The most accurate study so far of the motions of stars in the Milky Way has found no evidence for dark matter in a large volume around the Sun. According to widely accepted theories, the solar neighborhood was expected to be filled with dark matter, a mysterious invisible substance that can only be detected indirectly by the gravitational force it exerts.
Talking to APP, GM Spaces Sciences, Pakistan Space and Upper Research Commission (SUPARCO) Ghulam Murtaza said that these theories just do not fit the facts.
This may mean that attempts to directly detect dark matter particles on Earth are unlikely to be successful, he said. Research by a Danish physicist suggests that the explosion of massive stars, supernovae, near the Solar System has strongly influenced the development of life.
If a supernova is close enough to the Solar System, the enhanced GCR levels can have a direct impact on the atmosphere of Earth. He said while some galaxies are round and others are slender disks like our spiral Milky Way, new observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope show that the Sombrero galaxy is both.
The galaxy, which is a round elliptical galaxy with a thin disk embedded inside, is one of the first known to exhibit characteristics of the two different types. The findings will lead to a better understanding of galaxy evolution, a topic still poorly understood.
USAID holds workshop on cost of service, tariff design: The USAID Power Distribution Programme Thursday held a workshop for power distribution companies (DISCOs) on Cost of Service and Tariff Design.
The workshop was a continuation of a series of capacity-building workshops through which the Power Distribution Programme is providing training to DISCO employees in conducting Cost of Service (CoS) studies as well as providing guidance on tariff setting principles.
The aim of the workshop was to discuss the Cost of Service Model prepared by the USAID Power Distribution Program in close collaboration with DISCOs. This model calculates the total costs incurred by a DISCO and allocates them to different customer segments in order to calculate the appropriate level of electricity rates.
It is expected that with the aid of this model, DISCOs will be able to calculate their category-wise costs of providing services through a globally accepted methodology, which will standardize the rate setting process and lead to cost reflective tariffs. Implementation of the Cost of Service methodology will result in ending intra-category cross-subsidization and reducing the overall subsidy provided by the government.
“Our main objective is to assist DISCOs in improving their performance and efficiency, therefore Cost of Service and tariff design shall help in achieving our objectives and DISCOs will be capable to work out appropriate tariffs for consumers,” said Saleem Arif, Deputy Chief of Party of the USAID Power Distribution Programme on the occasion.
Officials from Ministry of Water and Power, National Electric Power Regularity Authority (NEPRA) and power distribution companies attended the workshop.
USAID’s Power Distribution Programme is a three-year, USAID-funded programme aimed at working jointly with government-owned DISCOs in Pakistan to improve their performance in terms of reduction in losses, and improvement in revenues and customer services, to bring them to the level of well-run utilities in other progressive countries.
Through this programme, the United States Government provides assistance and support to the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to reform the power sector to end the current energy crisis.
