Solar Water Heating Potential for Sustainable Tourism : A Case Study of Gilgit-Baltistan Pakistan /

Abstract

The world is moving towards renewable energy sources due to environmental concerns. Pakistan has also been facing climate change problems, especially in recent years due to extensive usage of fossil fuel which produce harmful and toxic gases to the environment. From the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the South, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Currently, tourism contributes over 5.9% to the total economy, worth a sum of Rs2.285 trillion, as reported by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Pakistan 2020 Annual Report. Tourists in the norther region of Pakistan also use energy with a greater intensity, often to local detriment where scarcity exists. With renewables, sustainable energy and tourism can complement each other. Therefore, this study is aimed to examine the feasibility analysis of the solar water heating (SWH) system for sustainable tourism in the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region of Pakistan. Initially, climatic data have been collected for the above mentioned two locations. The tourism impact on energy demand, solar irradiance and sunshine hour were key parameters considered to investigate the potential of SWH systems for this case study. The potential of SWH systems was investigated using T*SOL. Three different types of solar collectors were investigated, based on solar fraction, maximum collector temperature and overall efficiency. The simulations were performed for the Gilgit and Skardu regions. Among these collectors, the evacuated tube collectors (ETC) show high solar fraction, efficiency and CO2 emissions saved as compared to flat plate collectors (FPC) and unglazed collectors (UnGC). The results show that ETC has 75 % solar fraction, 40 % efficiency, and 676 kg CO2 emission saved for Gilgit city and 84 % solar fraction, 36 % efficiency, and 756 kg CO2 emissions saved for Skardu city. The most suitable systems for Gilgit and Skardu regions were presented and concluded that the utilization of solar energy in the colder region like GB can certainly contributes to ecotourism and sustainable development.