Malaysia

Webinar: Enhancing the Way We Make Decisions in Energy Planning with Mathematical Models

Webinar: Enhancing the Way We Make Decisions in Energy Planning with Mathematical Models
  • Date From 19th May 2021
  • Date To 19th May 2021
  • Price Free of charge, open to all.
  • Location Online: 14:30 MYT. Duration: 1.5 hours.

Overview

To date, CO2 emissions are still an on-going issue. A recent report from International Energy Agency indicates that we are still faced with rising trends in CO2 emissions. However, the same report also indicated a dip in CO2 emissions in 2020. Some may argue that this is attributed to lockdowns that occurred in many countries to address the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. But the pandemic has taught us one lesson, and that lesson is that we cannot rely on drastic measures such as this to curb CO2 emissions in the long term. This shows that we still have a lot to do when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions globally. More effective carbon reduction strategies must be put in place to cut CO2 emissions in the coming few decades.

To curb the impacts of rising CO2 emissions, the IPCC report states that a net zero target needs to be achieved by the year 2055. This would certainly require a large-scale deployment of renewable energy systems. Experts argue that this is a critical time to make important and accurate decisions as we cannot afford to make costly judgements. Thus, it is essential for us to have the right tools for us to efficiently plan and deploy future energy systems that help cut emissions.

Mathematical models can provide decision-makers with the tools required to make well-informed decisions relating to energy planning and deployment. As such, this webinar will discuss the following:

  1. What mathematical models are.
  2. How mathematical models can be used for decision-making in the energy sector.
  3. The opportunities for mathematical models in energy planning and decision-making.

This webinar is aimed to address policymakers, decision-makers, chemical/process engineers involved in the energy sector. This would also be of the interest of upcoming researchers and students doing energy research.

Speaker

Viknesh Andiappan, Assistant Professor, Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia

Viknesh is an Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia Campus. His area of specialisation centres on the development of systematic design approaches for biomass energy systems and supply chains.

His research aims to integrate process design and operational considerations simultaneously. His research interests also include process synthesis and analysis of energy systems, synthesis of integrated biorefineries, industrial symbiosis planning as well as energy planning for greenhouse gas emission reduction. Most recently he has embarked on developing decision-making models for sustainable agriculture planning. He spends his time working on mathematical programming, multi-objective optimisation, input-output modelling, game theory models, process simulation and process integration tools such as pinch analysis.

Viknesh is well-published and well-cited for a young researcher (over 50 publications with an h-index of 12) and presented several papers in various conferences. He was also shortlisted as a finalist for the IChemE Young Researcher Malaysia Award in 2018 and 2019. He is also an editorial board member for internationally peer-reviewed journals such as Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability (PIOS) and Frontiers in Sustainability (Sustainable Chemical Process Design). He is a member of the reviewer board for Processes Journal. In addition, he serves as a technical committee member for several conferences.

He also collaborates closely with well-known international researchers from Malaysia, Philippines, India, Japan, Taiwan and United Kingdom. He led and completed a COVID-19 research grant, which worked on developing an economic analysis model to formulate post-pandemic recovery strategies for the agro-industry in both Malaysia and the Philippines. Most recently, he was awarded the IBAE Young Researcher of the Year Award in 2020 for his contributions and achievements in research.

Aside from research, Viknesh is a Chartered Engineer and serves as a Chartered Engineer C&C Report assessor for the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). He also serves the Deputy Chair for the IChemE Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) and was previously the University Roadshow Director.

As the University Roadshow Director, he led efforts to promote the palm industry and the opportunities for chemical engineers, to young chemical engineering undergraduate students in universities around Malaysia.

Time

14:30—15:45 MYT.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via GoToWebinar®. 
Check system requirements.

You are advised to join the webinar at least ten minutes before the scheduled start time, to allow for your computer to connect.

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