Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser

Current status and overview of renewable energy potential in Pakistan

for continuous energy sustainability
Abdul Ghafoor a,n, Tanzeel ur Rehman a, Anjum Munir b, Manzoor Ahmad a,
Muhammad Iqbal c
a
Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
b
Department of Energy Systems Engineering, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
c
Department of Food Engineering, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing severe energy crises from the last decade due to increasing population
Received 16 July 2015 and heavily dependence on the import of the fossil fuels. The electricity breakdown/blackouts was 14–
Received in revised form 18 h in rural areas and 8–10 h in urban areas. This situation has drastically affected the residential,
18 November 2015
industrial and commercial sector of the country. Currently, it is a big challenge for the government to
Accepted 4 March 2016
sustain the future energy supply of the country. Under these circumstances, the research have been
increased for the exploration of renewable energy sources in the country to fulfill the deficit scenario of
Keywords: the country. Fortunately, Pakistan is lying in such a geographical location where potential for all the
Fossil fuels renewable energy sources exists abundantly viz. solar, wind, biogas production, bio-energy from biomass
Solar energy
and feedstock, mini and micro hydel. About 81 million ton/annum biomass production has a huge
Wind energy
potential to produce enough bio-energy by employing different technologies viz. combustion, gasifica-
Biogas
Biomass tion, pyrolysis, trans-esterification process etc. Similarly, available dung from 72 million animals (cows
Biofuels and buffalos) and available poultry droppings from 785 million poultry birds can produce considerable
biogas to produce heat and electricity. Pakistan is also blessed with 5.5 Wh m
2 d
1 solar insolation with
annual mean sunshine duration of 8–10 h d
1 throughout the country. Wind speed 5–7 m s
1 persists in
the coastal regions of Sindh and Baluchistan provinces with more than 20,000 MW of economically
feasible wind power potential. The worldwide utilization of renewable energy is already on a fast track,
however, Pakistan is still lacking in adaptation of these blessed technologies. Therefore, it is a high time
that the government should launch a comprehensive program for R&D, commercialization and aware-
ness of the community by incentivizing for the wide scale adaption of renewable energy technologies for
the sustainable energy supply of the country in future.
& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1333
2. Potential of different renewable energy sources in Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
2.1. Solar energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
2.2. Wind energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
2.3. Biogas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335
2.3.1. Cost analysis of floating drum biogas plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335
2.4. Hydropower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335
2.5. Biomass/waste to energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1338

n
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ag_1272@yahoo.com (A. Ghafoor).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.03.020
1364-0321/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342 1333

2.5.1. Suitability of crop biomass for bio-energy production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1338

2.6. Biodiesel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1340
3. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1341
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1341

1. Introduction applications. In developing countries, the household utilization of

Pakistan is a developing country of Asia and its increasing
population and industrialization resulted drastic increase in
energy consumption [1]. Pakistan's energy sector heavily depends
on fossil fuels in terms of primary as well as secondary energy
source [2]. The total primary energy supply during 2011–2012 was
64.727 Million Tons of Oil Equivalent (MTOE) in the country [3].
Nearly 87% of total energy was supplied directly or indirectly using
fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, coal and LPG. According to an
estimate, around 1% of the total energy supply is being produced
from renewable energy sources. The energy mix of Pakistan during
2011–2012 accounts for natural gas as 49.5% followed by oil 30.8%,
hydro-electricity 12.5%, coal 6.6%, nuclear electricity 1.9%, LPG
0.5%, and imported electricity 0.1%. The escalation prices of fossil
fuels and electricity (Fig. 1) is posing sever energy crises in the
country resulting extended periods of electricity breakdown/
blackouts of 14–18 h in rural and 8–10 h in urban areas. [4,5]. The
electricity shortfall reached between 4000 and 6000 during the
last decade. The energy mix of Pakistan for electricity generation is
shown in Table 1 [6].
This situation indicates that current indigenous energy sour-
ces cannot meet the increasing energy demands and the solution
of this problem lies in the energy conservation, energy efficiency
and utilization of renewable energy sources for power genera-
tion. Various forms of renewable energy sources are being uti-
lized in the developed countries to reduce their dependence on
fossil fuels and cease greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately,
Pakistan is also lying in such a geographical location having
plentiful potential of renewable energy sources. But unfortu-
nately, very little work has been done in the past to explore these
naturally existing renewable energy sources. It is worth men-
tioning here that Pakistan is suitable country for exploration of
different renewable energy sources viz. solar energy (PV and
thermal), biogas production using animal dung, poultry drop-
pings and crop residue, wind energy, micro and mini hydel/canal-
fall, biofuels (bioethanol/biodiesel) production from biomass,
energy production from industrial and municipal waste, geo-
thermal energy, tidal and ocean energies etc. The effective utili-
zation of existing or locally developed renewable energy tech-
nologies can play a vital role to meet the current energy deficit of
the country. Nearly 2.6 billion population (38% of the global
population) depend on biomass [7,8] for cooking and heating
120
Petrol per liter
100 Diesel per liter
Electricity per kWh
Cost, (PKR per liter)
biomass in the form of animal dung (cakes), crop roots, agri-
cultural residues and fuel wood [9,10] accounts for almost 7% of
the world primary energy demand [11]. Excessive use of fuel
wood being an energy source for cooking and heating is
increasing the deforestation rate. Almost 70% of the total popu-
lation is residing in villages using wood for cooking and heating
which is also associated with environmental pollution [12].
According to an estimate, 97 million people are living in the rural
areas of the country. Out of these, only 46% people have access to
electricity although these regions are enriched with energy
resources and man power [13]. The developed countries are
already playing their leading role for exploration of renewable
energy sources. However, the utilization and adoption of
renewable energy technologies is at its earlier stage in Pakistan. It
is worth mentioning here that many stakeholders in the country
are now interested to adopt renewable energy technologies,
however, the main hindrance in the wide spread adaptation of
these technologies is the high initial cost and lack of knowledge
about the selection, operation and maintenance of these inno-
vative renewable energy technologies. Therefore, it is the high
time to introduce and equip the stakeholder about the benefits,
operation and maintenance of these technologies for promoting
on larger scale especially in developing countries.
Due to countless advantages and environmental friendliness of
renewable energy technologies over conventional energy sources,
these technologies can be used to play a pivotal role in main-
streaming the rural population for their sustainable future. It is the
dire need of the time to have an out-of-the-box thinking to use
indigenous renewable energy sources. This paper is focused to
provide firsthand information about the potential of different
renewable energy sources in Pakistan to enable the policy makers
for the selection, designing, developing and installation of site
specific renewable energy technologies. This will help to promote
the adoption and utilization of renewable energy technologies in
the country for future sustainability. At the same time, it will also
help to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases thus
resulting cleaner environment of the country. Keeping in view the
increasing energy demand, the Government of Pakistan is already
doing its sincere efforts to explore and promote renewable energy
technologies and to enhance energy efficiency seeking collabora-
25
tion with advanced and developed countries.
20
Cost, (PKR per kWh)

