Speakers and officials during the TECHtalks seminar.
DOHA: Experts at the TECHtalks seminar by Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) recently analysed how energy consumption was developing across the transportation sector, in particular, passenger transport and light duty vehicles.
Professor Ole John Nielsen, an expert in the field of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, led the session in which he closely examined various fuels and technologies in the sector as well as their implications on the climate and atmosphere.
He was joined by Damien Scott, General Manager, Qatar for Williams, and Professor Abdelmagid Salem Hamouda, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of Engineering, Qatar University, during the panel discussion that followed.
The transportation sector, according to Nielsen, currently utilises some 20 percent of the world’s total energy resource, and has the highest growth forecast in terms of energy demand. The sector is also the most reliant on fossil fuels, which stem from non-renewable resources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas, and will continue to remain the main source of energy for another three decades at least.
Nielsen explored the various fuels and technologies in the sector, highlighting that vehicles using petrol, diesel and turbo-charged direct injection (TDIs) will witness continuous improvements and innovation in the near future, while hybrids and plug-in hybrids are also becoming increasingly popular due to their efficiency. Electric vehicles will require significant improvements, especially in relation to its batteries, in order for them to become a feasible mode. Vehicles utilising fuel cell and hydrogen are unlikely to become common place due to various technical challenges and issues. “There is no single preferred technology as it is difficult to predict where the breakthrough will come from. As such, manufacturers will continue to probe different areas of innovation,” said Nielsen.
On June 25, QSTP will host another TECHtalks event on 4G developments in the ICT sector.
The Peninsula
