Abstract:

With the advent of smart technologies, global trends have shifted towards more clean, green, and emission-less infrastructure to fight the global climate change crisis. The emissions and other climate change processes have increased global temperatures and Pakistan is among the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. Like the global trends, Pakistan has also invested in smart technologies with the inclusion of solar energy generation, wind energy generation, biogas technologies, electric vehicles, and smart farming technologies. These technologies have their associated challenges and to achieve maximum utilization with optimal operations, the associated challenges must be mitigated. The introduction and high penetration of these smart technologies have become increasingly important especially for developing countries such as Pakistan where the resources are limited, and high prices are discouraged. 

The document tries to analyze the current state-of-the-art technologies that are being utilized globally for electricity, transportation, and crop production. Moreover, the electrification of the transport sector has also been analyzed. The three main sectors of energy, food, and transport combined have the highest emissions in the industrial sector including energy generation, crop production/processing, and the emissions from the internal combustion engine vehicles. Although each sector has its smart technology with associated challenges, the integration of these sectors can help mitigate the associated challenges using the smart technology and its offerings across multiple sectors. The integration of the three sectors is defined as the energy, food, and transportation nexus (EFTN) where the agri-photovoltaic (APV) system from the agricultural sector, solar energy generation based on the photovoltaic (PV) panels and biogas technology along with grid utility from the energy sector, and electric vehicles (EV) joint with the battery swapping station (BSS) infrastructure from the transport sector interconnect into a working model providing services to each other to minimize the cost while resolving associated challenges.  

The proposed EFTN model has a wide base and includes several use-cases where different applications can be manifested using such integration. However, the document initially explores the base-case which is modified on the outcome to enhance performance, accuracy, and adaptability to multiple use-cases. To finalize the base-case, a preliminary analysis of the EFTN model is simulated where the BSS is integrated with the PV panel installed on a farmland area providing services to APV, grid, and an external load, e.g., cold storage. The cold storage on farmland to useto preserve crops and is an important part of food production and processing. Based on the simulations a 5% reduction in the cost of electricity was observed in the base case. The work further extends while modifying based on the outcome trying to incorporate various BSS and battery processes for improvement. These outcomes from the preliminary analysis suggest that the proposed EFTN model has the potential to provide the working foundation of a multi-sectoral approach to resolve challenges, reduce costs, and enhance profits.

Evaluation Committee

• Dr. Naveed Arshad (supervisor)

• Dr. Tariq Jadoon (thesis committee member

• Dr. Ijaz Haider Naqvi (thesis committee member)