Beijing Key Laboratory of New Energy and Low Carbon Development, School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China.
School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Sep;30(41):94669-94693. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-28767-4. Epub 2023 Aug 3.
Biogas is a promising renewable technology to alleviate energy poverty. Pakistan has a capacity of 5 million bio digesters that can be installed in different farming areas. However, this target has never been achieved because many barriers hamper the biogas industry development. In previous studies, some researchers have indicated these barriers in different geographical contexts: however, these barriers are rarely examined in Pakistan. To fulfill the research gap, this study prioritizes potential barriers. Using a literature review and a modified Delphi technique, we identify 25 sub-barriers and catalog them into 5 main categories. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) prioritizes the main barriers and sub-barriers based on potential. Grey Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (G-TOPSIS) ranks the practical alternatives to combat these barriers. The study findings specify that the "financial barrier" is the top-ranked barrier among the main categories, followed by technical, socio-cultural, institutional and administrative, and environmental barriers. The overall ranking shows that the "high starting price tag" is ranked first among all sub-barriers in all categories. It has been proposed that "appropriate financial incentives" and "promotion of customized technology" would be feasible alternative solutions to combat the issues. Based on the research findings, some policy recommendations were suggested for biogas uptake in Pakistan. This study may assist policymakers, stakeholders, and government institutions in accelerating the potential of biogas energy to alleviate energy poverty in rural areas of Pakistan.
沼气是一种有前途的可再生能源技术，可以缓解能源贫困。巴基斯坦有 500 万个沼气消化器的产能，可以安装在不同的农业地区。然而，这一目标从未实现，因为许多障碍阻碍了沼气产业的发展。在之前的研究中，一些研究人员在不同的地理背景下指出了这些障碍：然而，这些障碍在巴基斯坦很少被研究。为了填补研究空白，本研究确定了潜在的障碍。本研究采用文献综述和改进的 Delphi 技术，确定了 25 个子障碍，并将其归类为 5 个主要类别。层次分析法（AHP）根据潜力对主要障碍和子障碍进行优先级排序。灰色关联度分析理想解排序法（G-TOPSIS）对解决这些障碍的实际替代方案进行排序。研究结果表明，在主要类别中，“财务障碍”是排名最高的障碍，其次是技术、社会文化、制度和行政以及环境障碍。总体排名显示，在所有类别中，“初始价格标签高”在所有子障碍中排名第一。提出了“适当的财政激励”和“推广定制技术”将是解决这些问题的可行替代方案。根据研究结果，提出了一些关于在巴基斯坦推广沼气的政策建议。本研究可以为政策制定者、利益相关者和政府机构提供帮助，以加速沼气能源在巴基斯坦农村地区缓解能源贫困的潜力。
