Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Plants as Dispatchable Renewable Energy Resource of Pakistan: A case study of Tharparkar

Pakistan is identified to be one of the next-11 the top emerging economies of the world after the BRICS. This emphasizes the establishment of a competitive electricity market that can fulfil the demand of the country considering the environmental concerns. In this scenario reliability of power is something that cannot be compromised. Dispatchable power stations play a major role in balancing supply and demand; this balance is essential for maintaining the power cuts free country. All dispatchable power stations incorporate some form of storage particularly thermal or chemical (i.e. a stored fuel).  Earlier dispatchable power was regarded as the generation which can start quickly and meet the peak demand requirements but arrival of renewables in power system has increased worth of its presence since it has just not to supply peak demand but also to meet during the unavailability of other renewable energy sources because of their intermittent behavior meanly at times of dark hours and slow wind speed. This study considers the viability of Concentrated Solar Thermal Power in Pakistan and thoroughly analyses several characteristics i.e., Availability of fuel, water, road and communication network, flexibility and environmental impacts of the technology for the cite of Tharparkar

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

Virtual power plant: state of the art providing energy flexibility to local distribution grids

Integrating decentralised energy sources into the traditional distribution networks can result in technical issues impacting the power quality. Innovative ideas are, therefore, needed to promote the transformation of systems to a smart grid. Distribution System operator (DSO) could make use of the flexibility of emerging technologies as a method to address these power quality issues. This study aims to present an overview of a local flexibility market (LFM) which will allow DSO requirements to be fulfilled through the (VPP) as an energy flexibility provider. The required optimization loads, generators and as well as storage units, are undertaken in the general algebraic modeling simulation (GAMS) environment. The aim of the optimization problem is to provide DSOs the opportunity to increase or curtail the local generations and loads in order to satisfy their requirement. The VPP will then be responsible for handling the relevant requests in real time to ensure the correct operating schedule of a resource is applied. The preliminary results of simulation studies presented in this paper have shown that the local market framework for flexibility could have potential for deferring investments in distribution network capacity, minimizing energy costs and improving the hosting capacity of distribution networks

Optimisation and Management of Virtual Power Plants Energy Mix Trading Model

. In this study, a robust optimisation method (ROM) is proposed with aim to achieve optimal scheduling of virtual power plants (VPPs) in the day-ahead electricity markets where electricity prices are highly uncertain. Our VPP is a collection of various distributed energy resources (DERs), flexible loads, and energy storage systems that are coordinated and operated as a single entity. In this study, an offer and bid-based energy trading mechanism is proposed where participating members in the VPP setting can sell or buy to/from the day-ahead electricity market to maximise social welfare (SW). SW is defined as the maximisation of end-users benefits and minimisation of energy costs. The optimisation problem is solved as a mixed-integer linear programming model taking the informed decisions at various levels of uncertainty of the market prices. The benefits of the proposed approach are consistency in solution accuracy and traceability due to less computational burden and this would be beneficial for the VPP operators. The robustness of the proposed mathematical model and method is confirmed in a case study approach using a distribution system with 18-buses. Simulation results illustrate that in the highest robustness scenario, profit is reduced marginally, however, the VPP showed robustness towards the day-ahead market (DAM) price uncertaint

The selection of wind power project location in the Southeastern Corridor of Pakistan: A factor analysis, AHP, and fuzzy-TOPSIS application

Pakistan has sufficient wind energy potential across various locations of the country. However, so far, wind energy development has not attained sufficient momentum matching its potential. Amongst various other challenges, the site selection for wind power development has always been a primary concern of the decision-makers. Principally, wind project site selection decisions are driven by various multifaceted criteria. As such, in this study, a robust research framework comprising of factor analysis (FA) of techno-economic and socio-political factors, and a hybrid analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) have been used for the prioritization of sites in the southeastern region of Pakistan. The results of this study reveal economic and land acquisition as the most significant criteria and sub-criteria, respectively. From the eight different sites considered, Jamshoro has been prioritized as the most suitable location for wind project development followed by Hyderabad, Nooriabad, Gharo, Keti Bandar, Shahbandar, Sajawal, and Talhar. This study provides a comprehensive decision support framework comprising of FA and a hybrid AHP and Fuzzy TOPSIS for the systematic analysis to prioritize suitable sites for the wind project development in Pakistan

Simulation Study on the Effect of Cover Tilt Angle of SolarStill on its Productivity