80
15 Table 1
60 Energy mix of Pakistan.
10
40 Source Electricity generation Percent of total genera-
(GW h) tion (%)
5
20
Oil 33,568 35.2
0 0 Gas 27,656 29
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Hydel 28,514 29.9
Years Nuclear and imported 5531 5.8
Coa 95 0.1
Fig. 1. Increasing prices of fossil fuels and electricity.
Total 95,364 100
(Source: [42,14]).
1334 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

2. Potential of different renewable energy sources in Pakistan 2.2. Wind energy

The available potential and current status of different renew-
able energy sources have been presented in this paper to have a
first-hand information for the policy makers for the design,
development and installation of site specific renewable energy
technologies.
2.1. Solar energy
Among all the renewable energy sources, Pakistan is blessed
with significant solar energy potential [14,15]. On an average solar
global insulation 5–7 kWh m
2 d
1 exists in most parts of
the country. The average solar energy available is nearly
5.5 kWh m
2 d
1 [16] having annual mean sunshine duration
between 8–10 h d
1 and 300 days (1500–3000 h) per year [17].
According to the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB),
the mean global solar irradiance falling on a horizontal surface is
about 200–250 W m
2 d
1 amounting 6840–8280 MJ/m2 (1.9–
2.3 MW h m
2) in a year [18,19]. A study conducted by National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA in collaboration with
USAID reported that solar energy potential of 2.9 Million MW
exists in Pakistan [20]. Solar energy can be used for electricity
generation or producing thermal energy. Solar electricity produced
using off-grid or on-grid PV systems can be used for lighting
applications or operating electrical appliances/machines in resi-
dential, commercial and industrial sectors which ultimately will
leave high impact to reduce the energy deficit in the country.
Recently, per unit of cost of PV system have reached PKR 80 Wp
1
resulting payback period between 3 and 4 years making it a reli-
able option for electricity generation. A study carried out for the
off-grid PV system for household electrification resulted that unit
electricity cost was found to be PKR 14.8 per kWh lower than the
Pakistan is also blessed with huge potential of wind energy [25]
being another source of clean energy supply. Pakistan Meteor-
ological Department (PMD) in collaboration with Ministry of Sci-
ence and Technology (MoST) surveyed during 2002 to assess the
wind along the coastal areas of Pakistan. The study shows that the
potential exist for harnessing the wind energy especially along the
coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan Province [26]. The wind
corridor along the coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan province
have wind speeds ranging from 4 to 9 m s
1 at a height of 10 m
increasing up to 12.5 m s
1 at a height of 50 m. Another study was
conducted by National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL),
USA under USAID sponsorship program in 2007 to assess the
available wind energy potential in Pakistan. It was reported that
the total potential of wind energy in Pakistan is around
346,000 MW out of which 120,000 MW is viable [27]. A study
carried out by PMD shows that Sindh coastal areas have gross
wind power potential of 43,871 MW out of which viable potential
is 11,000 MW higher than that of Balochistan areas. The econom-
ically feasible areas for the installation of wind farms were also
identified in this study. The study concluded that long term stra-
tegies should be developed by providing incentives to promote
and exploit wind energy potential in the country [2,28]. The
average monthly wind speed during March 2009 to February 2010
for different location at an elevation of 80 m is shown in Fig. 2. The
figure clearly shows that the average wind speeds more than
5 m s
1 persists in most months of the year which can potentially
be used for wind power generation. The effect of elevation on
average annual wind speed at Gharo–Keti Bandar wind corridor
[29] during 2009–10 is shown in Fig. 3. The utilization of wind
Baburband Mast Hawksbay Mast Keti-Bandar Mast
10
Average monthly wind velocity (m s 1)

conventional electricity supply [4]. The thermal energy finds its 9

application for sterilizing, extraction, pasteurizing, drying, solar 8
cooling and air conditioning, hydrolyzing, distillation and eva- 7
poration, washing and cleaning, and polymerization [21–24]. All 6
these processes lie between 60 and 280 °C [21] which can easily be 5
obtained using different type concentrating and non-
4
concentrating collectors. Most of the processes in agro-based
3
industries can be performed in this medium temperature range.
2
Unfortunately, the adoption of renewable energy technologies in
1
Pakistan is slower due to unawareness and lack of technical
0
knowledge about the use and advantages of solar energy systems. Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Somehow, the benefits and uses of solar systems are getting
attention in the community but the poor background and lack of Fig. 2. Seasonal wind speed at Gharo–Keti Bandar wind corridor [65].

