Is Nuclear Power Generation a Viable Alternative to the Energy Needs of Pakistan? SWOT-RII Analysis

Pakistan has faced a severe energy crisis for the last two decades. With the considerable power generation expansion, the country still faces power outages with an unsustainable energy mix. Successive energy policies emphasized thermal power deployment which has proved to be a part of the problem. Therefore, the present study has attempted to evaluate and investigate the prospects of nuclear power as a viable alternative in terms of energy security, reliability, and environmental sustainability with the SWOT tool. To further quantify the main drivers and barriers of nuclear energy, a Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis has been done. The results reveal that Pakistan has decades of experience running nuclear power plants satisfactorily. The regulatory framework for nuclear power generation is adequate to expand nuclear power generation. The opportunities are enormous to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), as nuclear is a carbon-free source of energy. The main barriers are global suspicion of nuclear proliferation and less social acceptance.Keywords: SWOT, Delphi, RII Analysis, Nuclear Power GenerationJEL Classifications: P4, Q4DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.11122</p

Production of Bio Diesel Oil from Algae in Coastal Area of Balochistan-Pakistan

Bio-diesel is one of the most important suitable oil to elimi-Abstract:- Transportation is the backbone of our society, powering the economies of the world every day. The Transportation network is responsible for a large amount of the hazardous emissions causing global warming and air pollution problems worldwide. Bio-diesel is one of the most important suitable oil to eliminate greenhouse gases emissions and alternative of the fossil fuels. The demand of energy is increasing on day-to-day basis, because enhancement in industrialization and population. Bio-diesel (mono-alkyl-esters) is the substitutive fuel, which obtained through the process of transesterification of monohydric alcohols with triglyceride oil. Bio-diesel oil obtained from the renewable sources of fuel having no properties of degradable and toxic. The waste cooking oil, such as sunflower, canola, soybean, coconut, corn oil, fish oil, rice bran, chicken fat, and algae can be used for preparation of Bio diesel, by adopted this process, the dependency on petroleum-based fuel decreased partially. This paper will focus on production of bio diesel oil from algae (micro algae and macro-algae) having higher efficiency of photosynthetic process by the other biomass products. The algae are best sources for the production bio-diesel, and having best yielding stock for bio-diesel. The macro algae is available in abundant in the form of seaweed at coastal area of Balochistan which extends over 750 kms. The micro algae cultivated near the beach of coastal area either in wet land (ponds) or in saline lagoons. It will provide main source of income to the people of coastal area inhabitants and consequently, it will provid

Performance Improvement and Energy Cost Reduction under Different Scenarios for a Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plant in the Middle-East Region

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a leading renewable energy technology, and the parabolic trough (PT) is one of the most used configurations of CSP. In the present study, the performance improvement and energy cost reduction of a 50 MWe PT plant for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is presented. The simulations were carried out using the System Advisor Model software. The analyses of a PT plant with different technologies/parameters are undertaken in the first instance for seven cases. These cases include solar multiple, solar collectors, receivers, heat transfer fluid, cooling system (evaporative and air-cooled), thermal energy storage system (4–12 h), and fossil dispatch mode (0.25 to 1.0). Based on these analysis, the eighth case, which is found to be the best-case scenario in this study, was considered by taking into account the best of preceding case results and was determined to be the most suitable both in terms of performance and cost reduction. It is, therefore, concluded from this study that the utilization of CSP plants with a proper selection of technology could help reduce energy costs and environmental pollution, enhance system performance, and meet energy demands effectively

Cost Estimation and Comparison of Carbon Capture and Storage Technology with Wind Energy

The CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is one of the significant solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuelled electricity generation plants and minimize the effect of global warming. Economic analysis of CCS technology is, therefore, essential for the feasibility appraisal towards CO2 reduction. In this paper LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity Generation) has been estimated with and without CCS technology for fossil fuel based power plants of Pakistan and also further compared with computed LCOE of WE (Wind Energy) based power plants of the Pakistan. The results of this study suggest that the electricity generation costs of the fossil fuel power plants increase more than 44% with CCS technology as compared to without CCS technology. The generation costs are also found to be 10% further on higher side when considering efficiency penalty owing to installation of CCS technology. In addition, the CO2 avoided costs from natural gas plant are found to be 40 and 10% higher than the local coal and imported coal plants respectively. As such, the electricity generation cost of 5.09 Rs/kWh from WE plants is found to be competitive even when fossil fuel based plants are without CCS technology, with lowest cost of 5.9 Rs./kWh of CCNG (Combined Cycle Natural Gas) plant. Based on analysis of results of this study and anticipated future development of efficient and cheap WE technologies, it is concluded that WE based electricity generation would be most appropriate option for CO2 reduction for Pakistan

