Role of Technology in the Energy Sector: Paving Our Way to Clean Energy

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Role of Technology in the Energy Sector: Paving Our Way to Clean Energy

"Bold clean energy action is needed to stave off a climate hostile to human life."

~ Ray Metcalfe

On April 7, 2021, at 6:00 PM (GMT +6), the long-awaited PES DAY celebrations by IEEE BUBT SB finally kicked off which consisted of numerous sessions hyper-focused towards sustainable clean energy. The first of our many planned sessions being an international panel discussion organized by the branch in collaboration with the IEEE COMSATS Islamabad and IEEE RUSL (Rajarata University of Sri Lanka) SB.

The primary aim of this event was to raise awareness about the technology currently revolutionizing clean energy and how people can contribute to this process. The event began with the moderator Ms. Chaltu Marta, welcoming everyone to the event and introducing all the speakers Dr. Kaylan K Sen, Dr. Celia Shahnaz, Dr. Preethy V Warrier, and Mr. Sanaullah Khan Jadoon.

The questions began with how electricity can be brought to areas that are deprived of it. Here Dr. Warrier briefly covered the technical challenges involved with getting to it. And Dr. Sen discussed his experience trying to get the Indian Government to provide electricity to the more impoverished villages only to realize that it wasn't cost-effective to provide them with electricity. He elaborated on the overall situation which later on, transitioned to a conversation about the inefficient electrical grid and how governments refuse to adapt, so the general public must.

Following this, Dr. Shahnaz brought up a short presentation of her own, discussing the technical aspects of AI & ML in the energy industry. Dr. Warrier chipped in with real-world examples based on her experiences, such as the sensors employed in remote areas to detect faults in power plants without visiting or calculating wind farm capacity with machine learning.

They all then briefly discussed how the demand for such innovation had gone up since the Paris Climate Accord, and Mr. Jadoon & Dr. Sen specifically covered how to strengthen the energy sectors in Asian countries and what they are doing.

The event proved to be a great success which empowered over 73 attendees consisting of students and experts. As such, IEEE BUBT SB would like to leave you with the message Dr. Sen gave us regarding clean energy that is to "act locally and think globally"!