The significance of electricity is something that many do not realise, but most of the things that make our lives comfortable, safe and convenient require it to run. This includes our gadgets, entertainment, transportation, and even the air conditioning that helps us beat the heat in Malaysia’s tropical climate. Currently, the electricity we enjoy and take for granted is mostly derived from fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil. Imagine a day when we run out of these resources to power our world. What do we do then?
Under the National Renewable Energy Policy, Malaysia targets 20 percent of its electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2025.
Fortunately, Malaysia has many renewable energy sources that can be developed such as solar, wind, biomass, hydro, geothermal and tidal waves1. The National Renewable Energy Policy aims to increase the contribution of renewable energy to the national power generation mix. Under this policy, the country targets 20 percent of its electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2025.
In line with this national goal to facilitate the growth of the renewable energy industry, Dr Lee Hoong Pin, a senior lecturer at INTI International University’s Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying, started a research on how electricity can be generated from concrete as a new source of renewable energy.
“The government has recently emphasised on renewable energy, and popular methods include solar panels and wind turbines. However, wind turbines are less suitable in the city because we do not get much strong wind, it is better suited for areas by the sea. What I did was take concrete and combine it with special chemicals.
INTI International University’s Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying senior lecturer Dr Lee Hoong Pin’s research on how electricity can be generated from concrete may one day allow consumers to enjoy renewable energy from the walls of their homes.
“When the concrete is in contact with the sun and experiences changes in temperature, it will generate charges. These charges are then collected by circuits and these will eventually generate power. Imagine not having to install solar panels in your home for electricity and instead getting power from just the walls. This is the overall concept,” said Dr Lee.
His research, titled “Novel Catalysation of Lingo Cellulosic Biomass in Concrete for Renewable Energy Production”, is being financed by the Malaysian government under its Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) grant worth RM103,400 for the next three years. The research also features collaborations with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
The outcome of the pilot study, which has been granted a patent, will serve as a starting point for further investigation and fine tuning of the cement, biomass and chemical composition. By 2023, Dr Lee and his team hopes to discover a breakthrough for renewable energy in the concrete industry which will make an impact on advanced concrete technology and one day allow us to switch to a fully sustainable global energy landscape.