ocean energy, hydropower, and geothermal energy. At present, Pakistan fulfills 5.4% of its energy demand from renewable energy sources, including biomass, wind, and sun, and 25% from hydropower. Due to economic and political challenges, the country is facing a severe energy deficit (7000 MW). By 2030, Pakistan plans to fulfill 30% of its energy demand from renewable sources. The untapped potential of energy from renewable sources in Pakistan is nearly 60,000 MW from hydropower, 40,000 MW from sun, 346,000 MW from wind. To address the escalating energy demands and bridge the energy deficit, Pakistan must intensify its efforts in harnessing renewable energy resources.
1. Introduction
Energy allows for the ability to work. Energy is a very important indicator for the sustainable development and economic growth of any country. Energy plays a very important role in eradicating poverty, improving human welfare and raising living standards [1].
Many regions of the world have no proper energy supplies, which limits economic progress, but other areas suffer from environmental degradation from energy use, which inhibits sustainable progress [2].
2. Purpose
The main purpose of the study is to determine the potential of untapped renewable energy resources in Pakistan: both their current status and future prospects.
The purpose of the study is to examine the opportunities that are provided by renewable energy resources and the role of the government in the process of policy development.
3. Methods
At present, the world is shifting towards renewable energy sources, such as biomass, wind energy, solar energy, ocean energy, hydropower, and geothermal energy.
Pakistan uses wind, solar, biomass and hydropower as renewable energy sources [3].
This study was presented using determinate qualitative data from multiple sources, including government annual performance reports, review papers, research works, journals, books, publications, and newspapers (Figure 1).
4. Results
Pakistan fulfills 5.4% of its energy demand from renewable energy sources, including biomass, wind, and sun, and 25% from hydropower [5]. By 2030, Pakistan plans to fulfill 30% of its energy demand from renewable sources. The untapped potential of energy from renewable sources in Pakistan is nearly 60,000 MW from hydropower, 40,000 MW from the sun, and 346,000 MW from wind [6,7,8,9].
5. Conclusions
The study focuses on a large amount of untapped renewable resources in Pakistan, both their current and future prospects.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, R.A.A. and Y.A.; methodology, R.A.A. and Y.A.; formal analysis, R.A.A. and Y.A.; investigation, Y.A.; writing Y.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Data sharing does not apply to this article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Figure 1.
Methodological Framework [4].
Figure 1.
Methodological Framework [4].
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MDPI and ACS Style
Abbas, Y.; Aslam, R.A. Potential of Untapped Renewable Energy Resources in Pakistan: Current Status and Future Prospects. Eng. Proc. 2023, 56, 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/ASEC2023-15274
AMA Style
Abbas Y, Aslam RA. Potential of Untapped Renewable Energy Resources in Pakistan: Current Status and Future Prospects. Engineering Proceedings. 2023; 56(1):108. https://doi.org/10.3390/ASEC2023-15274
Chicago/Turabian StyleAbbas, Yasir, and Rana Ammar Aslam. 2023. "Potential of Untapped Renewable Energy Resources in Pakistan: Current Status and Future Prospects" Engineering Proceedings 56, no. 1: 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/ASEC2023-15274
