Feasibility Study of a 50 MW Wind Farm Project in Pakistan

Haseeb Yaqoob; Yew Heng Teoh; Muhammad Ahmad Jamil; Zia Ud Din; Mehtab Ul Hassan; Mussadiq Jamil; Heoy Geok How

Authors

Haseeb Yaqoob School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus,14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Yew Heng Teoh School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus,14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Muhammad Ahmad Jamil Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
Zia Ud Din School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus,14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Mehtab Ul Hassan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
Mussadiq Jamil Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
Heoy Geok How Department of Engineering, School of Engineering, Computing and Built Environment, UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College, 32, Jalan Anson, 10400 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Keywords:

Renewable energy, wind energy, carbon emission, energy financial analysis, Pakistan

Abstract

Wind energy is the most developed source of renewable energy, because of advanced technology, low operational cost, and less environmental impacts as compared to fossil fuels. Due to the electricity load shedding and high carbon emissions, Pakistan direly needs a clean and economical energy source. Pakistan has enormous wind potential, especially in remote areas of Sindh, which can cover the energy demand of the local communities. This paper aims to study the feasibility of the 50 MW wind project in four different geographic locations of Sindh province in Pakistan. The selected sites are technically and financially analyzed in renewable energy technology (RETScreen) software. Financial analysis is also carried out according to the renewable energy policy of Pakistan with the values of the discount rate, debt ratio, and inflation rate. The results showed that all sites are technically and economically feasible, but Hyderabad is the most favorable site with the highest capacity factor of 41.8% and lowest simple and equity payback periods of 7.4 years and 4.9 years, respectively, as compared to the other sites. So, it is concluded that wind energy is the most suitable option as technically and financially in the remote areas of Sindh province in Pakistan.