University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar KP, Pakistan
Abstract
Utility scale Solar farms generally consist of multiple arrays of Photovoltaic (PV) Panels which collect and convert solar energy into electrical energy. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis. It is working on solar energy options. Therefore, it is imperative to identify most viable sites that have a high solar radiation. We utilized solar geometry and the Google Earth, a geographical information program to identify optimal sites for Pakistan. These sites should also include basic requirements for a PV plant such as availability of local grid, barren land, roads, water, and good climatic conditions. The Average solar intensity (I) was calculated by using solar geometry on a daily basis, which served as the basis for annual projections. It has been found that the best location for building a solar farm is district QilaSaifullah (I = 9.79 kWh/m2/day) in Baluchistan province. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, district Nowshera (I= 8.06 kWh/m2/day), in Sindh province, district Sukkur (I = 7.9 kWh/m2/day) and in Punjab, district Bahawalpur (I= 8.17 kWh/m2/day) have been found most suitable. This study shows that Pakistan has a good potential to install solar parks in all the provinces and provides a potential solution to address the energy crisis in Pakistan
