A Thorough Analysis of Potential Geothermal Project Locations in Afghanistan

Ali Mostafaeipour, Seyyed Jalaladdin Hosseini Dehshiri, Seyyed Shahabaddin Hosseini Dehshiri, Mehdi Jahangiri and Kuaanan Techato
Additional contact information
Ali Mostafaeipour: Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
Seyyed Jalaladdin Hosseini Dehshiri: Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran 1489684511, Iran
Seyyed Shahabaddin Hosseini Dehshiri: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 1458889694, Iran
Mehdi Jahangiri: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord 8813733395, Iran
Kuaanan Techato: Faculty Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-17

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.

Keywords: geothermal energy; location planning; MCDM method; sensitivity analysis; Afghanistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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