Performance and Economic Analysis of Concentrated Solar Power Generation for Pakistan

In Pakistan, the utilization of renewable energy sources is increasing in order to reduce the electricity supply and demand gap. However, concentrated solar power (CSP) generation has not been considered in the country even though it has gained considerable attention worldwide. This study, as such, investigates the potential, performance, and economic analyses of four CSP technologies for different locations in Pakistan. Initially, an assessment of CSP sites, including solar resource, land, and water availability, was undertaken. Then, performance simulations of CSP technologies for four different locations of Pakistan, namely Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, and Peshawar, were examined. For all cases, highest energy production was achieved in summers and lowest in winters, and CSP plants with evaporative cooling were found to be efficient compared to air cooling. The results also revealed that the Quetta and Hyderabad regions were promising for CSP development while parabolic tough (PT) and solar power tower (SPT) were the suitable CSP technologies for these regions. Specifically, the SPT plant with air cooling could be a favorable option for energy production in Quetta. Lastly, economic analyses revealed the financial feasibility of CSP plants in Pakistan since the levelized cost of energy is found to be significantly low

Modeling of Future Electricity Generation and Emissions Assessment for Pakistan

Electricity demand in Pakistan has consistently increased in the past two decades. However, this demand is so far partially met due to insufficient supply, inefficient power plants, high transmission and distribution system losses, lack of effective planning efforts and due coordination. The existing electricity generation also largely depends on the imported fossil fuels, which is a huge burden on the national economy alongside causing colossal loss to the environment. It is also evident from existing government plans that electricity generation from low-cost coal fuels in the near future will further increase the emissions. As such, in this study, following the government&#8217;s electricity demand forecast, four supply side scenarios for the study period (2013&#8211;2035) have been developed using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) software tool. These scenarios are Reference scenario (REF) based on the government&#8217;s power expansion plans, and three alternative scenarios, which include, More Renewable (MRR), More Hydro (MRH), and More Hydro Nuclear (MRHN). Furthermore, the associated gaseous emissions (CO2, SO2, NOX, CH4, N2O) are projected under each of these scenarios. The results of this study reveal that the alternative scenarios are more environmentally friendly than the REF scenario where penetration of planned coal-based power generation plants would be the major sources of emissions. It is, therefore, recommended that the government, apart from implementing the existing plans, should consider harnessing the renewable energy sources as indispensable energy sources in the future energy mix for electricity generation to reduce the fossil-fuel import bill and to contain the emissions

An Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Sustainable Procurement of Construction Equipment: Multicriteria-Based Decision Framework for Malaysia

Sustainable procurement is an emerging theme in the construction industry across the globe. However, organizations in the construction industry often encounter impediments in improving environmental performance in construction projects, especially in procurement. Besides its other facets, procurement of construction equipment is inherited to be capital-intensive and vital for managing environmental concerns associated with built environment projects. In this regard, selection criteria in such procurement processes are generally supportive of considering cost and engineering specifications as key parameters. However, sustainability apprehensions in today’s Malaysian construction industry have mounted pressure on industry professionals to rethink their equipment acquisition strategies. The notion of green or sustainable procurement is still infancy for the Malaysian construction industry and facing challenges for embedding it in the current procurement practices. This research aims to address these apprehensions by considering six main criteria, namely, life cycle cost (LCC), performance (P), system capability (SC), operational convenience (OC), environmental impact (EI), and social benefits (SBs), and their 38 subcriteria towards procurement of sustainable construction equipment. A multicriteria-based equipment selection framework on the triple bottom line of sustainability in the context of the Malaysian construction industry has been developed and tested. The application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) established the sustainable procurement index with a consistent sensitivity analysis results. As such, the proposed procurement index shall help decision-makers in the process of the acquisition of sustainable construction equipment in Malaysia