Technical, Economic and Environmental Assessment of Electricity Generation from Solid Municipal Waste: Case of Mashhad

The purpose of this study is to assess the possibility of generating energy from waste and reducing the consequences of unconventional waste disposal in urban areas of Mashhad. The findings indicate that among five variants under study, variant 5 which allocated the highest energy efficiency, the lowest costs, and the least amount of greenhouse gases to itself was applicable for the city of Mashhad. Accordingly, in the first step, it is possible to propose a 1200 kilowatt power plant for the city of Mashhad in order to convert about 150 tons of waste daily. The estimated cost of running these facilities is about 150 billion Rials. This cost will be depreciated over a period of less than 5 years and will come to net profit. The sensitivity analysis by the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) parameter showed that with a reduction of 4% of sales revenue, the IRR would reach to 20.93%. Similarly, with a 4% decrease in the fixed assets and operating costs, the internal rate of return will reach to 23.13% and 22.88%, respectively.