Unlocking Pakistan's wind energy potential for sustainable energy transition: A comprehensive review

Climate change is the major problem due to excessive utilization of fossil fuels for power generation. The key challenges of climate change are rising temperatures, biodiversity loss and ecosystem disruption, rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Addressing these challenges is critical for the successful integration of wind into the energy systems. This study explores how energy transition pathway is achievable through optimal utilization of wind source in Pakistan at lower cost and how it influences the phasing out of fossil fuels. Previous studies have largely addressed general wind energy concerns, but none have systematically evaluated the issue from a data-driven perspective. This review fills the gap by developing the institutional policy framework for energy transition. Utilizing bibliometric techniques and scientific mapping tools, this study synthesizes extensive research spanning from 2000 to 2024 and identifying the critical areas for future inquiry. The findings suggested that Pakistan is blessed with 346 GW of wind potential and is mainly in the three provinces of Pakistan. It is identified that 8.41% area cover moderate to excellent wind and at 50 meter height, maximum wind power density and speed is achieved for wind turbine installation. The power potential is estimated using the thumb rule that is 1 Km 2 area can generate power of 4.5 MW. Based on this accepted rule, the results revealed that total of 131.530 GW of power could be generated on 29,229 Km 2 in Pakistan. Finally, the use of energy models is promoted for framing sustainable energy transition policy. • Countries can reduce dependence on fossil fuels by deploying wind energy. • Wind energy produces no direct emissions, making it one of the cleanest energy. • Transitioning to wind energy requires significant upfront investments. • Upgrading green energy infrastructure supports sustainable climate change.