Solar Potential

in Pakistan
and PV
technologies
About the Speaker

Environmental and Energy Specialist

Renewable Energy Consultant
Trainer

2019 - Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG, Berlin, Germany

Certified Trainer

2017 – MPhil Renewable Energy (The University of Hull, UK)

2016 – Lecturer (IIUI)

2013 - Instructor / Operational Analyst, Mobile Phones Giant

Limited, UK
The Age of Sun Energy

In a speech addressed to 800 scientists at the International Sun-Energy-

Summit of the Unesco in Paris on July 6 in the year 1973, space explorer
Wernher von Braun stated „humankind today stands at the beginning of a new
age, the age of sun energy“.

Research and development are to be focused on three sectors:

1. Heating and cooling of buildings

2. Convertion of organic compounds into

power fuel via sun energy

3. Electric power generation

 Solar History

1839: Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovers the

release of electrons due to light.
Hertz, Hallwachs, Lenard a.o. continue to explore
the photoelectric effect.
1905: Albert Einstein explains the former findings
of his fellow scientists.
1958: NASA-Project Vanguard. Vanguard 1 was
the first solar-powered satellite. It`s the oldest
artificial satellite still in space.

The PV-modules are still functional!

Solar radiation

Τhe sun as energy source

Solar: 23000 TWh/a

Less than 0.01% of the World energy consumption: 16 TWh/a

sunlight’s energy would
need to be harnessed in Coal: 900 TWh (res.)
order to cover the annual
Uranium: 90…300 TWh (res.)
world energy consumption.

Natural gas: 215 TWh (res.)

Petroleum: 240 TWh (res.)

res. = total recoverable reserves

Photovoltaic potential worldwide
Solar irradiation and world energy demand

A large-scale solar
power park in the
Sahara desert could
cover arithmetically the
world energy demand
Satellite data

The high resolution solar radiation assessment is based on data of

the geostationary satellite Meteosat (M-5/M-7). The figure gives the field of view
of both satellites which scans the specific area every 30 minutes with a spatial
resolution of 5x5km²
Global Horizontal Irradiation

Annual average daily

total sum of GHI in
kWh/m²/day for
Pakistan 1999 - 2016
Peak Sun Hours PSH

• PSH (h) refers to the solar irradiance at a particular location if the

sun was shining at its maximum value of 1kW/m2 for a certain
time (e.g. a day or a year)

Example: A location that receives 5,5 kWh/m 2 per day can be said to
have received 5,5 PSH per day at 1 kW/m2.
Ground measurements of the global horizontal irradiance
Measurement sites in Pakistan

Peshawar, UET
Islamabad, Nust

Lahore, UET
Quetta, BUITEMS Multan, MSNUET

Bahawalpur, QASP
Khuzdar, BUET

Hyderabad, MUET

Karachi, NEDUET
Zones of solar resource in Pakistan

Source: solargis
Daily averages and average minima and maxima of Global Horizontal
Irradiation at 8 sites kWh/m²/day

Source: World Bank Group (ESMAP): Solar Resource and Photovoltaic Power Potential of Pakistan
Daily averages of Direct Normal Irradiation at 8 sites.
Daily averages of Global Tilted Irradiation at
8 sites
Comparing yearly GHI and TEMP
with potential PV power output at
selected sites
Simulation of solar photovoltaic
potential

Simplified Solargis PV simulation chain

▪ The photovoltaic effect

Sunlight strikes free electrons from their bound position

Silicon wafer (c-Si)

-
n-doped
silicon (Phosphorus)

Space charge region

+
p-doped
Source: www.solarpraxis.de
silicon (Boron)
The photovoltaic effect

Sunlight generates electrons (-) and holes (+)

negative
electrode -
n-doped
silicon
(phosphorus)

Space charge region

positive +
electrode
Source:
p-doped
www.solarpraxis.de
silicon (boron)
The photovoltaic effect

Solar cell powering load

negative
electrode -
n-doped
silicon
(phosphorus)

positive + Space charge region

electrode
Source:
p-doped
www.solarpraxis.de
silicon (boron)
PV-Cell Material

Efficiency

Photonic Bandgap
Cell Technology

Cristalline Cells Thinfilm - Cells

Monocristalline Cells Polycristalline Cells

Amorphous Cells
Efficiency ~7,0
%
CopperIndiumDiselenid
CIS
Efficiency
~10,0 %

Efficiency ~16* % Efficiency ~14,0 % Cadmiumtellurid

CdTe
Efficiency ~9,0
%
Polymer Solar Cells
 Types of Solar Cells

monocrystalline Silicon Cells

produced of pure semiconductor material (monocrystalline
structure)
sawn thin slices (wafers)
 high efficiency  high price

polycrystalline Silicon Cells

made of liquid silicon (different sized Crystals)
sawn thin slices (wafers)
 medium efficiency  medium price

Thinfilm Cells (Amorphous Silicon Cells)

coating of glass layer
(different sized Crystalls)
 low efficiency  relatively low price
Sensitivity of different solar cell materials to various wavelengths in sunlight

Relative intensity

Spectrum AM
1.5

Source: ISET Kassel

Wavelength in nm
Amorphous Cadmium teluride (CdTe)
silicon
Copper indium diselenid (CIS)
Crystalline silicon
 The solar module

Solar Cells are connected to

modules:

Technical data:

• Composed of 2 strings each: 60 Cells

• Open circuit voltage: 36 V
• Short circuit current: 7,2 A
• Rated power: 260 W
• Size: 160 x 80 cm
The Solar Generator

The solar modules are connected

to each other.
The so-called Solar Generator.

