Impact of Intermittent Renewable Resources on Power System Economics and Dispatchable Power Plants Operation in Pakistan

Pakistan has framed policies to further the development of intermittent renewable resources (IRR) in the country. Consequently, IRR share is steadily growing in the electric power supply system (EPSS). This research work assesses the impacts of IRR on the EPSS in long term future, more specifically on the operation cycle of dispatchable power plants and system economics. The EPSS is analysed considering different shares of IRR in the system. The analysis shows that the EPSS of Pakistan can accommodate up to 50–60 GW IRR at a future demand level of 149 GW, which corresponds to about an 11% share of IRR in the total electricity generation. Beyond that, the country can face both operational and economic challenges in handling the power supply system. (author)