funds is the major hindrance in the wide spread adoption of this

technology. Ghafoor and Munir [4] presented the design and
economics analysis of an off-grid PV system for household elec-
Keti-Bandar Mast Baburband Mast Hawksbay Mast
trification to enable the local community to select the PV system
Average annual wind velocity (m s )

according to their local needs. University of Agriculture Faisalabad 7

have already started working on solar thermal technologies and 6
worthwhile technologies have been developed viz. solar distilla-
5
tion system, solar tunnel dryer, solar roaster, hybrid dryer, solar
desalination system etc. Recently, the share of solar energy is less 4
than 1% of the total energy demand of the country. Now, it is a 3
high time that the Government should introduce a comprehensive
2
program to offer incentives/subsidies for the community to bear
high initial cost of the systems and to decrease per unit cost of 1
electricity/energy produced likewise other developed countries 0
have taken initiatives to promote this technology through incen- 10m 30m 60m 80m
tives. Recently, some well-known banks are providing finances on Elevation of Mast (m)
debts to attract the local community to bear initial cost of this Fig. 3. Average annual wind speed at Gharo–Keti Bandar wind corridor [65].
technology.
 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342
energy in Pakistan is at its earlier stage. A few working units have
been installed by different organizations. A 50 MW wind power
plant installed by Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) and a 56.4 MW
power project installed by Zorlu Enerji Pakistan Ltd. are examples
of working wind power plants in the country. Hashmi et al. [26,30]
presented the real benefit of wind energy in terms of emissions
offset. Using 50 MW wind farm results emission offset between
131,361 and 290,885 ton of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
This wind farm has a potential to offset 2.63 to 5.83 million tons of
CO2 equivalent assuming 20 years lifetime of the system. The
initial cost of the wind power plants is higher making it unaf-
fordable by the local community. Therefore, it is the sole respon-
sibility of the Government to initiate mega projects to explore the
naturally existing wind energy potential in the coastal areas of
Sindh and Balochistan. The wind energy produced should be used
in the localities of the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan to
avoid energy transmission losses.
2.3. Biogas
There are about 72 million animals in the form of cows and
buffaloes [6] besides about 81 million tons per year of crop resi-
dues and about 785 million birds in poultry estates across the
country. Considering 50% collectability, the animals and birds
produce 360 million kg and 39.2 million kg collectable dung per
day respectively. This along with the crop residue could yield 27.5
million cubic meters of biogas per day and therefore could yield
1900 MW power generation per day [12]. However, 14.68
million m3 per day biogas production from animal dung and
poultry could produce 1012 MW of power in Punjab. The biogas
plants will not only serve for biogas production but will also be
used to produce organic fertilizer in the form of slurry rich with
N–P–K to increase the crop yield. The potential of biogas from
animal dung, poultry droppings and crop residue in Punjab and
Pakistan is shown in Table 2.
Around 14.68 million m3 per day biogas production from ani-
mal dung and poultry droppings could produce 1012 MW of power
in Punjab. A number of steps have been taken in the past to pro-
mote use of biogas plants in Pakistan. Pakistan Council of Appro-
priate Technology (PCAT) installed 21 fixed dome (Chinese type)
biogas plants in the mid of 1976 in order to assess the performance
and suitability of Chinese biogas plant design. Unfortunately, these
plants did not performed well due to leakage of gas from the
cracks developed in the domes [31]. Another reason for the failure
of this technology was the lack technical knowledge and skill to
design and operate these plants by the stakeholders. Afterwards,
nearly 10 floating drum biogas plants (Indian design) were
installed in the northern area of Pakistan in 1979. The operation of
these biogas plants have shown satisfactory performance. In this
connection, around 100 floating drum biogas plants were installed
throughout the country in the year 1980 under PSDP project.
Table 2
Potential of biogas production in the Punjab province and Pakistan.
Biogas source
Available animals (Buffaloes/cows)
Available dung (@ 10 kg/animal)
Collectable dung (@ 50% collection)
Biogas from dung (@ 0.05 m3 kg
1 dung)
Poultry birds
Available poultry droppings
Collectable poultry droppings (@ 50% collection)
Biogas from Poultry (@ 0.13 m3 kg
1 poultry droppings)
Crop residue
Biogas from crop residue
Total Biogas Potential
1335
Similarly, nearly 350 floating drum biogas plants were installed by
Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) and
4000 plants by Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy
Resources (DGNRER) under PSDP project up to 1986. Again, due to
lack of technical knowledge during installation and operation of
the plants, the systems did not worked for longer period of time.
The Field Wing of Agriculture Department, Punjab has executed a
project titled “Adaptation of Biogas Technology to Mitigate Energy
Crises” and has installed 750 family size biogas plants (15 m3) to
supply biogas for domestic application like cooking and heating
purposes. The floating drum biogas plants were installed on 95%
subsidy to run 12, 16 and 20 hp tubewells for small (5–12.5 acres)
and medium ( 412.5 acres) farmers. The Department of Agri-
culture, Punjab has installed more than 1200 biogas plants in
different districts of Punjab. A maximum of 72 plants were
installed in District Kasur and minimum of 14 plants in District
Jehlum. According to Dawn Newspaper (2013) around 50 biogas
plants (25 m3 plant capacity for up to 12.5 acre farmers and 40 m3
for up to 25 acre farmers) were installed in different districts of the
Punjab viz. Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar, Gujranwala, Jhang, Layyah,
Mandi Bahauddin, Muzaffargarh, Narowal, Sialkot, Sargodha and
Rahim Yar Khan till June 10, 2013. It is estimated that 50 biogas
tubewells running on biogas for 1600 h in a year could save
144,000 liters of diesel worth PKR 15.8 million. It is worth men-
tioning here that nearly 0.9 million tubewells are running on
diesel in the Punjab district out of which approximately 85% have
installed pump capacity above 20 hp. It is estimated that operating
765,000 (above 20 hp) tubewells on biogas could save 29 million
liters of diesel per year. At this moment, the Government of Punjab
is doing its utmost effort to promote this technology which not
only will decrease the consumption of fossil fuels but will also help
to reduce the adverse climatic effects as a result of fossil fuels
combustion. The digester volume w.r.t. number of animals is cal-
culated as shown in Table 3.
2.3.1. Cost analysis of floating drum biogas plants
The cost analysis of various sizes of floating drum biogas plant
has been made as shown in Fig. 4. Biogas production depends on
the organic content of the feedstock. The average organic content
of cow and buffalo manure is 12%. The biogas power potential from
2006–07 to 2011–2012 is shown in Table 4.
2.4. Hydropower
Hydropower is also a potential renewable energy sources in
Pakistan. It is estimated that 4 1200 MW hydropower potential is
available in the country in the form of micro and mini-hydel along
with power generation at northern hilly regions, southern plane
region and energy generation through canal fall. The hydro power
resources are heavily scattered in the northern parts of the
country. Few studies have been carried out to investigate the total
Punjab Pakistan
39 Million 72 Million
390 Million kg d
1 720 Million kg d
1
195 Million kg d
1 360 Million kg d
1
9.75 Million m3 kg
1 18 Million m3 kg
1
390 Million 785 Million
39 Million kg d
1 78.5 Million kg d
1
19.5 Million kg d
1 39.2 Million kg d
1
2.54 Million m3 d
1 5.1 Million m3 d
1
44 Million tons/annum 81 Million tons/annum
2.39 Million m3 d
1 4.4 Million m3 d
1
14.68 Million m3 d
1 27.5 Million m3 d
1
1336 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