Manual handling of inclination

Photovoltaic modules – serial connection

Utotal
Umodule

module 1 module 2 module n

Photovoltaic modules – parallel connection

I1+I2+...+In

I1 I2 In

Utotal

module 1 module 2 module n

 + I = constSolar generator
Connection

U1 +
Module 1
String-
Voltage String 1 String 2 String 3
Total
String 1 String-
U2 = Summation Voltage
Module1+2+3 Total
Module 2
U = U1 + U2 + U3 Module 1 Module 2 Module 3
I = constant

U3
I1 I2 I3
Module 3
I = const -
- I = I1 + I2 + I3 U = constant

Serial Connection Parallel Connection

Several module are connected to a Several strings are connected
string.
>> Power and Voltage increase, >> Power and Current increase, Voltage
current remains constant. remains constant.
Standard Test Conditions (STC)
Characteristic curves of solar cells

Shift of the solar cell I/V curve with increasing

incident light
 Appropriability of Modules

• Fundamental appropriability of
transformerless inverters (TL) for
CIS & CSG-thinfilm modules

• Earthing of Plus-can lead to

errors in operation!
• Several manufacturers of thinfilm
modules release TL-mode in
general (First Solar) or committed
to project application.
• Impact of TL-inverters on PID not
completely explored!
• For a-Si, micromorphous ask
manufacturer!
 Energy generation – Mains - Consumer
Y-Grid 3AC400V
Δ-Grid L1+L2+L3+N
L1+L2+L3

400V

Low Voltage

High Voltage

Medium Voltage
Solar Home Systems (SHS)

▪Grid-connected and off-grid photovoltaics

Mini-grids (DC and AC-coupled)

▪Grid-connected and off-grid photovoltaics

Yield of a solar PV system

• The fundamental question to answer is how well the system

performs and how much electricity does the solar PV system
deliver to the grid
• Energy losses occur at every step of the conversion between solar
energy and AC electricity fed into the grid
• Pre-PV generator losses
• PV generator losses (module and thermal losses)
• System losses
• The task of the design engineers is to optimize the plant
maximizing energy yield by reducing losses

 Shading  Temperature losses  Inverter losses  Energy delivered

losses  Soiling losses to the grid
 Wiring losses
Reasons for losses

• Losses in modules due to temperatures >25°C (STC)

• System Losses (~10-15%)
• Cable/Junction losses
• Losses before module (Pre-conversion losses)
• Module tolerances
• Shadowing
• Soiling – 5 % - up to 30% in dusty areas
• Inverter ( 2,5 – 5,0 %)
• Transformer (1,5 – 2,0 %)
• Shutdown for service or security reasons
• The losses are added up and result in the so-called Performance Ratio
(in %); PR is improving with technological progress, currently: 75 -
80%
Sankey Diagram of
estimated Losses of
50KWp PV
plant
Soiling Losses
Further losses

• More losses to be included…

• Loads like air conditioning, security, monitoring, … can be

accounted as losses but are typically powered by grid rather by
PV plant
• Availability (scheduled/non-scheduled) is commonly not taken
into PR calculations except for off-grid systems
• Grid availability
• Insufficient maintenance, no preventive maintenance
• Bad availability of replacement parts
• Monitoring system missing
• Aging and degradation of components (e.g. modules)
Performance guarantee: Example

Source:www.solarworld-usa.com
 Yield depends upon several climatic conditions
 Solar radiation affects the most energy yield, but a variety of climatic data are
relevant for yield estimation

Variable Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Insolation, kWh/ 2.80 3.39 4.45 5.78 6.89 7.21 6.43 5.72 5.49 4.66 3.51 2.71
m²/day

Clearness, 0 - 1 0.54 0.52 0.53 0.58 0.62 0.63 0.57 0.55 0.62 0.65 0.63 0.57

Temperature, °C -1.37 0.19 4.55 10.61 16.08 19.78 19.76 18.34 15.82 11.08 6.40 1.77

Wind speed, m/s 6.00 5.94 6.32 6.87 6.21 5.89 5.78 5.79 6.28 7.29 7.03 6.24

Precipitation, mm 67 96 109 80 54 78 274 289 98 35 25 46

Wet days, d 6.0 7.6 10.9 10.6 8.6 8.1 15.4 15.9 8.3 4.2 3.0 4.5

Islāmābād, Pakistan - Solar energy and surface meteorology

Source: http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/ad-dammam.html
Photovoltaic – for experts only !
THANK YOU