Wind energy development in Pakistan

Pakistan has a very limited fossil fuel resource base. The poor economy does not allow the import of fossil fuels, particularly oil, on a large scale. Moreover, too much reliance on imported oil is critical from energy security point of view. A large fraction of the population lives in remote areas and is still waiting to be connected to the national electricity grid. To help these remote communities in particular, and to overcome energy shortages in general, Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous energy resources like hydropower, solar and wind. More than 1000 km long coastline in south and some places in northern mountainous areas provide an excellent resource of wind energy. This vast potential can be exploited to produce electricity on both community and wind farm scales. Applications other than electricity production, such as water pumping, also have vast applications. This article discusses the past, the present and the future of wind energy use in Pakistan. The efforts for the utilization of wind energy in the country are presented as well, along with barriers to its development. It is concluded that the potential exists, but significant efforts are needed to effectively make use of this cheap renewable energy source. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.