3rd Assignment: Energy Mix and Renewable Energies A. Electrical Power supply of Pakistan.
B. An important source of renewable energy to generate electricity Hydropower source of energy is very well known in Pakistan and there is ever growing experience in this sector to develop the hydropower potential indigenously in the country. The hydro potential was estimated at about 50,000 MW out of which about 4,800 MW has been developed over the past 50 years through mega-hydral plants and the remaining has yet to be exploited. Although there are many ways to produce electricity from the hydro potential of Pakistan, but we are mainly using dams to produce electricity. The major reservoirs, Terbela, Mangla and Chashma dams, produce almost 100% of the Water power of pakistan. The other dams and barrages are mainly based on water divergence from Indus River and its tributaries, which comprises several major and small, barrages, headworks, link canals, canal commands and thousands of watercourses and several other smaller ones, 19 barrages/headworks, 12 link canals, 45 canal commands and some 99,000 watercourses. The total length of the canal system is about 58,450 km with watercourses, farm channels and field ditches running another 160,000 km in length. C. Biggest potentials concerning renewable energy production The hydro potential was estimated at about 50,000 MW out of which about 4,800 MW has been developed over the past 50 years. The government is not exploiting hydro potential of Pakistan. We are not building new dam due to political and social reasons. Decision makers, unfortunately, in Pakistan are corrupt and they are spending on the rental thermal power plants, despite the fact that hydral power is very cheap and can fulfill the needs of Pakistan easily. The northern areas of the country are rich with hydropower resources. In the northern areas of Pakistan, the results of the hydrological surveys revealed that there are numerous small streams and waterfalls with strong and violent flow having sufficient potential for electricity generation through micro-hydroelectric power plants. The recoverable potential in micro-hydropower (MHP) up to 100 kW, is roughly estimated to be 300 MW on perennial water falls in northern Pakistan. Besides, there is an immense potential for exploiting water falls in the canal network particularly in Punjab, where low head high discharge exists on many canals. The canal system has a huge hydropower potential at numerous sites/locations on these irrigation canals, ranging from 1MW to more than 10MW, which can be utilized for developing small hydro-power stations using low head high discharge water turbines in Punjab and Sindh provinces. For example, the Punjab province has an extensive network of irrigation canals, and at many sites , small waterfalls are available which can be exploited to employ low-head high discharge hydropower plants. Decision makers need to pay attention on these facts.