Message From The Chairman
The NICHE of Renewable Energy: Towards Zero Emissions and A Carbon-Free Future
The Renewable Energy niche conducts multi-disciplinary research and brings together researchers in diverse disciplines including engineers, architects, scientist, technologist, educationist, economist, social scientists, statisticians, and applied mathematicians from the Solar Energy Research Institute, Fuel Cell Research Institute, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Faculty and Economics and Business Administrations. The Niche focuses on advanced solar thermal technology, solar cells and photovoltaic systems, renewable hydrogen production systems, fuel cell technology, hybrid renewable energy systems, ultra-low energy architecture and urban eco-system, renewable energy resource analysis and assessment, renewable energy market enhancement, social-economics and policy studies.
The niche has secured research funding from the Ministry of Higher Education (FRGS, LRGS, PRGS, ERGS), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Sciencefund, Innofund and Technofund), Yayasan FELDA, UNIDO, ISESCO, Jabatan Warisan and the Saudi National Research Fund. Over 500 research articles in journal and proceedings have been published. Members of the niche have delivered keynotes and plenary speeches at national and international conferences on renewable energy. Moreover, members of the niche have won 100 international awards in national and international innovation competitions as well as for their academic contribution in renewable energy. The niche has 5 patents, 50 patents pending and 5 copyrights and 5 trademarks. Two UKMMTDC and one UKM start-up companies, namely PV&T Technologies Sdn Bhd, SolarGE Sdn Bhd and UGreen Tech Sdn Bhd respectively have been setup for commercialization of the Renewable Energy Niche green technology products and services. The university offers the region only MSc and PhD (Renewable Energy) and currently registered over 20 master and 100 doctoral candidates from more than 10 countries.
Promoting renewable energy technology to the communities has always been the passion of this niche. The niche has installed the first pico hydro system for orang asli communities, solar lighting and water pumping systems in Pulau Mabul Sabah, solar drying systems for fish in Cambodia, Pontian and Terengganu as well as for seaweeds in Sabah. Moreover, the niche has established industrial collaboration with companies through the Technofund on biodiesel, thin film silicon solar cells, solar water heaters and low speed wind turbine. Research groups within the niche have extensive international networking with other renewable energy research in the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Kuwait, United States of America and ASEAN countries.
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Kamaruzzaman Sopian