Table 3
The biogas plant sizes w.r.t. the number of animals.

Number of Avg. dung per Total Water (kg) Daily density Daily Retention time Initial feed Safe, vol. Total digester
animals animal (kg) dung (kg) charge (kg) (m V
1) charge (m3) (Days) rate (m3) add 10% vol. (m3)
(m3)

1 10 10 10 20 1000 0.02 30 0.6 0.06 0.66

2 10 20 20 40 1000 0.04 30 1.2 0.12 1.32
3 10 30 30 60 1000 0.06 30 1.8 0.18 1.98
4 10 40 40 80 1000 0.08 30 8.4 0.24 8.64
5 10 50 50 100 1000 0.1 30 3 0.3 3.3
6 10 60 60 120 1000 0.12 30 3.6 0.36 3.96
7 10 70 70 140 1000 0.14 30 9.2 0.42 9.62
8 10 80 80 160 1000 0.16 30 9.8 0.48 8.28
9 10 90 90 180 1000 0.18 30 8.4 0.54 8.94
10 10 100 100 200 1000 0.2 30 6 0.6 6.6
11 10 110 110 220 1000 0.22 30 6.6 0.66 7.26
12 10 120 120 240 1000 0.24 30 7.2 0.72 7.92
13 10 130 130 260 1000 0.26 30 7.8 0.78 8.58
14 10 140 140 280 1000 0.28 30 8.4 0.84 9.24
15 10 150 150 300 1000 0.3 30 9 0.9 9.9
16 10 160 160 320 1000 0.32 30 9.6 0.96 10.56
17 10 170 170 340 1000 0.34 30 10.2 1.02 11.22
18 10 180 180 360 1000 0.36 30 10.8 1.08 11.88
19 10 190 190 380 1000 0.38 30 11.4 1.14 18.54
20 10 200 200 400 1000 0.4 30 12 1.2 13.2
21 10 210 210 420 1000 0.42 30 18.6 1.26 13.86
22 10 220 220 440 1000 0.44 30 13.2 1.32 19.52
23 10 230 230 460 1000 0.46 30 13.8 1.38 18.18
24 10 240 240 480 1000 0.48 30 19.4 1.44 18.84
25 10 250 250 500 1000 0.5 30 15 1.5 16.5
26 10 260 260 520 1000 0.52 30 18.6 1.56 17.16
27 10 270 270 540 1000 0.54 30 16.2 1.62 17.82
28 10 280 280 560 1000 0.56 30 16.8 1.68 18.48
29 10 290 290 580 1000 0.58 30 17.4 1.74 19.14
30 10 300 300 600 1000 0.6 30 18 1.8 19.8
31 10 310 310 620 1000 0.62 30 18.6 1.86 20.46
32 10 320 320 640 1000 0.64 30 19.2 1.92 21.12
33 10 330 330 660 1000 0.66 30 19.8 1.98 21.78
34 10 340 340 680 1000 0.68 30 20.4 8.04 28.44
35 10 350 350 700 1000 0.7 30 21 8.1 23.1
36 10 360 360 720 1000 0.72 30 21.6 8.16 23.76
37 10 370 370 740 1000 0.74 30 28.2 8.22 29.42
38 10 380 380 760 1000 0.76 30 28.8 8.28 28.08
39 10 390 390 780 1000 0.78 30 23.4 8.34 28.74
40 10 400 400 800 1000 0.8 30 24 8.4 26.4
41 10 410 410 820 1000 0.82 30 29.6 8.46 27.06
42 10 420 420 840 1000 0.84 30 28.2 8.52 27.72
43 10 430 430 860 1000 0.86 30 28.8 8.58 28.38
44 10 440 440 880 1000 0.88 30 26.4 8.64 29.04
45 10 450 450 900 1000 0.9 30 27 8.7 29.7
46 10 460 460 920 1000 0.92 30 27.6 8.76 30.36
47 10 470 470 940 1000 0.94 30 28.2 8.82 31.02
48 10 480 480 960 1000 0.96 30 28.8 8.88 31.68
49 10 490 490 980 1000 0.98 30 29.4 8.94 38.34
50 10 500 500 1000 1000 1 30 30 3 33
51 10 510 510 1020 1000 1.02 30 30.6 3.06 33.66
52 10 520 520 1040 1000 1.04 30 31.2 3.12 39.32
53 10 530 530 1060 1000 1.06 30 31.8 3.18 39.98
54 10 540 540 1080 1000 1.08 30 38.4 3.24 38.64
55 10 550 550 1100 1000 1.1 30 33 3.3 36.3
56 10 560 560 1120 1000 1.12 30 33.6 3.36 36.96
57 10 570 570 1140 1000 1.14 30 39.2 3.42 37.62
58 10 580 580 1160 1000 1.16 30 39.8 3.48 38.28
59 10 590 590 1180 1000 1.18 30 38.4 3.54 38.94
60 10 600 600 1200 1000 1.2 30 36 3.6 39.6
61 10 610 610 1220 1000 1.22 30 36.6 3.66 40.26
62 10 620 620 1240 1000 1.24 30 37.2 3.72 40.92
63 10 630 630 1260 1000 1.26 30 37.8 3.78 41.58
64 10 640 640 1280 1000 1.28 30 38.4 3.84 48.24
65 10 650 650 1300 1000 1.3 30 39 3.9 48.9
66 10 660 660 1320 1000 1.32 30 39.6 3.96 43.56
67 10 670 670 1340 1000 1.34 30 40.2 9.02 49.22
68 10 680 680 1360 1000 1.36 30 40.8 9.08 49.88
69 10 690 690 1380 1000 1.38 30 41.4 9.14 48.54
70 10 700 700 1400 1000 1.4 30 42 9.2 46.2
71 10 710 710 1420 1000 1.42 30 48.6 9.26 46.86
72 10 720 720 1440 1000 1.44 30 43.2 9.32 47.52
73 10 730 730 1460 1000 1.46 30 43.8 9.38 48.18
 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342 1337

