**2. Background**

*Wind Solar Hybrid Renewable Energy System*

the use the fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil to fulfill the energy requirement, which creates unsustainable situations and many problems like depletion of fossil fuels, environmental and geographical conflicts, greenhouse effect, global warming, and fluctuation in fuel prices. Due to environment-friendly and less emission of gases from renewable energy, it is considered as sustainable energy; also supported for the society from each dimensions like economic, social and environmental. "Approximately 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity and about 1.1 billion are without water supply" [1]. Renewable energy resources have an ability to complete the world's energy demand, protect the environment, and provide energy security. Along with the outstanding advantages of these resources, some shortcomings also exist like the variation of output due to seasonal change, which is the common thing for wind and hydroelectric power plant; hence, special design and consideration are required, which are fulfilled by the hardware and software due to the improvement in computer technology. The main renewable energy sources with their usage in different form are classified in **Table 1**, and it is expected that renewable energy will be one of the important sources for the future; the world's renew-

able energy sources scenario by 2040 is estimated as given in **Table 2**.

**Energy resource Energy conversion and usage option**

Solar Solar home system, solar dryers, solar cookers

Direct solar Photovoltaic, thermal power generation, water heaters Wind Power generation, wind generators, windmills

Biomass Heat and power generation, pyrolysis, gasification, digestion Geothermal Urban heating, power generation, hydrothermal, hot rock

Total consumption (million tons equivalent) 10,038 10,549 11,425 12,352 13,310 Biomass 1080 1313 1791 2483 3271 Large hydro 22.7 266 309 341 358 Geothermal 43.7 86 186 333 493 Small hydro 9.5 19 49 106 189 Wind 4.7 44 266 542 688 Solar thermal 4.1 15 66 244 480 Photovoltaic 0.1 2 24 221 784 Solar thermal electricity 0.1 0.4 3 16 68 Marine (tidal/wave/ocean) 0.05 0.1 0.4 3 20 Total RES 1365,5 1745,5 2964,4 4289 6351 Renewable energy contribution source (%) 13.6 16.6 23.6 34.7 47.7

**2001 2010 2020 2030 2040**

Hydropower Power generation

Wave Numerous designs Tidal Barrage, tidal stream

*Main renewable energy sources with their usage form [2].*

**228**

**Table 2.**

*Global renewable energy scenario by 2040 [3].*

**Table 1.**

The economy of Pakistan has been variable and unstable for a long time, but it started to grow somehow since 1990s. Energy demand also increased, as the economy of the country increased. To fulfill the energy demand, oil, natural gas, and coal are used, but due to limited resources, Pakistan is forced to import oil and gases from U.A.E and Saudi Arabia. The location of Pakistan is very good for getting benefit from the sun to generate power, and there are also some places suitable for wind power generation in Pakistan. However, the main problem to generate power is the funding. The energy overview of Pakistan is given in **Figure 1**. Ref. [4] addressed the impacts of renewable energy projects (REP) on the community in Australia. The study focused on four major factors impacting REP: social, political, economic, and environmental. According to one prediction, the world's energy demand will be increased up to 5 times from that of current demand. Currently, three-fourths of that demand is fulfilled by the fossil fuels. On the other hand, the more usage of these resources causes environment pollution and results in more greenhouse effect [5]. For the protection of environment, social development and economics benefits can be get by using renewable energy sources, because there is no requirement of fuel [6]. These resources avoid the fluctuations in prices and importing of fossil fuel. Wind energy has some effects like bird strike and noise etc., which can be mitigated by proper placement of installation. The hydroelectric power may develop slowly with respect to other resources, because a number of people have to leave their homes. But, this may be beneficial for the companies to improve flood control [7]. The increasing global warming effect can easily be prevented with the proper access of renewable energy and by improving the renewable energy technologies [8]. In developing countries like Pakistan, our main focus is to create jobs and the financial development, than focusing on the environment impacts; with the shift of consumers' attention toward renewable energy, society will be more effective and efficient and enhancement in smart gird system [9].

Renewable energy source will be the best option for minimizing pollution, increasing economy, energy security, and job opportunities; also, poverty will be reduced because mostly poor people rely on the natural resources [10]. It is believed that after 2050, 50% of global energy supply will be generated using renewable energy resources; the magnitude of renewable energy sources is 140 times the worldwide annual energy consumption. Renewable energy resources as "job motor for Germany," 55% increase in total number of jobs since 2004, reported in a publication from Environmental Ministry (BMU) [11]. Pakistan has

