By Hifsa Raja

ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (INP-WealthPK): Researchers from the Department of Physics at the Comsats Institute of Information Technology, and the Department of Energy Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, have conducted a joint study on how fuel cell renewable technology can be utilised to alleviate Pakistan's energy crisis.

During an interview with WealthPK, Dr Abdul Rauf from the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), said that many countries were focusing on fuel cell-based energy resources. He said that fuel cell technology had been launched in countries such as Sweden, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“The benefits of fuel cell technology surpass those of other energy-generating technologies. An incentive to employ this technology is that the fuel it uses is abundant in nature and can be replenished. Such resources are abundantly available in Pakistan to make use of the fuel cell technology,” he said, adding that the technology could be used to promote Pakistan's sustainable development.

Dr Abdul Rauf said fuel cell technology has several applications. “Fuel cell technology can be used in transportation sector such as automobile, buses, submarines, spacecrafts, and ships. It can also be utilised for stationary power in remote, urban and suburban areas. It can be used as a portable power source for cell phones, radios and laptops. Fuel cells can supply electricity to a variety of purposes.”

Abdul Rauf said that the expanding population and inadequate design of Pakistan's energy infrastructure were the reasons for the current energy crisis. “Making full use of renewable resources requires proper planning. Pakistan should not only focus on tapping conventional energy sources, but also non-conventional sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass employing fuel cell technology.”

He said applications of fuel cell technology ranged from stationary power plants to portable energy consumption.

Dr Atiqul Anam, an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering department of Comsats, told WealthPK that renewable energy mostly covered hydro, wind and solar waves. “Though solar waves can be used to generate energy, microwaves can only be used for information transfer because the high frequency of microwaves will cause damage to equipment.”

However, according to research by Purdue University of the US, new battery technology involving microwaves may provide an avenue for renewable energy conversion and storage.

Moreover, according to Duke University, USA, an electrical current, which can charge a mobile phone, could be created from microwave signals.

Meanwhile, Zhejiang Benyi Electric Company, a Chinese inverter manufacturer, has introduced a micro-inverter series for residential systems. These inverters can assist rural communities in Pakistan to maximise their use of solar energy with their limited resources.

The Sindh province has huge potential to generate solar energy. The Gharo-Jimpir wind corridor in the province has been identified as the most profitable location for wind power projects. The wind corridor is 9,700 kilometres in length and has an annual power potential of 43,000MW.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk