Evaluation of residential scale wind-solar electricity and hydrogen in Pakistan: Production capacity assessment

The widespread use of fossil fuels in Pakistan has seriously challenged society and the environment. Transitioning to electric fuels such as hydrogen can not only help reduce air pollution but also reduce dependence on fossil fuels and enhance Pakistan’s economic sustainability. Recent studies show a lack of comprehensive investigation of renewable hydrogen for providing an informative roadmap to energy policymakers in Pakistan. This paper deals with discovering the renewable electricity potential and capacity assessment of hydrogen production by electrolysis in 62 stations in Pakistan using ArcGIS and HOMER software. The techno-economic feasibility study indicates that the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for solar electricity is $0.189/kWh (Quetta), while for wind-generated electricity is $0.3/kWh (Peshawar). The results also indicate that the annual energy production of 143.5 MWh and 109.7 MWh from solar and wind energy, respectively. Moreover, the generated electricity can be used for water electrolysis to produce around 2.7 and 1.5 tons/year of hydrogen by solar and wind energy, respectively. According to the results, Mardan and Peshawar are the most suitable stations for renewable hydrogen production, while Islamabad is the least appropriate.