Renewable Energy through Ocean Tides

Abstract

Pakistan, despite the enormous potential of its energy resources, remains energy deficient and has to rely heavily on imports to satisfy hardly its needs. Moreover a very large part of the rural areas does not have the electrification facilities because they are either too remote and/or too expensive to connect to the national grid. Pakistan obtains its energy requirements from a variety of traditional and commercial sources. Share of various primary energy sources in energy supply mix remained during last few years as oil: 43.5%, gas: 41.5%, LPG: 0.3%, coal: 4.5%, hydroelectricity: 9.2%, and nuclear electricity: 1.1%. The electric power generation included 71.9% thermal, 25.2% hydel and 2.9% nuclear. While there is no prospect for Pakistan to reach self sufficiency in hydrocarbons, the good option is the exploitation and utilization of the huge coal reserves of Thar and the other renewable energy sources. Pakistan has wide spectrum of high potential renewable energy sources, conventional and as well non-conventional, which have not been adequately explored, exploited and developed. Thus, the primary energy supplies today are not enough to meet even the present demand. So, Pakistan, like other developing countries of the region, is facing a serious challenge of energy deficit. The development of the renewable energy sources can play an important role in meeting this challenge. Present observations based on reviewing the geological setup, geographical position, climatological cycles and the agricultural/industrial/urbanization activities reveal that there are bright prospects for the exploitation of various renewable energy sources, which include mega & macro/micro-hydel, biomass, biogas, wind, solar, co-generation, city and other solid wastes, utilization of low-head canal levels, sea wave & tide and geothermal energies etc. Technologically, all these renewable energy sources are viable and consequently suit to efforts for poverty alleviation and cleaner environment in Pakistan. The country can be benefited by harnessing these options of energy generation as substitute energy in areas where sources exist. As Pakistan is the agricultural country and major part of population lives in the rural areas, the electricity generated by renewable sources will also improve rural life, thereby reducing the urban migration that is taxing the ability of cities to cope with their own environmental problems. This study discusses various options w.r.t. energy generation through Ocean tides, tidal stream and current prevailing at 1000 km long Pakistan’s coast of Arabian Sea.