Table 3 (continued )

Number of Avg. dung per Total Water (kg) Daily density Daily Retention time Initial feed Safe, vol. Total digester
animals animal (kg) dung (kg) charge (kg) (m V
1) charge (m3) (Days) rate (m3) add 10% vol. (m3)
(m3)

74 10 740 740 1480 1000 1.48 30 49.4 9.44 48.84

75 10 750 750 1500 1000 1.5 30 45 9.5 49.5
76 10 760 760 1520 1000 1.52 30 48.6 9.56 50.16
77 10 770 770 1540 1000 1.54 30 46.2 9.62 50.82
78 10 780 780 1560 1000 1.56 30 46.8 9.68 51.48
79 10 790 790 1580 1000 1.58 30 47.4 9.74 58.14
80 10 800 800 1600 1000 1.6 30 48 9.8 58.8
81 10 810 810 1620 1000 1.62 30 48.6 9.86 53.46
82 10 820 820 1640 1000 1.64 30 49.2 9.92 59.12
83 10 830 830 1660 1000 1.66 30 49.8 9.98 59.78
84 10 840 840 1680 1000 1.68 30 50.4 8.04 58.44
85 10 850 850 1700 1000 1.7 30 51 8.1 56.1
86 10 860 860 1720 1000 1.72 30 51.6 8.16 56.76
87 10 870 870 1740 1000 1.74 30 58.2 8.22 57.42
88 10 880 880 1760 1000 1.76 30 58.8 8.28 58.08
89 10 890 890 1780 1000 1.78 30 53.4 8.34 58.74
90 10 900 900 1800 1000 1.8 30 54 8.4 59.4
91 10 910 910 1820 1000 1.82 30 59.6 8.46 60.06
92 10 920 920 1840 1000 1.84 30 58.2 8.52 60.72
93 10 930 930 1860 1000 1.86 30 58.8 8.58 61.38
94 10 940 940 1880 1000 1.88 30 56.4 8.64 68.04
95 10 950 950 1900 1000 1.9 30 57 8.7 68.7
96 10 960 960 1920 1000 1.92 30 57.6 8.76 63.36
97 10 970 970 1940 1000 1.94 30 58.2 8.82 69.02
98 10 980 980 1960 1000 1.96 30 58.8 8.88 69.68
99 10 990 990 1980 1000 1.98 30 59.4 8.94 68.34
100 10 1000 1000 2000 1000 2 30 60 6 66

900000 100 MW in 1947 to 6599 MW in 2010. The major hydropower

generation plants installed in Pakistan are Tarbela, Ghazi Barotha,
Total cost
800000 Mangla, Warsak and Chashma with installed capacity of 3478,
800172
1450, 1000, 240 and 184 MW respectively [28,35]. The mini/micro
700000 708165 hydropower plants in the range of 100 kW has an estimated
649941 potential of 300 MW on perennial water falls in northern areas of
600000
582914 Pakistan. These areas are populated with tiny clusters of people far
away from major localities. Thus, these sources can be tapped to
514216
Cost, PKR

500000 Civil Work cost provide energy to this remote population. Furthermore, a sig-
439082 nificant potential is also available from water falls in canal network
400000 especially in Punjab region where high discharge and low head is
393165
319865 356645
361090 available on many canals. About 300 locations having power
300000 282168 315000
293296 potential of 350 MW have been located on canal falls. The total
232048
263049 Accessories cost installed capacity and annual energy generation from major hydel
200000 structures/dams in Pakistan is shown in Fig. 5. It is worth men-
tioning here that Pakistan has already initiated a technology
100000 transfer project in collaboration with Turbo Institute of Slovenia
for making micro hydro turbines. In order to fully exploit the low
0 head available in the canal system of the country, the local
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Capacity of floating drum biogas plant (m )
industry has already started manufacturing of micro hydro Kaplan
turbine. Until now approximately 228 plants with consolidated
Fig. 4. Installation cost of floating drum biogas plants. capacity of 3 MW has been installed in north western frontier
region [36]. AEDB being a leading organization has started a pro-
hydroelectric potential available in the country and a conservative ject on “Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE)” worth US$
estimate indicates that a total power potential of around 19.5 million to install 103 hydro power plants in Khyber Pakh-
45,000 MW is available. Mirza [28] reported that identified hydro tunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan [37]. Similarly, Asian Development
power potential is 41,722 MW in Pakistan most of which exists in Bank (ADB) has launched 8 new hydropower projects in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern valley and Azad Jammu. Other country under Renewable Energy Development Sector Investment
studies have reported hydropower potential between 30,000 and Program (REDSIP). Out of these, five projects namely Chainwali,
50,000 MW [32–34]. This includes storage-based and high-head Deg out Fall, Pakpattan Canal, Okara, Marala are initiated in Punjab
schemes on mountainous streams in the northern regions, low- and remaining three namely Daral Khwar, Ranolia and Machai
head, run-off river plants and canal operated hydro power plants canal are planned to be installed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an
in the southern plains. The highest hydropower resources are estimated cost of US$ 290 million. The total installed capacity and
available in Gilgit Baltistan as compared to other parts of the annual energy generation of micro-hydel plants in Pakistan is
country. The major hydropower generation sites includes Diamir shown in Fig. 6. Internationally, the major countries in hydropower
Basha Dam (4500 MW) and Bunji (5400 MW). The installed generation includes Brazil, Canada, China, Russia and USA with
hydropower capacity in Pakistan have increased from less than generation of more than half of the world generation [38]. The
1338 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

Table 4
Biogas power potential in Pakistan.

