Problem:

Burning/shortage of fossil
fuels
Over time, these remains were compressed and fossilised, creating carbon-rich
fuel sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. Since fossil fuels take such a long
time to be created, we can't simply wait for more to formed. We're also
consuming these fuels at an incredible rate, meaning that reserves are running
fast.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a
greenhouse gas, into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere,
causing global warming.
The imported fossil fuels take up a large portion of Pakistan’s funds
One of the major reasons why fossil fuels are considered cheap is due to a history
of government incentives, to the tune of $5.2 trillion dollars.

Causes:
Fossil fuels are burned to produce electricity

Pakistan produces 64% of its electricity from fossil fuels, with another 27%
from hydropower, 5% from nuclear power and just 4% from renewables such as
solar and wind.

Effects:
There are three adverse effects of burning fossil fuels: Air pollution, Water
pollution, ultimately resulting in climate change.
Air pollution from fossil fuels can cause acid rain, eutrophication
(excessive nutrients that can harm aquatic ecosystems by lowering
oxygen levels), damage to crops and forests, and harm to wildlife. Water
pollution: From oil spills to fracking fluids, fossil fuels cause water
pollution.
Greenhouse gasses emitted from burning fossil fuels are trapped causing global
warming.
Carbon dioxide when mixes with water also reacts with it eventually
polluting it making it harmful for the environment

Existing Solutions:

1. Solar Panels:
Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through
photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. This
energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal
storage.
Reason:
Solar energy is a renewable source of energy which is easy to get and store.
Furthermore, no carbon is emitted and is eco-friendly.

Efficiency:
One major advantage of solar energy is that it produces more energy in
less amounts of time resulting in reduced electricity bills depending on the
size of the equipment. Excess solar energy can be sold to the grid. Solar
panels also increase the property value. It has 15-22% efficiency depending
on the climatic factors and orientation of solar panels. For a 5KW Solar
System, the number of panels depends upon the capacity and efficiency of
the panels you are using. For example, you will need 15 panels of 345 watt
or 9 panels of 530 watt for a 5kW solar system. Average cost of a solar
panel plate is about $20,000. 1 watt of solar energy is produced for $4-6.

Disadvantages:
Solar energy is expensive, it has low maintenance costs but installation is
expensive and at the end of the day the battery needs to be changed
which requires additional money . Moreover, it is condition dependent.
 On rainy and cloudy days the efficiency of solar panels drops. Additionally,
all the light hitting the solar panels is not converted into electricity.

2.Hydropower:
Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is a renewable source of energy that
generates power by using a dam or diversion structure to alter the natural
flow of a river or other body of water.
Reason:
Hydro power is somewhat eco friendly because it doesn’t emit carbon
dioxide or any toxic by-products. It is a renewable energy and can be
reused. It is safer than using fossil fuels.

Efficiency:
Converting over 90% of available energy into electricity, hydropower is the
most efficient source of electrical energy. By comparison, the best fossil fuel
power plants operate at approximately 60% efficiency. Hydropower facilities have
a very long service life, which can be extended indefinitely, and further improved.
GGPE is the representative of the hydropower industry, the average operating
gross profit in the past five years is 45.4%, far exceeding the national average.In
the U.S., hydropower is produced for an average of 0.85 cents per kilowatt-hour
(kwh).
Disadvantages:
The construction of these large-scale hydropower dams have contributed to
the destruction of the environment, disrupting river ecology, deforestation,
losing aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. Oftens it creates reservoirs which
flood large areas affecting the natural habitat. Installation of dams is
high-priced and it is a very long process, sometimes it takes 5-6 years
whereas it can also take about 20-30 years. Reservoirs not only displace
animals from their habitats, but they also displace people. This
disadvantage of hydroelectric energy can have quite a large impact on
communities. People who have lived in an area their whole lives may be
forced to move, and although they are typically compensated for moving, it
can’t make up for what they have lost. In 2021, the average installation cost
of hydropower systems stood at 2,135 U.S. dollars per kilowatt installed.

