To Electrify a Flood Affected Village in Sajawal, Pakistan by Utilizing the Available Renewable Energy Resources

Sammanfattning: Pakistan, though being one of the most rich in renewable energy resources, faces serious energy crises and has a shortfall of about 6 GW electric energy. Most of the resources are untapped until today. The fuel for electricity production is being imported and is of high cost. The government is trying to fulfill the energy requirements of the industries and urban areas where rural areas are at the lowest priority. Pakistan was hit by flood disaster in 2010. There are number of organizations, governmental and private, that are trying to provide shelters and basic necessities to the flood affecties even until today. Village Goth Mehdi Farm in Sajawal area of Sindh is one of the examples of a newly built village for the flood affecties. It has been built with the help of Pakistan Navy, however, the village is bereft of electricity. This report presents three different designs for the electrification of the flood affected village, consisting of 20 houses, a mosque, a community centre, toilets and street lighting, in Sajawal, Pakistan by utilizing available renewable energy resources using sustainability approach. Supply of clean water and energy for cooking purposes was also investigated. However, it was identified in the site visit that villagers were using a mechanical hand pump to pump the underground clean water for daily usage which did not require further alternative. The village is surrounded by wheat fields and trees, and villagers used wood as fuel for cooking. Dehydrated animal dung of cattle was also used as fuel source. The Sajawal area is located in the wind corridor of Sindh and also receives sun light of high insolation level. Thus, wind turbine (WT) or/and PV module can be used for electricity generation, respectively. Based on such advantages three electricity generating systems are proposed. Option #1: solar energy by using 19 kilowatt Photovoltaic (PV) system with off grid inverter and battery bank to cater the load of the village, Option #2: wind energy by using 20 kilowatt wind turbine with a battery backup and Option #3: hybrid PV and WT system with 5.8 kilowatt PV system combine with 10 kilowatt wind turbine and battery backup. These systems have been designed by keeping social, economical and environmental aspects in account. The financial comparison showed that the option # 1 required highest amount of capital cost with respect to other options, while option # 3 needed lowest initial investment for installation. Moreover Option 1, solar system, was found to be the most expensive option when battery replacements (every 3 years) were considered over a 20 years life time. Option 3, hybrid wind and solar system, was concluded to be the most economical solution for the Goth Mehdi farms.