Year Total animal population Manure produced Mil- Collectable manure pro- Biogas (million m3) Thermal energy in Biogas power potential
(Cowþ Buffalo), million lion Tons yr
1 (@ 10 kg duced million Tons yr
1 [@ 50 m3 ton
1 biogas (million GJ) (GW h)
per animal per day) (@ 50% Collection) Manure] [@ 22 MJ m
3] [@ 8.14 kW h m
3]

2006–07 58.82 214.693 107.347 5367.325 118.081 11,486

2007–08 60.83 222.029 111.015 5550.737 122.116 11,879
2008–09 62.91 229.629 114.814 5740.720 126.295 12,286
2009–10 63.69 232.498 116.249 5812.442 127.873 12,439
2010–11 67.29 245.623 122.811 6140.577 135.092 13,141
2011–12 70.00 255.500 127.750 6387.500 140.525 13,670

Annual Generation(GWh) Total Capacity(MW) Table 5

16000 Heating values of different type of biomass.
14000
Heating values
12000
Type of biomass Kcal kg
1 MJ kg
1 MJ ton
1 GJ ton
1
10000
8000 Paddy straw 3000 11.4 11,370 11
Rice husk 3040 11.5 11,522 12
6000
Sugarcane 3800 19.4 14,402 14
4000 Wheat straw 3800 19.4 14,402 14
Cotton stalks 4700 17.8 17,813 18
2000 Maize stalks 3500 13.3 13,265 13
0 Maize cob 3850 19.6 14,592 15
Tarbela Ghazi Brotha Mangla Warsak Chashma Bajra stalk 3950 18.0 14,971 15
Gram stalk 3810 19.4 14,440 14
Fig. 5. Installed capacity and annual generation of macro hydel power plants in
Masroor straw 3980 18.1 15,084 15
Pakistan [67].

The countries with the highest concentration of power plants of

Annual Generation(GWh) Total Capacity(MW)
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0 respectively. About 65% of the total biomass is available for pro-
Chichoki Shadiwal Nandipur Dargai Rasul Khan Jinnah
Khwar
Fig. 6. Installed capacity and annual generation of micro hydel power stations [67].
hydropower potential in India is 148,700 MW and in Malaysia
29,000 MW but utilizing only 2091 MW. Turkey has a potential of
433 TWh out of which 130 TWh can be economically utilized. Iran
has total installed capacity of 7672 MW while 6650 MW projects
are under construction. Vietnam with 20,600 MW (46 TWh) and
Bhutan as 263 TWh with economically feasible potential of
99 TWh. Similarly, Sri Lanka has installed capacity of 1839 MW
while Taiwan has a potential of 263 TWh [18].
2.5. Biomass/waste to energy
Biomass contributes 14% of global energy consumption out of
which 25% is used in industrialized and 75% in developing coun-
tries [39]. Approximately 860 TW h of biomass energy (in the form
of heat and electricity) are used mainly in Europe and North
America. In EU, the development of electricity from biomass
burning solid forms has increased an average of 14.7% annually
from 2001 to 62.2 TW h in 2009. There are about 800 biomass
power plants in the EU with a total generation capacity of 7.1 GW.
solid biomass is the Nordic (Finland, Sweden) and also Germany
and Austria [40,41]. Being an agricultural country with total
cropped area of 22.2 million ha, Pakistan is producing million tons
of agricultural waste (biomass) annually in the form of maize
stalks, sugarcane trashes and bagasse, cotton sticks, paddy and
wheat straw, rice husk etc. Available crop residue in Pakistan is
about 81 million tons/annum that can generate 45,870
million kW h electricity per year [42]. It is estimated that wheat,
cotton, rice, maize, sugarcane, rapeseed/mustard, sunflower,
canola crops in the country have total biomass potential of 35.27,
40.78, 9.24, 8.5, 29.0, 0.20, 0.35, 0.13 million tons per year
Allai
Khawar ducing 20,339 million liters of bioethanol annually. The province
of Punjab has a surplus available crop biomass of about 27.86
million tons to produce 15,777 million kW h electricity per year.
Pakistan has almost 3000 MW power generation potential in sugar
industry while producing only 700 MW. It employs 43% of the
labor force, provides lively-hood to 65% of the rural population and
contributes 60% in export earnings from processed and un-
processed agricultural products. Faisalabad being the second lar-
gest district of Punjab alone has a surplus available crop biomass of
about 0.763 million tons that can produce 432 million kW h
electricity per year. Biomass thermal values determined employing
standard techniques have been shown in Table 5. These values can
be used to convert the biomass into useful energy.
2.5.1. Suitability of crop biomass for bio-energy production
The crop biomass includes leftovers after harvesting which is a
conventional source of fuel for energy production. The major
forms of crop biomass includes (i) Wheat straw is the main source
of animal feed so it cannot be considered as a source of fuel for
power generation (ii) Sugarcane trashes (10% of the sugarcane
crop) left in the field is partially used for cooking applications
while the remaining is burnt in the field by farmers. This quantity
if collected properly can be used for power generation. (iii) Cotton
 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342 1339