**Figure 1.** *Energy overview of Pakistan [22].*

abundant renewable energy resources and also shows the potential to overcome the energy demand gap, but it is inhibited by some factors like policy, institutional, regulatory, fiscal, social, economic, technical, industrial, and informational barriers [12]. Globally, around three billion people rely on solid fuel mostly fossil fuel, causing health concerns and diseases like pneumonia, chronic respiratory diseases, and lung cancer. It is found that with the 1% increment of growth there will be an increment in CO2 emission up to 0.84% [13]. Population and GDP per capita have positive impacts on increasing CO2 emission. Government of Pakistan should initiate, in short run, small dams in the northern area and, in long run, big dams and hydro power projects, and for domestic purposes, coal and hydel resources can be used in small scale [14]. With the proper and efficient use of energy, the culture will be developed [15]. Still most of the northern areas of Pakistan are not electrified and we are under the huge crises of electric power; urban and rural areas experienced 10–12 and 16–18 h, respectively, of load shedding, which is caused direct decrement in the overall economics. With solar cell, electricity can be generated but in small amount, which would be useful as backup during load shedding time. In Baluchistan, there is no scope of gird system because of scattered villages; 77% of the population lives in villages and 90% of them do not have electricity [16]. In Pakistan, big cities produce millions of tons of biomass, but lack of technologies to generate electric power from these wastes is one of the biggest barriers for the improvement in renewable energy resources in Pakistan. Pakistan has potential to produce almost 652 million kg of manure per day, only from cattle and buffalo. It can produce 16.6 million m3 biogas daily, and 21 million tons of biofertilizer can be generated per year. That means 20% nitrogen and 66% phosphorous can be provided to the crop fields. Additionally, 3000 MW energy can be generated from sugarcane industries. A 10 m3 biogas unit can save almost 92,062 PKR per year. Finally, the study concluded that biogas energy system has low initial cost, low operating cost, and positive impact on household income. Biogas energy can do good for almost 70% of the country's population living in rural areas [17]. Nuclear energy can be useful for the development in the long term to meet global increasing demand [18].

Every year, Pakistan spends 3 billion US dollars to import oil to meet the energy requirement, and this ratio is increasing 1% yearly. Decreased efficiencies of thermal plants, periodic changes in water flow, fuel availability, auxiliary consumption and transmission limitations are main cause that Maximum system capability is lower. The main cause of load shedding is the circular debt caused by government institutions, poor revenue collection, insufficient tariff, corruption, losses, theft of electric power, and dispute on tariff with FATA, AJK, and KESC and also due to ignorance of merit, appointments of noneligible employees on political basis, etc. Circular debt can only be improved with the introduction of more and more renewable energy to the national gird [19]. Nonrenewable consumption increases the real GDP rapidly as compared to renewable energy consumption. However, it has 87% variation in carbon dioxide emission, which causes deforestation and dangerous impacts on the human health and the environment. Finally, it was concluded that renewable energy consumption along with nonrenewable energy consumption is the better solution for the GDP growth of the country [20]. It is found that economical, technical, reliability, availability of renewable energy resources, and financial risk are the important factors for selection and ranking of renewable energy technologies. The study prioritizes the renewable energy resources as wind energy, biomass, solar photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy. Further, wind energy and biomass were preferred for power generation in Pakistan [21], and energy review of Pakistan is shown in **Figure 1**.

**231**

**Table 3.**

*Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Resources*

These resources also provide social benefits like improvement of health, according to choice of consumer, advancement in technologies, and opportunities for the work, but some basic considerations should be taken for the benefit of humans, for example, climate conditions, level of education and standard of living, and region whether urban or rural from agricultural point of view. Social aspects are the basic considerations for the development of any country. The following social benefits can be achieved by renewable energy systems: local employment, better health, job opportunities, and consumer choice. The study concluded that the total emission reduction is exponentially increasing in different years after the installation of renewable energy projects in remote areas [23]. Social impacts of each resource with

It was discovered that renewable energy projects provide benefits in economic point of view because they utilize local labor from rural areas, local material and business, local shareholders, and services of local banks. In addition, the renewable energy projects have facilitated the communities by establishing a trust fund that aims to invest the money earned by selling electricity in local economy. This makes it easy for a few communities to invest money on any small business of their own choice [4]. Biofuel projects created large number of jobs; however, very low jobs were created by solar power plants, as the ratio of people working in different companies increase that will create more jobs for others by using the part of their economy for entertainment, leisure, restaurant, etc. The consumers will be provided with electric power at a low cost as compared to that of conventional energy sources, and overall economy will be enhanced because there will be multiple options to generate power using different renewable energy sources

**Technology Impact Magnitude** Photovoltaic Toxins Minor-Major

Wind Bird strike Minor

Geothermal Seismic activity Minor

*Social impacts assessment for different renewable energy sources [7].*

Hydro Displacement Minor-Major

Visual Minor

Noise Minor Visual Minor

Odor Minor Pollution Minor-Major Noise Minor

Agricultural Minor-Major River damage Minor-Major

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89494*

its magnitude are listed in **Table 3**.

present in that region [23].

**3.1 Social impacts**

**3.2 Economics**

**3. Impacts of renewable energy resources**
