Impact of solar heating technology installation on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Kabul city

The increasing trend of air pollution in Kabul listed this city, one of the most polluted in the world. The air pollution in Kabul contrasting to other polluted cities in the world is seasonal pollution. According to some reports during the winter season as the demand for heating increases, the majority part of the households and industries in cities use biomass and low-quality fossil fuels to meet their energy demand. The increase of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions due to the use of conventional energy resources, especially raw coal considered a serious threat to people's lives in Kabul. Due to the abundance of solar energy radiation and the simplicity of technologies, Solar Heating (SH) installation on the rooftop of houses is one of the most prominent solutions to minimize environmental impacts and air pollution related diseases in Kabul. The primary objective of this paper is to assess the potential of GHG reduction with the use of SH technologies in houses. Additionally, the impact of SH installation on non-renewable energy consumption and electricity bill reduction is deliberated in this paper as well. This study is supported by a public web-based survey, which is designed for municipal planned and nonplanned areas in Kabul city. The results of the study indicate, due to poor reliability of electric energy supply, most of the population in Kabul city rely on polluted energy sources to meet their primary demand. The study also points; housing sector in Kabul has the biggest portion of energy consumption, which is mainly used for heating purposes. Employing solar thermal technologies in households can significantly decline the utilization of coal and firewood, which in turn leads to a substantial reduction in GHG emissions. This study could be a good reference for the policymakers and investors in the field of green energy in Afghanistan.