MIT Technology Review's emerging technologies conference, EmTech India 2011, kick-started at Bangalore today morning with a keynote from Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry, MIT Department of Chemistry.
Solar energy and photosynthesis
Addressing the gathering, Nocera talked about the significance of the solar energy and how by emulating the simple photosynthesis process inside a leaf, we could generate a huge amount of energy.
He highlighted, "Today around 14TW of energy is being used globally and with the growing population and urbanization, we would need 16TW by 2050. Getting to 16 TW looks a close figure but it is really difficult to generate so much energy until we conserve every amount of energy."
Work on solutions that are affordable
He mentioned that sources of energy generation like hydroelectric, nuclear, tide/ocean, geothermal, coal and many other could be useful in generation of energy. But looking at the bottom of the pyramid, we have to work on the solutions that are affordable and could help deriving energy from even a glass of water.
The entire process follows an energy cycle. When we eat green leafy vegetables, we actually consume the energy that the leaves received as sunlight and converted into sugar and glucose. This sugar is later converted into another form of energy in our bodies, to help us work.
This sugar, he added, is not just the carbon molecules but also the hydrogen molecules, that have been generated. Photosynthesis stores solar energy by water splitting and carrying the H2 and CO2 molecules.
He said that scientists and researchers have been thinking about it and working on this since 1912, but they are yet to build a clone of the machine that sits inside the leaf. If emulated in the proper manner, a swimming pool at MIT can generate up to 43TW power.
Nocera added, "We have been working on a smart grid. But from the lateral side, these are 100-year-old dumb smart grids. For non-legacy world the priority solution lies in innovating affordable energy and not the efficient products."
According to him, another small factor of looking at energy generation is cost of the manufactured goods, as companies use comparatively more energy in manufacturing less weighted goods. And on an average the manufacturing cost is $10 per pound.
Adding to the necessity of looking at the bottom of pyramid, Sanjay Correa, vice president and managing director, GE India Technology Centre, Bangalore said that energy is a matter of priority.
“When we talk of energy making, points like demand, energy saving, global climate change and quality come.
The various sectors in energy are discovery and exploration of resources, generation, transportation and distribution, smart grid and consumption. The areas of opportunity are healthcare, life sciences, diagnostics, renewable energy and many more,” he said.
And a major opportunity for a developing nation like India is the tele-opportunity, he added.
“The wide penetration of cellphones even in the rural areas carries a huge potential of touching the bottom of pyramid,” said Correa.
Solar energy and photosynthesis
Addressing the gathering, Nocera talked about the significance of the solar energy and how by emulating the simple photosynthesis process inside a leaf, we could generate a huge amount of energy.
He highlighted, "Today around 14TW of energy is being used globally and with the growing population and urbanization, we would need 16TW by 2050. Getting to 16 TW looks a close figure but it is really difficult to generate so much energy until we conserve every amount of energy."
Work on solutions that are affordable
He mentioned that sources of energy generation like hydroelectric, nuclear, tide/ocean, geothermal, coal and many other could be useful in generation of energy. But looking at the bottom of the pyramid, we have to work on the solutions that are affordable and could help deriving energy from even a glass of water.
The entire process follows an energy cycle. When we eat green leafy vegetables, we actually consume the energy that the leaves received as sunlight and converted into sugar and glucose. This sugar is later converted into another form of energy in our bodies, to help us work.
This sugar, he added, is not just the carbon molecules but also the hydrogen molecules, that have been generated. Photosynthesis stores solar energy by water splitting and carrying the H2 and CO2 molecules.
He said that scientists and researchers have been thinking about it and working on this since 1912, but they are yet to build a clone of the machine that sits inside the leaf. If emulated in the proper manner, a swimming pool at MIT can generate up to 43TW power.
Nocera added, "We have been working on a smart grid. But from the lateral side, these are 100-year-old dumb smart grids. For non-legacy world the priority solution lies in innovating affordable energy and not the efficient products."
According to him, another small factor of looking at energy generation is cost of the manufactured goods, as companies use comparatively more energy in manufacturing less weighted goods. And on an average the manufacturing cost is $10 per pound.
Adding to the necessity of looking at the bottom of pyramid, Sanjay Correa, vice president and managing director, GE India Technology Centre, Bangalore said that energy is a matter of priority.
“When we talk of energy making, points like demand, energy saving, global climate change and quality come.
The various sectors in energy are discovery and exploration of resources, generation, transportation and distribution, smart grid and consumption. The areas of opportunity are healthcare, life sciences, diagnostics, renewable energy and many more,” he said.
And a major opportunity for a developing nation like India is the tele-opportunity, he added.
“The wide penetration of cellphones even in the rural areas carries a huge potential of touching the bottom of pyramid,” said Correa.
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