Hydrogen Energy Technologies Using Renewables for Sustainable Development
It is evident that an increased rate of carbon dioxide emissions due to a heavy use of fossil fuels since industrial revolution has caused catastrophic damages environmentally, resulting in global warming (greenhouse effect) and climate change locally and globally. The global energy equation is now considering renewables as green energy sources, including renewable energy options. It is equally important for hydrogen economy to consider renewable energy sources to generate clean hydrogen which will help achieve sustainable development. In this presentation, it is aimed at considering renewable energy sources for clean hydrogen production, covering conventional electrolysis methods, thermochemical cycles, photonic processes, sonic arrangements, microwave approaches, bio options accordingly and discussing the current developments, challenges and opportunities and future directions. The presentation will also discuss how to develop economic activities and create a unique a unique hydrogen ecosystem by considering various domains, including education, energy, environment, policy development, sustainability, etc. A clear outline will then be given about what specific technologies will play a crucial role in local and global economies.
Integration of Energy Storage with Buildings
– Managing Energy Demand & Emissions
August 2024 was the hottest on record and it was the 15 th month in a row of record-warm month. At the same time, it has been widely reported that the built environment contributes substantially to global energy consumption (about 40% of the world-wide total energy) and to the production of greenhouse gases (up to 35% of GHG) that impact the climate.
At present, the energy requirements of buildings are mainly provided from non-renewable sources and the contribution of renewable sources is still in its initial stage. Meeting the peak energy demand by non-renewable energy sources is highly expensive for the utility companies and it critically influences the environment through GHG emissions. In addition, renewable energy sources are inherently intermittent in nature. Thus, thermal energy storage has emerged as a promising solution for storing substantial energy for building applications.
This study gives an overview of thermal energy storage systems with a focus on their application in buildings, and then demonstrate its application through few case studies in cold climate and warm climate.
Professor Ibrahim Dincer
Professor Ibrahim Dincer is a full professor of Mechanical Engineering at Ontario Tech. University. Renowned for his pioneering works in the area of sustainable energy technologies he has authored/co-authored many books and book chapters, along with many refereed journal and conference papers. Dr. Dincer has chaired many national and international conferences, symposia, workshops and technical meetings. Dr. Dincer has delivered many keynotes and invited lectures. Dr. Dincer is an active member of various international scientific organizations and societies, and serves as editor-in-chief, associate editor, regional editor, and editorial board member on various prestigious international journals. Dr. Dincer currently serves as President for Hydrogen Technologies Association in Turkey and Chair for Energy Working Group in Turkish Academy of Sciences. Dr. Dincer is a recipient of several research, teaching and service awards, including the Premier’s research excellence award in Ontario, Canada. During the past nine years he has been recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of the Most Influential Scientific Minds in Engineering and one of the most highly cited researchers. During the past 25 years Dr. Dincer’s research and activities have been diverse and primarily focussed on sustainable energy solutions, sustainable communities and cities, district energy systems, green buildings, renewable energy technologies, energy storage technologies, hydrogen energy technologies, and waste to energy technologies. His group has developed various novel technologies for commercialization. He is known for his engineering education related talks as a committed educator.
Professor Fariborz Haghighat
Professor Fariborz Haghighat is a professor at the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering – Concordia University, Canada. He joined Concordia University in 1986 after conducting his post-doctoral research at the Institute for Research Construction, the National Research Council of Canada. Professor Haghighat’s research aims to achieve sustainability in the built environment. His current research focuses on the fundamental of heat and mass transport in the built environment, and on its applications in the design and analysis of energy-efficient, healthy/immune, and sustainable buildings/communities.
Professor Haghighat is the co-founder of the International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings (1992), one of the most prominent international conferences in this field. A Fellow of ASHRAE and of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality, and Concordia Research Chair in Energy and Environment; in 2019, Dr. Haghighat was named Distinguished University Research Professor at Concordia University. In 2020, he was awarded as an honorable member of the Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan.
Professor Haghighat is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society, Co-Editor of the International Journal Energy and Built Environment, and editorial board member for numerous journals. He led two international research projects sponsored by the International Energy Agency on the topic of Energy Storage, “Applying Energy Storage in Buildings of the Future, ECES Annex 23” and “Integration of Energy storage with energy efficient buildings and districts: Optimization and Automation”, ECES Annex 31.
Yinping Zhang, professor of Dept. of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He is the director of Beijing Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Quality and the director of Test Center of Building Environment, Tsinghua University. He got his Bachelor, Master and Ph.D degrees in University of Science and Technology and China during 1980-1991.
