4 Feb 2012

Tap alternative sources to achieve energy security: scientist


Tap alternative sources to achieve energy security: scientist

STAFF REPORTER
SHARE  ·   PRINT   ·   T+  
‘The world will run out of fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel, coal, etc., soon'
The way ahead:G. Bhavanarayana, Scientist-G, National Physical Laboratory, addresseing a seminar in Eluru on Friday. -Photo A.V.G. Prasad
The way ahead:G. Bhavanarayana, Scientist-G, National Physical Laboratory, addresseing a seminar in Eluru on Friday. -Photo A.V.G. Prasad
G. Bhavanarayana, Scientist-G of the National Physical Laboratory at New Delhi, on Friday underlined the need for the country to attain energy security by way of exploiting energy through alternative renewable resources with the help of technologies.
Delivering the key-note address at a seminar on “Recent trends in advanced materials” held here under the joint auspices of the departments of Physics and Chemistry of Sir. C.R. Reddy College, he said the country required to generate energy in adequate quantities to put the technologies to use to the hilt. “Our conventional energies resources such as petrol, diesel, coal etc are going to be exhausted soon”, he observed. The impending energy crisis has necessitated the need to shift to the non-conventional energy resources like hydel energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, tidal energy and bio-energy, he added. “Production of hydrogen through water and its storage in a solid form could be another possible alternative”, he said.
“Estimates say in another 20 years, we will be in a need of 400 TW energy. Therefore, there is a great need of establishing technologies to generate energy by renewable resources,” he said.
He pointed out that the use of solar energy was yet to gain momentum in the country since its conversion into electrical power involved costly materials and costly preparation process.
Mr. Bhavanarayana expressed serious anguish over the alarming levels of energy wastage in the country.
He called for effective measures to check the wastage of energy, in the form of unwanted heat while using it for lighting, theft and transmission losses. Batting for harnessing of single crystals in application of technologies, he said no country could become self-reliant in the area of modern technology without making any progress in the crystal growth.
Material science
V. Veeraiah, Principal of the College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, has said three technologies —information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology were dominating the world in 21st century.
Interestingly, the materials held the key to all these technologies which spoke of the importance and relevance of the material sciences, he observed. Saying that the mad rush for engineering and medical courses by students and parents had pushed the basic sciences to the background all these days, he said it was time for them to have a re-look at the science streams like the material sciences in the backdrop of the patronage extended by the government at present.

  • Estimates say that in another 20 years, we will need 400 TW energy: expert
  • ‘Energy wastage has reached alarming levels in the country'
  • No comments: