Publications

In recent years, the power sector of Bangladesh has seen a major development in terms of generation capacity. But as before, it is heavily dependent on fossil fuels overlooking the potential of renewable energy resources. The scope for grid-connected renewable energy systems has not been explored too far and in terms of solar thermal energy and concentrating solar power (CSP), it is even less. This study focuses on assessing the techno-economic feasibility of solar-driven Dish Stirling system for large-scale grid-connected power generation in Bangladesh. Detailed modeling and optimization of a 100 MW Dish Stirling power plant have been carried out in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a location suitable for solar energy harnessing due to favorable climatic conditions. The modeling parameters and weather data have been collected from relevant literature, various solar data providers, and specific plant parameters have been optimized for the Bangladeshi climatic condition. Simulation of the modeled plant carried out by the System Advisor Model (SAM) shows that, it can supply 129.856 GWh electricity annually operating at an overall efficiency of 24.91% which is much higher than the values reported in similar literature for the South-Asian regions. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has been determined to be 10.18 cents/kWh, which is highly competitive and promising. The insights obtained from this study can be a perfect starting point for the policymakers and concerned authorities of Bangladesh to further explore the viability of this technology for renewable and sustainable power.

This work presents a model and numerical study of 1 MW central receiver system (CRS) solar thermal power plant for distributed power generation in Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh to assess its techno-economic feasibility. The beautiful coral island despite being an excellent tourist spot lacks reliable, cheap and sustainable means of power. The aim of the present study is to utilize the solar energy that the island receives using CRS to provide a sustainable method of power generation.

This study has proved for the first time that the solar energy alone (without any sort of hybridization) is able to mitigate the entire yearly demand of electricity of the island with the help of CRS and thermal energy storage (TES) system. Modelled power plant can generate 3,304 MWh electricity annually with a gross efficiency and capacity factor 12.29% and 41.9% respectively at 38.61 Cents/kWh levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) which is 35.65% cheaper than the current rate at Saint Martin’s Island.

The findings of this study can be a very good starting point for the concerned authority of the energy sector and policy makers of Bangladesh to carry out further research and analysis to assess the overall viability of this technology at Saint Martin’s Island. A possible desalination cum power generation project can also be considered in this location using the same technology utilizing solar thermal energy to meet the demand of drinking water and fresh water of the local people.

As an alternative to the conventional steam Rankine Cycle, Kalina Cycle has witnessed a growing interest over the past years for high-temperature applications (A working fluid temperature of 500°C at the turbine inlet). However, the possibility of implementing an additional multi-phase expander on the weak ammonia-water solution loop of the Kalina cycle was hardly analyzed in the available literatures. In this research, two novel Kalina cycles (Kalina cycle-12A and Kalina cycle-12B) have been presented by integrating a multi-phase expander in addition to the turbine installed downstream of the Kalina evaporator. 

For Kalina cycle -12A, this additional multi-phase expander is positioned downstream of the Kalina separator and on the weak ammonia-water solution loop for Kalina Cycle-12B. A detailed mathematical model based on the thermodynamic laws has been developed to solve and optimize the Kalina Cycles. The influence of critical decision parameters, specifically the ammonia concentration on working fluid and evaporation pressure, were investigated. 

The optimization was performed based on the objective to maximize the net power output from the multi-phase expander under steady-state operating conditions. When the performance of the proposed Kalina cycles was compared with the conventional Kalina Cycle-12, both of them demonstrated superior performance, i.e., net power output and peak thermal efficiency increased by a maximum value of 3.23% for the proposed Kalina Cycle-12A cycle and 3.94% for the proposed Kalina Cycle-12B cycle. In terms of second law efficiency, Kalina Cycle-12A is 3.68% more efficient than Kalina Cycle-12, while Kalina Cycle-12B is 4.04% more efficient.

Bangladesh is ranked seventh among the climate risky countries in the world located in South Asia. Progressive economic growth, rapid industrialization and other development efforts are transforming Bangladesh towards a middle-income country. To cope with the rapid economic growth, energy supply needs to match energy demand. On the other hand, energy is at the heart of the solution to climate challenge as two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the energy sector. 

At present, around 62% of total electricity depends on gas-fired power generation but its stock is depleting fast due to the increased rate of extraction and use. Considering the shortage of natural resources and being a country worst hit by climate change, the existing state, future prospects, renewable energy policies in Bangladesh are needed to be evaluated to make the existing energy sector more sustainable and modern. A thorough description from secondary sources of the energy sector in Bangladesh is provided in this paper with a special emphasis on the current scenario and future prospects of electricity generation, existing policy issues by using various renewable energy sources.

Moreover, a comparison is made regarding the progress in renewable energy sector of Bangladesh with the countries most affected by global climate change. This comparison provides a perspective of how Bangladesh is progressing towards sustainable energy transition while facing problems due to climate change. Finally, recommendations are provided to advance the development of the existing energy sector of Bangladesh to turn it into a sustainable energy sector.

Electricity generation using solar thermal power systems can be made more efficient and both technically and economically feasible in countries receiving moderate solar radiation like Bangladesh through thorough optimization of different parts of the power plant. In this paper a theoretical and mathematical framework for optimization of a 150 MW solar tower thermal power plant in Bangladesh which uses molten salt as HTF has been developed by applying different methods of selecting crucial design aspects, such as design point DNI, solar multiple, design point temperature etc. after selecting the most appropriate location based on GHI and DNI data. 

The effect of these design aspects on the overall design of the power plant including the number of heliostats, solar field land area, tower height, receiver dimensions etc. have also been studied and finally the performance analysis of the power plant has been conducted. Analysis of performance reveals that the optimized power plant would be able to deliver 528.66 GW-h electricity annually to the national grid while operating at a capacity factor of 40.2% and gross-net conversion efficiency of 88.635%.

The study has been able to prove the technical feasibility of application of solar tower concentrating solar power technology for large scale power generation in Bangladesh. The study could be further extended to analyze the economical and environmental aspects in order to provide a holistic picture of the prospects of this technology in providing a green and renewable based energy sector in Bangladesh.

Submitted Manuscripts

• Multi-Objective Optimization and Exergoeconomic Analysis of Cascade Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle using low GWP refrigerants: A Case Study Approach. (Under review in Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Elsevier)

Manuscripts Under Preparation

• Techno-economic feasibility assessment of various concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies for grid-connected, large-scale power generation in Bangladesh.