He has published over 10 books or book chapters, over 280 papers in international journals. His h index is 64 (WoS Core Collection). He has given over 20 plenary/keynote speeches at International Conferences, including four Inter. Conf. of Indoor Air (Copenhagen, Denmark, 2008; Hong Kong, China, 2014; Ghent, Belgium, 2016; Seoul, Korea, 2020, online).
He is a fellow of the Academy of ISIAQ Fellows (2008-present) and the Secretary (2018-2020), vice-president (2020-2022) and president (2022-2024) of the Academy, the Chairman of Association of Indoor Environment and Health of China (2017-2026), Associate Editor of Energy and Buildings, member of the editorial board of Environmental International, Indoor Air, Sustainable City and Society. He is one of the Co-EICs, Handbook of Indoor Air Quality, SpringerNature (2023).
Professor Jianlei Niu is currently Chair Professor of Building, Environment and Energy, and associate director of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart City Research Institute, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His technology contributions are in a broad area linking thermal and fluid sciences with building environment control and have won him numerous awards. He won twice the prestigious ASHRAE distinguished lecturer – sponsored by AHRAE to give lectures in five member countries. He was invited to co-author WHO design guidelines 2009 “Natural ventilation for infection control in health care settings”. He was awarded by SHASEJ the Uichi Inouye Asia International Award in 2024. His research on human-oriented outdoor thermal environment evaluation and optimization design won the Excellence Award of APEC INPUT2(The “Innovating for Public Urban Technology Transformation Competition”) in 2024, which is organised by China and funded by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). He is ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University. He was awarded the fellowship by three leading societies, ASHRAE, ISIAQ and IBPSA. He is now an editor -in- chief of the Elsevier journal Energy and Buildings, and a member of Engineering Panel of Hong Kong Research Grant Council.
Thermal energy storage and cooling technologies are widely used in building heating and air conditioning, primarily involving hot water storage and ice storage systems. The former has a low energy density and large volume, while the latter has poor energy efficiency and incurs additional energy consumption during the storage and release processes.
Professor Chen is a Distinguished Professor at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. He is also the Honorary Chair Professor at Tunghai University, Chair Professor at the National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Research Fellow of the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, and Vice President of the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems (ILASS)-Asia. He received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University in 1993. He was a visiting professor at Princeton University, USA; the University of New South Wales, Australia; the University of Edinburg, UK; the University of British Columbia, Canada; and the University of Lorraine, France. He was also an invited lecturer at the University of Lorraine. His research interests include hydrogen energy, bioenergy, clean energy, carbon capture and utilization, and atmospheric science. He is the Section Editor-in-Chief of Energies, the Associated Editor of Frontiers in Energy Research, and the editorial board member of Applied Energy, Scientific Reports, Chinese Chemical Letters, AIMS Environmental Science, etc. He also serves as a Guest Editor of around 20 SCI-indexed journals. His important awards include Outstanding Research Award (National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan), Highly Cited Research and Review Paper Awards (Applied Energy, Elsevier), Outstanding Engineering Professor Award (Chinese Institute of Engineers), Highly Cited Review Article Award (Bioresource Technology, Elsevier), and seven consecutive years (2016-present) Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science) Highly Cited Researcher Award.
Professor Deng is a chair professor and deputy dean in Zhengzhou University School of Public Health and vice president for the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ). He has mainly focused on the health risk of air pollution and global warming, with the objectives to design comfortable and healthy buildings/cities. Before moving to Zhengzhou University, Dr Deng was a distinguished professor (2007-2021) in Central South University, Changsha, China.
He obtained PhD degrees in civil engineering from Hunan University in 2003. He is now associate editors for BMC Medicine, International Journal of Environmental Health Research, Frontiers in Public Health/Frontiers in Pediatrics, and Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, and editorial board members for several international journals, such as Environment International, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Annals of Epidemiology, Building and Environment, Energy and Buildings, Urban Climate, Preventive Medicine, Environmental Toxicology, and Journal of Thermal Biology. Dr Deng received several awards, such as National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation (2005) and New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of China (2005). He is now the Fellows of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ), New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), and International Society of the Built Environment (ISBE). He is the president of Healthy Buildings 2019 Asia, a flagship international conference organized by ISIAQ.
