Prof. Udaya K. Madawala, IEEE Fellow
Department of Electrical, Computer & Software Engineering | The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Udaya K. Madawala graduated with a B.Sc. (Electrical Engineering) (Hons) degree from The University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and received his PhD (Power Electronics) from The University of Auckland, New Zealand as a Commonwealth Doctoral Scholar. At the completion of his PhD, he was employed as a Research and Development Engineer by Fisher & Paykel Ltd, New Zealand, to develop new technologies for PM motor drives. At present as a Full Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Software Engineering at University of Auckland, New Zealand, he leads a group of researchers focusing on a number of power electronics projects that are related to energy and wireless EV charging systems for V2X applications.
Udaya is a Fellow of the IEEE, and has both industry and research experience in the fields of power electronics and energy. He has served both the IEEE Power Electronics and Industrial Electronics Societies in numerous roles, relating to editorial, advisory, conferences, administrative & technical committees and chapter activities. He was the General Chair of the 2nd IEEE Southern Power Electronics Conference (SPEC)- 2016, held in New Zealand, and is also the Chair of SPEC Steering Committee and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Industrial Electronic Society. He is the recipient of the IEEE PELS Milan M. Jovanović Award for Power Electronics Emerging Technology and the University of Auckland Research Excellence Medal in 2024. Udaya, who has over 300 journal and conference publications, holds a family of global patents related to wireless power transfer (WPT) technology and power converters, and is a consultant to industry.
Title: EV Charging : Challenges and Solutions
Abstract: Electric vehicles (EVs) reduce air pollution, and are ideal for sustainable living. However, the high uptake of EVs also poses some technical challenges. These include the demand for increased levels of EV charging infrastructure, issues associated with charging infrastructure planning and offering charging services, and the grid impacts due to large-scale charging demands that compromise the stable and economic operation of the power grid. To address these technical challenges, it is crucial to deploy charging infrastructure strategically and operate charging services properly. This seminar discusses these challenges, highlighting the technical problems, and presents the solutions that have been proposed. The seminar concludes with new research directions in this area to promote further research.
Prof. Baojie He
Chongqing University, China
Dr. Baojie He, Ph.D., is a professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University. He holds the prestigious Bayu Scholar title and is recognized as a doctoral scholar. Dr. He serves as the head of the Center for Climate Resilience and Low-Carbon Cities and conducts research at Hiroshima University's Institute for Sustainability and Peace Education in Japan. Furthermore, he has been acknowledged as a globally highly cited scientist for two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023 (Coretronic). Dr. Baojie He specializes in urban heat mitigation adaptation under global/local climate change, zero-energy buildings, and passive house design. His expertise is reflected in his extensive publication record of over 140 peer-reviewed papers in SCI and SSCI journals, with an impressive H-index of 44. Recognized for his contributions to academia, Dr. He frequently receives invitations to serve as a feature editor, chief guest editor, associate editor, editorial board member, conference chairperson, session chairperson, scientific committee member, or guest reviewer for internationally renowned journals. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the sustainability research field, Dr. Baojie received the Sustainable Young Scientist Award in 2022; the Green Talent Award in 2021 (Germany); and the National Outstanding International Student Scholarship in 2019 (China). Additionally, he was consecutively shortlisted among the top 2% of scientists worldwide from 2020 to 2023.
Prof. Dimitrios Karamanis
University of Patras, Greece
Dimitrios Karamanis, Professor of Alternative Energy Sources at the University of Patras, leads the group of Renewable Energy Sources and Cool Environment. He studied Physics at the University of Ioannina (1986-1990) and submitted his doctoral thesis there (1990-1997). With Postdoctoral Fellowships at CEN Bordeaux (Marie Curie 1999-2001) and the University of Ioannina (Marie Curie 2001-2002 and continuing until 2008), Professor Karamanis has thirty-four years of research experience in the field of alternative energy sources, with a special emphasis on wind and solar energy utilization technologies in the last fifteen years. Participating in competitive National and International research programs as a scientific coordinator and researcher, he has published over 110 scientific papers in scientific journals, patents, and chapters in books, with over 3600 citations and an h-index of 37 (Scopus). He serves as an Associate Editor of Green Technologies and Sustainability (Elsevier/KeAi). Professor Karamanis has been teaching courses on renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and RES applications in the Departments of the Universities of Ioannina and Patras since 2006.
