Assessment for the installation of a solar PV system in Pakistan for a sustainable environmental and economic development

Abstract

In this study, a photovoltaic system with RETScreen software is simulated to see its economic and environmental feasibility in the one of the remote locations in Pakistan. Our proposed photovoltaics power system is installed south Asia: particularly, Pakistan which receives a high amount of solar irradiance throughout the year. The proposed location has an electricity demand of 28.70 MWh/month, and our simulated PV system generates 31 MWh/month which is more than the amount of required electricity demand. The 25 years long life project will have energy payback time of 7.4 years and the net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction will be 3,942 tCO2 for the whole project life. These results summarize that installation of this solar power system is not only economically feasible, but also reduces the emission of greenhouse gases in that selected location.