Electricity demand in Pakistan has consistently increased in the past two decades. However, this demand is so far partially met due to insufficient supply, inefficient power plants, high transmission and distribution system losses, lack of effective planning efforts and due coordination. The existing electricity generation also largely depends on the imported fossil fuels, which is a huge burden on the national economy alongside causing colossal loss to the environment. It is also evident from existing government plans that electricity generation from low-cost coal fuels in the near future will further increase the emissions. As such, in this study, following the government’s electricity demand forecast, four supply side scenarios for the study period (2013–2035) have been developed using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) software tool. These scenarios are Reference scenario (REF) based on the government’s power expansion plans, and three alternative scenarios, which include, More Renewable (MRR), More Hydro (MRH), and More Hydro Nuclear (MRHN). Furthermore, the associated gaseous emissions (CO₂, SO₂, NO_X, CH₄, N₂O) are projected under each of these scenarios. The results of this study reveal that the alternative scenarios are more environmentally friendly than the REF scenario where penetration of planned coal-based power generation plants would be the major sources of emissions. It is, therefore, recommended that the government, apart from implementing the existing plans, should consider harnessing the renewable energy sources as indispensable energy sources in the future energy mix for electricity generation to reduce the fossil-fuel import bill and to contain the emissions.

In Pakistan, the utilization of renewable energy sources is increasing in order to reduce the electricity supply and demand gap. However, concentrated solar power (CSP) generation has not been considered in the country even though it has gained considerable attention worldwide. This study, as such, investigates the potential, performance, and economic analyses of four CSP technologies for different locations in Pakistan. Initially, an assessment of CSP sites, including solar resource, land, and water availability, was undertaken. Then, performance simulations of CSP technologies for four different locations of Pakistan, namely Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, and Peshawar, were examined. For all cases, highest energy production was achieved in summers and lowest in winters, and CSP plants with evaporative cooling were found to be efficient compared to air cooling. The results also revealed that the Quetta and Hyderabad regions were promising for CSP development while parabolic tough (PT) and solar power tower (SPT) were the suitable CSP technologies for these regions. Specifically, the SPT plant with air cooling could be a favorable option for energy production in Quetta. Lastly, economic analyses revealed the financial feasibility of CSP plants in Pakistan since the levelized cost of energy is found to be significantly low.

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a leading renewable energy technology, and the parabolic trough (PT) is one of the most used configurations of CSP. In the present study, the performance improvement and energy cost reduction of a 50 MWe PT plant for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is presented. The simulations were carried out using the System Advisor Model software. The analyses of a PT plant with different technologies/parameters are undertaken in the first instance for seven cases. These cases include solar multiple, solar collectors, receivers, heat transfer fluid, cooling system (evaporative and air-cooled), thermal energy storage system (4–12 h), and fossil dispatch mode (0.25 to 1.0). Based on these analysis, the eighth case, which is found to be the best-case scenario in this study, was considered by taking into account the best of preceding case results and was determined to be the most suitable both in terms of performance and cost reduction. It is, therefore, concluded from this study that the utilization of CSP plants with a proper selection of technology could help reduce energy costs and environmental pollution, enhance system performance, and meet energy demands effectively.