Experts on renewable energy from the Kingdom and overseas will hold a one-day marathon workshop to discuss the advances made by Saudi Arabia in renewable energy research, particularly in the application of and progress in fuel cell research. The workshop, titled Third Workshop on Renewable Energy: Advances in Fuel Cell Technology, is organized by the Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy (CoRE-RE). It will be held on Sunday at the Research Institute of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). The aim of the workshop is to promote the practice of environment friendly renewable energy power systems, particularly the fuel cell, to the public. The event will also focus on the strides made in fuel cell research in the Kingdom, and it will attempt to create awareness of the technical needs and research requirements related to fuel cell technology. The fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device used to produce electricity from fuel and air in the presence of an electrolyte. Fuel cells can continuously produce electricity as long as the flow of the fuel and oxidant is maintained. In the past few years fuel cell technology has made progress at an astonishing rate. The increasing demand for clean energy has promoted its growth into applications ranging from spacecraft and military applications to motorcycles and cars, according to Dr. S. U. Rahman, assistant director of the center. “Very soon people will see fuel cells in their cars instead of regular engines,” he said. He also emphasized the need for the research and development of fuel cell technology in the Kingdom. “This workshop aims to encapsulate the concept of clean energy and address the challenges of fuel cell technology to the local scientific community and industry.” The workshop will feature speakers from different parts of the world working in the field of fuel cell technology along with researchers from the center.
