Emerging technologies possess potential to steer Pakistan out of energy crisis
Technology
Emerging technologies possess potential to steer Pakistan out of energy crisis
By Ali Haider
(Web Desk) - As the agriculture-driven economy gears up to use renewable resources for electricity generation, a research titled "Reduction in Specific Energy Consumption of Overall Biogas Upgrading and Biomethane Liquefaction Process: Energy and Exergy Analysis" showcased an overall 15% reduction in total energy consumption of the process. In the first of the kind study, yet to be scaled up to industry, this reduction was a result of the combination of two mandatory stages of the process, upgradation and liquefaction, which reported 20.4% and 5.8% reduction in energy consumption respectively.
Javed Khan, the author and a researcher at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA said, "Integration of elitist and machine learning driven algorithms with process simulations can make chemical processes of optimized in terms of their energy and utility consumptions, adding that it will help in reducing environmental pollution as well as producing cheaper energy and fuels compared to the imported ones. "Being an agricultural country, biogas has a huge potential in Pakistan and smart technology use in conventional energy processes can help produce renewable natural gas", he added.
Observing the utilization of natural resources, for example livestock and agricultural residue, for the production of natural gas instead fossil fuels, he maintained that it can not only help reduce the financial strain posed by non-renewable resources on country's economy but also contribute to a healthier livelihood. "The indigenous natural gas reserves are depleting rapidly and are unable to meet the natural gas needs of the country, he voiced his concern.
He further said that it could also play its part in managing country's waste and promoting circular economy. With the necessary public funding, he added that this process could see the light of the day and could keep hundreds of thousands of homes lit in future.
