Abstract
In recent decades, many countries have shown a growing interest in the use of renewable energies for power generation. Geothermal energy is a clean and environmentally friendly source of renewable energy that can be used to produce electricity and heat for industrial and domestic applications. While Afghanistan has undeniably good geothermal potential that can be utilised to alleviate the country’s current energy limitations, so far this potential has remained completely untapped. In this study, the suitability of 21 provinces for geothermal project implementation in Afghanistan was evaluated using multiple multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. The stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method was used to weigh each criterion while the additive ratio assessment (ARAS) method was used to rank potential geothermal sites. The technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), the vlse kriterijumsk optimizacija kompromisno resenje (VIKOR), and the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) methods were also used in this study. These rankings were then examined via sensitivity analysis which indicated that a 5% change in criteria weights altered the rankings in all methods except the VIKOR method. Volcanic dome density was ranked the most important criteria. All the methods identified Ghazni province as the most suitable location for geothermal project implementation in Afghanistan.
Highlights
At present, the world heavily relies on fossil fuels as a source of energy
The present study aims to identify potential geothermal project locations in Afghanistan and assess their suitability
Tasri et al [23] investigated the best source of renewable energy for electricity generation in Indonesia and found that hydropower was most appropriate followed by geothermal, solar, wind, and biomass energies
Summary
The world heavily relies on fossil fuels as a source of energy. overreliance on these fuels has resulted in environmental pollution, climate change, rising sea levels, etc. [1]. In order to meet the ever-increasing global demand for energy without compromising on environmental protections and sustainable development goals, it is essential that fossil fuel-burning power plants are gradually replaced by renewable energy systems [3]. Geothermal energy is harvested from the heat produced in the earth’s core [8] and its internal structures [9] which lie stored in rocks lying deep below the surface [10,11] This source of energy is used in electricity and heat generation and in oil extraction, paper production, gold mining and processing as well as silica dust production [12]. The ranking results were compared with each other before sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the impact of each criterion as well as the method of results evaluation
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have