Title: The Role of Building Integrated Photovoltaics in RES Energy Transition at the Global Environment
Abstract: To implement Paris agreement and keep the mean temperature increase lower than 1.5°C compared to preindustrial levels, deep decarbonization is required with the utilization of renewable energy sources. The integration of renewables in buildings is a key component in the proposed actions of WGIII and a step forward to distributed energy systems with high contribution from buildings, becoming prosumers. Since the building structure is the interface between humans and their natural environment, sustainable development requires a rethinking of the photovoltaics integration in harmony to local environmental and bioclimatic conditions. We have recently shown that the necessity of climate crisis mitigation points requires steps beyond the self-sufficient and self-consumption concepts into positive energy sharing within local communities. In this context, the SERAS concept (sufficiency, efficiency, renewables and sharing) in BIPV deployment will be presented and discussed with prioritized integration and emerging material upgrades towards carbon neutral cities.
Assoc. Prof. Qiushi Cui
Chongqing University, China
Qiusi Cui, Associate Professor of School of Electrical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing Talent Young Top Talent, Selected as Special Expert of Zhejiang Province Youth Thousand Plan, Special Professor of Shanghai University (Oriental Scholar), and Young Key Member of Academician Wenyuan Li's Team. He serves as the Vice Chair of the Web Forum Task Force of the Big Data Analytics Committee of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, and the Founding Chair of the Big Data Mentoring Series. He graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and McGill University (McGill), Canada, with Masters and PhD degrees, respectively, and has worked as an R&D engineer and postdoctoral researcher at Opal Real-Time Simulation (OPAL-RT), Canada, and Arizona State University (ASU), USA. His research closely integrates artificial intelligence, big data, power system and new energy grid integration, and his main research interests include power system artificial intelligence, medical-industrial integration, power system protection and control, integrated energy system, new energy grid integration testing, real-time simulation of power grids and digital twins.
Assoc. Prof. Riyang Shu
Guangdong University of Technology, China
Riyang Shu, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Deputy Director of New Energy Science and Engineering Department. He received his BSc degree from the Dalian University of Technology (2012) and his PhD degree from the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2017). Afterwards, he joined the Guangdong University of Technology as a lecturer and was appointed as an Associate Professor in 2018. He was a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore in 2018. His research focuses on the catalytic conversion of renewable biomasses into fuels and chemicals.
Title: Biomass Catalytic Conversion for the Production of Liquid Bio-Fuels
Abstract: Fossil fuel is still the main source for liquid fuel production. Lignin derived from renewable biomass has the potential to replace fossil fuel. The abundance of aromatic units in lignin makes it potential to produce high-value liquid fuel. Our groups have carried out an extensive study that has been devoted to the catalytic depolymerisation and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin for the production of hydrocarbon liquid fuels. Compared to fossil fuel components, the native molecular structure of lignin is approximate C800-900, which is far higher than the carbon chain lengths required for fuel applications (~C6-20). In this regard, lignin must be depolymerized into small molecule fragments firstly. Generally, lignin contains a high amount of ether linkages, including β-O-4, α-O-4, 4-O-5 and others. The interruption of these ether linkages is the key to decrease the molecular weight. A series of methods have been proposed to achieve this goal, such as hydrolysis, solvolysis, pyrolysis, oxidative depolymerization, reductive depolymerization and so on. Reductive depolymerization approaches are preferred to use for the production of hydrocarbon fuel precursors, for their goodness at stabilizing the intermediate products and cutting down the ratio of O/C. Wherein, selective hydrogenolysis of lignin can increase the hydrogen content and decrease the oxygen content, meanwhile lowering molecular weight by reductive cleavage of C-O-C bonds and producing a high amount of phenolic compounds. We have carried out a series of woks on hydrogenolysis of different lignin species by using Pd/C coupled with CrCl3 catalyst and acid modified Ru/C catalysts, in which the yield of phenolic monomers can be 30-42 wt%. Lignin depolymerisation products formed by reductive depolymerization still have a substantially higher oxygen content than petroleum and refinery streams, so that extensive deoxygenation and hydroprocessing are required to yield hydrocarbon fuels. Catalytic HDO is a promising approach to upgrade the lignin-derived phenolic compounds performing in a heterogeneous system. After treatment, the upgraded products achieve more hydrogen and less oxygen, rendering them with a higher heating value and better chemical stability to become hydrocarbon liquid fuels. In this field, we have proposed a series of efficient HDO catalysts, including high dispersed Ru/TiO2, Ru/SiO2-ZrO2, bimetallic catalysts and Ru/C coupled with H3BO4 catalysts etc. A high yield of hydrocarbon products from the HDO of lignin depolymerisation products enables to obtain at the temperature below 260oC.