Analysis of challenges and opportunities of renewable energy use for sustainable energy future in Oman

The globe has been suffering from serious environmental pollution and climate change and resource depletion problems due to excessive utilization of fossil fuels. Especially countries in gulf region are mainly dependent on hydrocarbon, petroleum and natural gas-based energy resources and products. There are some endeavors to address the problem linked to such fossil fuels by developing various renewable energy technologies. Solar and wind energy sources are abundantly available in most parts of the gulf region; Nonetheless, the status of development of solar, wind, hydroelectric and waste to energy-based technologies are very limited in the region. There are some attempts to explore ways of maximizing the integration of renewable and climate friendly energy options into the existing energy mix. But several challenges are restricting such endeavors. This research work attempts to assess the opportunities and challenges for developing renewable energy technologies. The study investigates current status and proposes the best scenarios for sustainable energy future of Oman and the gulf region. Various energy mix scenarios will be analyzed and the optimum and most sustainable energy mix scenarios for the future of Oman and the region will be recommended. Various environmental and statistical software and computing techniques will be used to recommend the most optimum energy scenario.

Analysis of challenges and opportunities of renewable energy use for sustainable energy future in Oman Keywords:

Renewable energy technologies , energy mix scenarios , solar , wind and waste-energy