Technical and Economic Analysis of an HVDC Transmission System for Renewable Energy Connection in Afghanistan

Gul Ahmad Ludin, Akito Nakadomari, Atsushi Yona, Suresh Mikkili, Shriram Srinivasarangan Rangarajan, Edward Randolph Collins and Tomonobu Senjyu
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Gul Ahmad Ludin: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami 903-0213, Okinawa, Japan
Akito Nakadomari: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami 903-0213, Okinawa, Japan
Atsushi Yona: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami 903-0213, Okinawa, Japan
Suresh Mikkili: Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Technology Goa, Ponda 403401, India
Shriram Srinivasarangan Rangarajan: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Edward Randolph Collins: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Tomonobu Senjyu: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami 903-0213, Okinawa, Japan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Aged and insufficient domestic power plants and insecure, unreliable and expensive power imports pose significant challenges for the power sector of Afghanistan. On the other hand, due to the absence of a suitable transmission grid, the internal renewable energy resources are not adequately developed, despite their abundant resource potential throughout the country. This paper proposes a voltage source converter (VSC)-based high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link to connect the Herat province in the west, which has huge solar and wind energy potential, to Kabul, the capital of the country and the main load center. A techno-economic analysis of this HVDC against high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) technology was performed to determine the suitability and effectiveness of the proposed transmission system. The active, reactive and corona losses were calculated as the technical parameters and the discounted cash flow (DCF) method was deployed to economically compare both technologies. The outcomes of the paper disclose that the implementation of this transmission project is techno-economically feasible, and can result in the energy security and economic stability of the country.

Keywords: renewable energy; HVAC; HVDC; techno-economic analysis; power loss; corona loss; discounted cash flow (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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