Potential and viability of stand alone solar PV systems for rural electrification of Pakistan by using RET screen software

Abstract

Pakistan is facing energy crisis from last decade in spite having huge potential of solar energy. This research work will provide an assessment of the solar potential of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K.P.K) region. A comparison of the economic and financial analysis(Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payback period, and simple payback period) for a stand-alone PV systems for different regions of K.P.K. have been done by simulating the solar systems on RET Screen. RET Screen has also been used for studying the effects of slope, latitude, orientation and geographical conditions of the selected six sites of K.P.K. Also, environmental effects such as Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission have been calculated and finally an optimum location for the installation of the solar panels has been proposed based on the results of the RET Screen.