3.Biogas made from animal waste products:

 Methane gas production results The amount of methane gas production for
variable A, which produces the most gas, is on the variable A3 (70% cow dung:
15% chicken manure: 15% cabbage waste) with a total methane gas of 6380 ml for
30 days of production.
Reason:
Animal waste products are renewable and are produced in large quantities
daily. The manure or animal dung is used as a rich fertilizer, an efficient fuel,
and also as a biogas producer hence, being eco-friendly and efficient
Efficiency:
Animal dung is a biodegradable waste as they contain hydrocarbons,
which can be easily broken down into simpler organic molecules like
methane, hydrogen, water, and oxygen both aerobically and anaerobically.
These are a good source of macronutrients and they improve soil fertility as
well. Additionally, they are cost effective and they help in reducing soil
erosion and leaching. It improves the physical properties of the soil and
aerates the soil as well as improves the water and nutrient holding capacity
of the soil. Correspondingly, they can be transported easily. It depends on
several factors, however, in the best conditions: 1kg cow dung produces
250g of biogas (methane gas) over 24hrs. (55-65% from the gas is methane,
CH4). Anaerobic digester’s lifespan can go from 15 years up to 50 years and
according to the current data they are 30-70% efficient. With 6 dairy farms
generating about 12 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and more
than 4,600 CVPS electricity customers voluntarily paying
premiums of $0.04 per kilowatt-hour, or a total of about $470,000 per
year.
Disadvantages:
Few disadvantages of biogas made from animal manure includes
requirement of large amounts of water. Anaerobic digesters are very costly
ranging from $400,000 - $1,000,000.

Keeping excess water away from your manures:

Dung and urine scraped from the floor with some bedding material
produces a very thick slurry. Some water is usually needed to make it easier
to handle, mix and pump. A 60:40 mix of dung/urine to water gives a slurry
of about the right ’soup-like’ consistency for easy mixing, pumping and
spreading and provides a significant fertilizer value.
However, if you add too much water:
 • it is more likely to run off the field;
• it will dilute the fertilizer value of each load spread;
• it creates a greater volume of slurry, which will be more costly to
store and spread.

Nuclear power:
Nuclear power is the controlled use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy can be
released by nuclear reactions in a machine called a nuclear reactor. This energy
boils water for a steam engine to make electricity, which then can be used to
power machines and homes.

Reason:
Nuclear is a zero-emission clean energy source. It generates power through fission,
which is the process of splitting uranium atoms to produce energy. The heat
released by fission is used to create steam that spins a turbine to generate
electricity without the harmful byproducts emitted by fossil fuels.

Efficiency:
Nuclear power is already one of the most efficient types of energy available
today. An average capacity factor of 91 percent beats other energy forms by a
substantial margin. Natural gas produces an average of 50 percent .Typical nuclear
power plants achieve efficiencies around 33-37%, comparable to fossil fueled
power plants. Higher temperature and more modern designs like the Generation
IV nuclear reactors could potentially reach above 45% efficiency.Nuclear fission is
nearly 8,000 times more efficient at producing energy than traditional fossil fuels.
That's a considerable amount of energy density. Because nuclear energy is more
efficient, it requires less fuel to power the plant and therefore creates less waste
as well.

Disadvantages:

Nuclear takes 5 to 17 years longer between planning and

operation and produces on average 23 times the emissions per unit
electricity generated. In addition, it creates risk and cost associated with
weapons proliferation, meltdown, mining lung cancer, and waste risks. Clean,
renewables avoid all such risks.Environmental impact. Although nuclear
power plants release zero carbon emissions, nuclear power still has a
substantial impact on the environment, mainly through mining and water
discharge. ...
Water intensive. ...
Risk of nuclear accidents. ...
Radioactive waste. ...
Non-renewable…
Expensive to Build
Despite being relatively inexpensive to operate, nuclear power plants are
incredibly expensive to build—and the cost keeps rising. From 2002 to 2008
the estimated cost to build a nuclear plant grew from $2-$4 billion to $9
billion, and power plants often surpass their cost estimates during
construction. In addition to the expense of building a power plant, nuclear
plants must also allocate funds to protect the waste they produce and keep it
in cooled structures with security procedures in place. All of these costs
make nuclear power quite expensive.

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