sticks and other waste of cotton crop leftover in the field is used in the sowing of the next crop. This residue can be collected well in
for partially for cooking applications while the remaining is sold time and can be used for power generation. The power potential of
out to the owners of the brick kiln or textile industries etc. cotton sticks is calculated as shown in Table 7.
According to an estimate, around 30% cotton waste is available and
can be used as a biomass source for power generation (iv) Maize 2.5.1.3. Maize stalks for bio-energy. Maize crop is among the major
stalks after removing the cobs is used as animal feed or dried for cash crops of the country. Maize stalks after removing of cobs is
cooking application (80% share) while remaining (20%) is burnt in used for animal feed and textile industry for biomass boilers. The
the field by the farmers which can be collected for power gen- leftover maize stalks approx. can be used for power generation.
eration. (v) Paddy Straw: about 80% is used as a source of fuel in The power potential from maize stalks is shown in Table 8.
the brick kilns and as animal feed while remaining 20% is normally
burnt in the field. This can be collected to use for power 2.5.1.4. Paddy straw for bioenergy. Paddy grain to straw ratio is
generation. about 20:80. After local consumption of 80% paddy straw for
A large quantity of municipal waste is also produced in the cooking applications, animal feed and brick kiln, the remaining
country. About 50,000 t d
1 (both agricultural and municipal 20% which is normally burnt in the field can be used for power
waste) can be used to produce a power of 5000 MW. Unfortu- generation. The power potential from remaining 20% paddy straw
nately, the use of biomass in country is limited only for cooking is shown in Table 9.
application and animal feed in the rural areas while the surplus in
normally burnt in the field which is not utilized for power gen- 2.5.1.5. Municipal solid waste for bioenergy. Municipal Solid Waste
eration. Anaerobic digestion, combustion, biomass gasification, (MSW) is also available abundantly in the country and can be used
pyrolysis, waste incineration are some available technologies that as a source of power generation. According to an estimate, about
can be used to convert the biomass in to energy. In the following
section, power potential from each type of biomass source will be Table 8
discussed to install the site specific power plants in future based Potential of maize stalks for power generation.
on the available data.
Year Maize pro- Total Available Thermal Power
2.5.1.1. Sugarcane trash for bioenergy. The leftover of sugarcane duction crop bio- biomass energy (Mil- potential
crop includes approx. 20% tops and 10% trashes. Normally, the (Million mass 20% of lion GT) (GW h)
sugarcane tops are used as animal fodder by the farming com- Tons) (Million total, @13 GJ Ton
1
munity while 1–2% sugarcane trashes are used for cooking appli- Tons) (Million
Tons)
cations and remaining 8–9% is available as biomass for power
generation. Knowing the calorific value of sugarcane trash as 2006–07 3.088 4.632 0.926 12.430 3345
14 GJ ton
1 from Table 5, the available power generation potential 2007–08 3.605 5.407 1.081 14.059 3905
of sugarcane trash in Pakistan has been calculated as shown in 2008–09 3.593 5.389 1.078 14.012 3892
2009–10 3.261 4.891 0.978 12.718 3533
Table 6.
2010–11 3.707 5.560 1.112 14.457 4016
2011–12 4.271 6.406 1.281 16.657 4627
2.5.1.2. Cotton sticks for bio-energy. The waste to crop ratio in case
of cotton is normally 3:1. The leftover of cotton crop is partially Source: [66].
used as cooking fuel by rural community and purchased by brick
kiln operators while remaining is burnt in the field to avoid delay
Table 9
Potential of paddy straw for power generation.
Table 6
Potential of sugarcane trash for power generation.
Year Paddy pro- Total Available Thermal Power
duction crop bio- biomass energy potential
Year Sugarcane Sugarcane Thermal energy in Power poten-
(Million mass 20% of Million GJ@ (GW h)
production trash (Mil- sugarcane trash tial from
Tons) (Million total (Mil- 11 GJ Ton
1
(Million Tons) lion Tons) (Million GJ) sugarcane
Tons) lion Tons)
[@14 GJ Ton
1] trash (GW h)
2006–07 5.438 21.752 4.350 47.854 13,293
2006–07 54.741 4.927 68.974 19,160
2007–08 5.563 22.252 4.450 48.954 13,598
2007–08 63.920 5.753 80.539 22,372
2008–09 6.592 26.368 5.273 58.009 16,114
2008–09 50.045 4.504 63.057 17,516
2009–10 6.883 27.532 5.506 60.570 16,825
2009–10 49.372 4.443 62.210 17,281
2010–11 4.823 19.292 3.858 42.442 11,790
2010–11 55.309 4.978 69.689 19,358
2011–12 6.160 24.640 4.928 54.208 15,058
2011–12 58.038 5.223 73.128 20,313
Source: [63].
1 GW h ¼ 3600 GJ.

Table 7
Potential of cotton sticks for power generation.

Year Cotton production Crop production Cotton stalks Available cotton sticks for Thermal energy in cotton Power potential of cot-
(Million Bales) (Million Tons) (Tons) power generation (Million sticks (Million GJ) ton sticks (GW h)
Tons)

2006–07 12.856 2.187 6560 1.640 29.520 8200

2007–08 11.655 1.982 5.947 1.487 26.763 7434
2008–09 11.819 2.010 6.031 1.508 27.139 7539
2009–10 12.913 2.196 6.589 1.647 29.652 8237
2010–11 11.460 1.966 5.899 1.475 26.544 7373
2011–12 13.595 2.312 6.937 1.734 31.217 8671
1340 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342

