Technological review on solar PV in Pakistan: Scope, practices and recommendations for optimized system design

Due to increasing fossil fuel prices and their limited availability, the global energy focus is shifting towards renewable resources. However, the uptake of these resources by Pakistan is rather slow. Various factors such as political interference, social unacceptability and economic barriers are deterring the widespread use of these resources. In addition, there is a consensus in the literature that technological knowledge of solar PV in Pakistan is limited at best. Many studies have indicated technological shortcomings as one of the major barriers in PV growth, however very little or no work has been reported which could actually address these issues. This paper reviews the current state of affairs in solar PV with a focus towards the technological shortcomings. We highlight various inefficient practices in the system design which lead to un-optimized and unreliable systems, thus contributing towards the lack of social acceptability of PV. We also propose several modifications that should be added to the design process of such systems to make them more accurate and reliable. Conforming to proper design methodologies and detailed understanding of technological aspects will go a long way in making PV grow in Pakistan.