The centralised nature of both local and national grids in many of the Muslim lands would leave many without electricity if a number of power stations sustained an attack. The Khilafah from her inception needs to build a decentralised energy infrastructure. A decentralised infrastructure is where local power generation is the priority, through numerous small scale power-plants, as opposed to a centralised grid where the nation is dependent on power production through larger but fewer power-plants. There are a number of advantages a decentralised energy infrastructure over a centralised infrastructure will bring to the Khilafah: - The Khilafah will be an expanding state; expanding grid networks will be more difficult, expensive and inefficient if expanded from power stations positioned long distances from demand. -The Khilafah will in all likelihood face a foreign attack; local power generation through a decentralised grid re-enforces regional and local grids – facilitating continuation of power in one region if another was to lose power. - In most Muslim lands, populations are distributed with a larger percentage resident in rural areas rather than urban areas, a decentralised energy infrastructure will help prevent the formation of ‘mega-cities’ and large urban conurbations seen throughout the world. - Local grids will be a key element in providing power for existing areas that do not have power. - Without the need for power to be sent over long distances, the larger power-plants would be used to ensure a secure supply for the heavy industrial complexes and sensitive installations. Through a decentralised grid local power generation can be achieved through the use of renewables. The use of renewables depends on climatic and geographical conditions of the region for which it is to be used for. Wind is the most mature of all the renewable technologies, while Biomass generation is the most stable. The most ideal situation in a decentralised network is where every building is itself a power source. This could take place via the Khilafah adopting building standards whereby all new buildings must have a certain percentage of its energy needs met through micro-generation i.e. through solar and Combined Heat and Power units. Pakistan and Bangladesh have huge hydropower potential, whilst Indonesia and Malaysia have large wind power potential, at the same time the Middle East has huge solar potential. Extracted From: Khilafahs Energy Policy Link: khilafahbooks/wp-content/ebooks/english/khilafah/khilafah_energy_policy.pdf
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 19:45:12 +0000