7,121,626 t per year MSW is generated in the major city centers of production [45–49] and successful results have been achieved
the country. The calorific values of municipal solid waste deter- [50,51]. Various authors reported the advantages of microalgae
mined in laboratories based on their classifications are shown in [52–58]. A huge potential of biofuels production also exists in
Table 10. The total MSW generated in terms of metric tons of oil Pakistan. Chakrabarti et al. [59] carried out a detailed study on the
equivalent (MTOE) is shown in Fig. 7. The figure shows that the status of biodiesel research and development in Pakistan and
generation of MSW is increasing in consecutive years. concluded that using feedstock about 155 million liter biodiesel
Considering average calorific value of MSW as 6.872 MJ kg
1, can be produced. The estimated total biomass potential for wheat,
the power potential available from generated MSW in major urban cotton, rice, maize, sugarcane, rapeseed/mustard, sunflower/
centers of Pakistan is 13,594 GW h yr
1. canola crops is shown in Fig. 8. Nearly 65% (81 million ton) of the
The summary of power potential from different biomass sour- total biomass produced (123.47 million ton) is available for pro-
ces is shown in Table 11. The table shows that significant power ducing 20,339 million liter of bioethanol annually (@ 340, 250,
potential from different type of biomass exist in the country. The 430, 360, 70, 60, 65 L/ton respectively). There is a great opportu-
Government should launch a comprehensive program to exploit nity to grow alternative crops on un-productive and marginal
this available potential in the country. lands. It is estimated that around 28.5 million ha land in Pakistan
is un-productive and can be used for production of Jatropha
2.6. Biodiesel (Jatropha curcas) and switch grass (Panicum virgatum). Jatropha
has capacity to produce 1800–2800 L ha
1 yr
1 biodiesel while
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) biofuels switch grass can produce 2200–4400 L ha
1 yr
1 bioethanol [60]
will provide 27% of total transport fuels avoiding CO2 emissions of
with annual production of biomass around 5.5–11 dried
2.1 Gt by 2050 for which 65 EJ of biofuel feedstock will be required
ton ha
1 yr
1 from normal quality land. Similarly, Kallar grass
[13]. During the last decade, India has successfully used jatropha
(Leptochlaa fusca) being suitable for bioethanol can be grown on
plant to produce low cost biodiesel [43,44]. Efforts have also been
saline soil (46.5 mha) having potential of 40 t ha
1 yr
1 while
made internationally to use microalgae as feedstock for biodiesel
Kallar grass and fibrous wastes could provide 222 and 37.8 million
gallons of bioethanol per year respectively [61]. Nearly 5.58 mil-
Table 10
Calorific values of municipal solid waste. lion tons oilseed is also produced in Pakistan per year. The major
oilseed crops grown in the country include canola, cottonseed,
Sr. no. Area classification Moisture content Calorific value sunflower and rapeseed/mustard. Cottonseed nearly contributes
(%) (MJ kg
1)
51% edible oil production [62] along with its lint for textile
1 High income residential 60 7.27 industries. Cottonseed, rapeseed, sunflower, and canola was cul-
area tivated on an area of 7.14, 0.45, 0.7 and 0.03 million ha with total
2 Medium income residen- 63 6.98 production of 3.39 million tons of seed (0.41 million tons of oil),
tial area
0.16 million tons of seed (0.05 million tons of oil), 0.38 million tons
3 Low income residential 67 6.25
area of seed (0.14 million tons of oil), 0.02 million tons of seed (0.01
4 Commercial area 64 6.67 million tons of oil) respectively. It is important to mention that the
5 Industrial area 61 7.19 characteristics necessary to consider for the selection of proper
Average calorific value (MJ kg
1) 6.872
crops for biofuel production include suitable site, easy transpor-
Power potential¼ 6.872  7,121,626/3600 ¼13,594 GW h yr
1
tation, high survival rate under drought and hard conditions, early

Biomass Potential (Million Tons)

Total Waste Generated (Metric Tons of Oil Equivlent)
29,000 45 40.78
40
28,500 35.27
Waste Generated (MTOE)

35
28,000 29
30
27,500
25
27,000
20
26,500
15
26,000 9.24 8.5
10
25,500
5 0.35
0.2 0.13
25,000
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Years

Fig. 7. Total waste generated in terms of metric tons of oil equivalent (MTOE).
(Source: International Energy Agency Statistics, Index Mundi). Fig. 8. Total biomass potential of different crops.

Table 11
Summary of total power potential (TPP) from different type of biomass.

Year TPP from sugarcane TPP from cotton TPP from paddy TPP from maize TPP from bio- TPP from MSW@2% TPP from All biomass
trash (GW h) sticks (GW h) straw (GW h) stalk (GW h) gas (GW h) increase per year (GW h) sources (GW h)

2006–07 19,160 8200 13,293 3345 11,486 13,594 69,078

2007–08 22,372 7434 13,598 3905 11,879 13,859 73,047
2008–09 17,516 7539 16,114 3892 12,286 14,129 71,476
2009–10 17,281 8237 16,825 3533 12,439 14,405 72,720
2010–11 19358 7373 11790 4016 13,141 14,686 70,364
2011–12 20,313 8671 15,058 4627 13,670 14,972 77,311
 A. Ghafoor et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 60 (2016) 1332–1342 1341

Table 12 waste. Thanks to the naturally available biomass for biofuels pro-
Annual seed production and biodiesel potential. duction. A huge potential of biofuels also exist in the country.
Jatropha has capacity to produce 1800-2800 L ha
1 yr
1 bio-
Seeds Annual production (tons) Biodiesel capacity (000 L)
diesel while switchgrass can produce 2200-4400 L ha
1 yr
1
Cotton 3592 1047.46 bioethanol. About 155 million liter biodiesel and 20,339 million
Sunflower 265 183.99 liter bioethanol can be produced using jatropha, kallar and
Mustard 218 79.14
switchgrass. The current status of renewable energy sources in
Rapeseed 16 8.46
Pakistan in negligible with few installations at various places in
the country. Therefore, it is the dire need of the time to enhance
Table 13 R&D and utilization of these potentially existing sources in the
Annual biomass production and bioethanol potential. country for the sustainable energy supply in future. Government
should take initiative to promote renewable energy technologies
Crop Annual biomass production Bioethanol potential
(Million Tons) (Million Liter) by providing incentives to the community. Furthermore, aware-
ness campaigns should be launched to enable the local community
Wheat 35.27 11991.8 to understand the uses and benefits of these innovative renewable
Rice 9.24 3973.2
Maize 29.00 3060.0
energy solutions. The community involvement will left a long
Sugarcane 8.50 2030.0 lasting impact on the economy and will help to overcome current
energy deficit along with cleaner environment of the country as
well as the globe.
economic returns, low input requirements, easily degradable,
short duration and fast growing resulting more biomass per unit
area. The annual biodiesel production potential in the country
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