Survival hinges on access to water, serving as both the foundation for human existence and its continuous sustenance. Developing nations grapple with the significant challenge of ensuring clean drinking water availability. One solution is the utilization of solar stills, which harness solar energy for desalination to produce potable water, all without relying on high-energy sources. Solar stills remain a viable choice for providing safe drinking water to remote regions lacking reliable energy access. In this research, a comprehensive multi-phase 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was employed to investigate single-slope solar still with glass cover angles of 200 and 250This model accurately depicts temperature variations within the solar still during different phases of operation. The simulation results presented herein reveal that the efficiency is notably superior in solar stills equipped with copper plates, achieving an output of 1.24 when inclined at 200 compared to other inclinations.  It becomes evident that the tilt angle of the cover has a substantial impact on the output.  Additionally, the most suitable water depth for a 200 angle is found to be 18mm. This cost-effective innovation is designed to provide rural populations with an efficient method to transform brackish water into potable drinking water

A Review of Energy and Power Planning and Policies of Pakistan

Pakistan is facing multiple challenges for harnessing the indigenous energy resources and devise rational energy policies. The country is believed to have abundant energy resources, however, coping substantial electricity supply gap of over 5000 MW. This paper analyses country’s energy and power planning studies conducted since its independence in 1947 and policies announced so far. It is found that water resources management attained more emphasis in early decades of post-independence rather than energy concerns. The first energy and power planning study was conducted in late 1960s and since then various studies were undertaken to supplement five yearly medium term development plans of government. However, it is pertinent to mention that formal energy and power policies were only announced from 1994 onwards owing to growing electricity demand and progressing industrialization. Beside this, the focus of these policies is not only varied but were conceived without undertaking integrated energy planning using energy modeling tools e.g. MARKAL/TIMES; LEAP, ENPEP BALANCE, MESSAGE and EnergyPLAN. It is despite the fact that these tools are successfully applied globally for devising the energy policies and address the complexities of energy system by assisting effective policy formulation. This study recommends that integrated energy planning using energy modeling tools will be helpful to develop sustainable energy policies in Pakistan to eradicate electricity crises

Long-term electricity demand forecast and supply side scenarios for Pakistan (2015-2050): A LEAP model application for policy analysis

PRIFPRI3; ISI; PSSP; CRP2; CRP5; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; DCAEPTD; PIM15 pagesCGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM); CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE

Regulation of Voltage and Frequency in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Based Autonomous Microgrids Using the Whales Optimisation Algorithm

This study explores the Whales Optimization Algorithm (WOA)-based PI controller for regulating the voltage and frequency of an inverter-based autonomous microgrid (MG). The MG comprises two 50 kW DGs (solid oxide fuel cells, SOFCs) interfaced using a power electronics-based voltage source inverter (VSI) with a 120-kV conventional grid. Four PI controller schemes for the MG are implemented: (i) stationary PI controller with fixed gain values (Kp and Ki), (ii) PSO tuned PI controller, (iii) GWO tuned PI controller, and (iv) WOA tuned PI controller. The performance of these controllers is evaluated by monitoring the system voltage and frequency during the transition of MG operation mode and changes in the load. The MATLAB/SIMULINK tool is utilised to design the proposed model of grid-tied MG alongside the MATLAB m-file to apply an optimisation technique. The simulation results show that the WOA-based PI controller which optimises the control parameters, achieve 62.7% and 59% better results for voltage and frequency regulation, respectively. The eigenvalue analysis is also provided to check the stability of the proposed controller. Furthermore, the proposed system also satisfies the limits specified in IEEE-1547-2003 for voltage and frequency

The Selection of Wind Power Project Location in the Southeastern Corridor of Pakistan: A Factor Analysis, AHP, and Fuzzy-TOPSIS Application

Pakistan has sufficient wind energy potential across various locations of the country. However, so far, wind energy development has not attained sufficient momentum matching its potential. Amongst various other challenges, the site selection for wind power development has always been a primary concern of the decision-makers. Principally, wind project site selection decisions are driven by various multifaceted criteria. As such, in this study, a robust research framework comprising of factor analysis (FA) of techno-economic and socio-political factors, and a hybrid analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) have been used for the prioritization of sites in the southeastern region of Pakistan. The results of this study reveal economic and land acquisition as the most significant criteria and sub-criteria, respectively. From the eight different sites considered, Jamshoro has been prioritized as the most suitable location for wind project development followed by Hyderabad, Nooriabad, Gharo, Keti Bandar, Shahbandar, Sajawal, and Talhar. This study provides a comprehensive decision support framework comprising of FA and a hybrid AHP and Fuzzy TOPSIS for the systematic analysis to prioritize suitable sites for the wind project development in Pakistan