Professor Jo-Shu Chang is Deputy Director of the Center for Bioscience and Biotechnology at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1993 from Department of Chemical/Biochemical Engineering at University of California, Irvine. He owns a number of academic awards and recently received a Distinguished Research Award by National Science Council of Taiwan. He serves as editor of Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering and editorial board member of Bioresource Technology, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, Biotechnology Journal, Journal of Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, Green and Sustainable Chemistry, and Current Biotechnology. He served as guest editors for special issues of Applied Energy (2012), Biochemical Engineering Journal (2012), Bioresource Technology (2012, 2010) and International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2006). He plays an important role in Taiwan’s biomass energy R&D and policy making. Since July 2006, he has served as member of National Bioethanol Standard Committee for Bureau of National Standard, Ministry of Economical Affairs, Taiwan. He also serves as executive/advisory committee members for a number of international academic societies, including Asia Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB), International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) Taiwan Chapter, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Research Network for Advanced Biohydrogen Technology. His research interests cover biochemical engineering, biohydrogen, bioenergy and biorefinery, microalgae biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, and applied microbiology with publication of over 250 refereed journal papers (including ten ISI Hi-Ci papers) and 400 conference papers.
Professor Yin Zhang, is a professor at the School of Architecture, Southwest Minzu University, China, chairman of the Digital Architectural Association of Sichuan Provincial Department of Construction. He received his PhD degree in Building Services Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2016. His research interests include: sustainable built environment, green building, renewable energy application, digital design and urban planning, resilient and smart city.
With the rapid industrialization and modernization, traditional construction practices and urbanization manors are facing unprecedented challenges for sustainable development. The increasing living standard calls for high-quality built environment and public service levels, which on the other hand imposes high pressure on resource and eco protection especially in developing regions. Therefore, it is of crucial to re-consider the significant role of green urban regeneration with emphasis on traditional-modern interaction and integration. For one thing, the focus of sustainable city has been shifting to healthy, resilient, smart land use design and clean or low-carbon techniques application. For another, such historic city green renovation and revitalization promotes environmental sustainability without fading the sense of community, cultural identity, and social cohesion. This session seeks to illuminate the intrinsic value of traditional city design and urban planning in the context of sustainable development, with organic integration of modern advanced clean technologies and systems. By exploring the intersection of traditional wisdom with emerging concepts such as smart technologies, regionalism, and ecological resilience, we aim to inspire dialogue, innovation, and action towards more inclusive and environmentally sensitive built environments. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, we can harness the lessons from the past, to pave the way for the future, towards a more sustainable and harmonious cities and communities design, planning and governance
Professor Dan Tsang is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Pao Yue-Kong Chair Professor in the State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization at Zhejiang University in China. Dan was a Professor and MSc Programme Leader at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University in the US and IMETE Scholar at Ghent University in Belgium, and postdoctoral fellow at Imperial College London in the UK. He has more than 20 years of R&D experience, published more than 550 articles in the top 10% journals, and was selected as Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists and Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers in the academic fields of Engineering as well as Environment & Ecology. Dan’s team aspires to develop green technologies for long-term decarbonization and promote resource circularity and sustainable development. Dan also serves as the founding Editor-in-Chief of npj Materials Sustainability (Nature Portfolio), Chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association (HKWMA), and Chairman of Waste Management Subcommittee of the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) of the Hong Kong SAR Government.
As the urgency to mitigate climate change intensifies, the global community is seeking innovative and sustainable solutions to decarbonize our economies. This special session focuses on harnessing critical minerals and biomass resources to accelerate the transition toward a low-carbon future. We will delve into the pivotal role of critical minerals in decarbonization, examining their essential function in the development of renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and advanced energy storage systems. Discussions will address the challenges of sustainable extraction, processing, and supply chain management, highlighting strategies to minimize environmental impacts and ensure ethical sourcing. The session will also explore groundbreaking research on bio-carbon integration in concrete as a method for carbon sequestration. By embedding bio-based carbon materials into construction practices, we can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
while enhancing the structural performance of concrete. Further, we will investigate food waste biorefinery technologies that transform organic waste into renewable energy and valuable chemicals. By converting food waste into biofuels, biogas, and bio-based chemicals, we can reduce landfill disposal, lower methane emissions, and promote a circular economy that maximizes resource efficiency. Case studies will illustrate successful implementations and the potential scalability of these technologies. Additionally, the session will highlight advancements in biomass valorization for green hydrogen production. Biomass-derived hydrogen presents a promising pathway for producing clean fuel without the carbon emissions associated with fossil fuels. Presentations will cover the latest technologies in biomass gasification, pyrolysis, and other conversion methods that enable efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production, assessing their feasibility and impact on the global energy landscape. By bringing together experts from
academia, industry, and policy-making bodies, this session aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange. Participants will gain insights into the interconnectedness of critical minerals, bio-carbon applications, waste valorization, and renewable energy production. The session will emphasize how these integrated strategies are essential for achieving sustainable development goals and combating climate change. Attendees will be encouraged to engage in discussions that could pave the way for innovative partnerships and groundbreaking research initiatives, driving forward the global agenda for a sustainable and decarbonized future.
