1. A Low-Cost Sustainable Energy Solution for Pristine Mountain Areas of Developing Countries
- Author
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Haseeb Yaqoob, S. R. Sheikh, F. Rauf, Syed Hassan Raza Shah, Zareena Kausar, Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi, Muhammad Faizan Shah, Umair Aziz, Umar Rauf, and Rauf, Umar
- Subjects
Technology ,Control and Optimization ,020209 energy ,Energy Engineering and Power Technology ,Terrain ,02 engineering and technology ,STREAMS ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,micro-hydro power ,Remote communi ties ,Environmental protection ,run-of-the-river power generation ,vertical axis water turbine (VAWT) ,remote communities ,sustainability ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,Engineering (miscellaneous) ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Scope (project management) ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Run-of-the-river power generation ,Natural resource ,Water resources ,Current (stream) ,Electricity generation ,Micro-hydro power ,Sustainability ,Vertical axis water turbine (VAWT) ,Environmental science ,Energy (miscellaneous) - Abstract
The rise in energy requirements and its shortfall in developing countries have affected socioeconomic life. Communities in remote mountainous regions in Asia are among the most affected by energy deprivation. This study presents the feasibility of an alternate strategy of supplying clean energy to the areas consisting of pristine mountains and forest terrain. Southeast Asia has a much-diversified landscape and varied natural resources, including abundant water resources. The current study is motivated by this abundant supply of streams which provides an excellent environment for run-of-river micro vertical axis water turbines. However, to limit the scope of the study, the rivers and streams flowing in northern areas of Pakistan are taken as the reference. The study proposes a comprehensive answer for supplying low-cost sustainable energy solutions for such remote communities. The suggested solution consists of a preliminary hydrodynamic design using Qblade, further analysis using numerical simulations, and finally, experimental testing in a real-world environment. The results of this study show that the use of microturbines is a very feasible option considering that the power generation density of the microturbine comes out to be approximately 2100 kWh/year/m2, with minimal adverse effects on the environment.
- Published
- 2021