Conference on renewable secure power systems

The Round Table Conference 2018, organised by the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, will be held on October 12 under the theme ‘Renewable Integrated Secure Power System for Sri Lanka : Challenges and Solutions’ at Jasmine Conference Hall at the BMICH in Colombo.   

With the purpose of highlighting the critical and contemporary issues in the Sri Lankan Power Sector, the round table conference is a panel discussion organised annually by the Department of Electrical Engineering through the Electrical Engineering Society (EESoc), its prominent social arm.  This year’s Round Table Conference is the 18th panel discussion in the history of EESoc. State Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Ajith P. Perera has been invited as the Chief Guest of the event while the discussion will be moderated by Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, Managing Director of Resource Management Associates (Pvt) Ltd. The panellists of the discussion will be Prof. John Fletcher (Head of Power and Energy Systems, University of New South Wales, Australia), Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda (Secretary, Ministry of Power and Renewable energy), Dr. Narendra de Silva (Head of Engineering, Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt) Ltd), Dr. H. M. Wijekoon Banda (Chief Engineer, Transmission Planning Division, Ceylon Electricity Board), Eng. Champika Periyapperuma (Director – Technical Regen Renewables (Pvt) Ltd) and Eng. Harsha Wickramasinghe (Deputy Director General – Operations, Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority).   The Department of Electrical Engineering is one of the oldest and key departments in the Faculty of Engineering of University of Moratuwa and it closely deals with the Sri Lankan power sector with many leaders from power utilities coming from its studentship. 

Department and industry 

EESoc acts as a place for aspiring electrical engineers of the department to develop their personalities and to interact with the industry to enhance their skills and social awareness. It also acts as a place for the undergraduates to showcase their talents and abilities. Collaborating with multiple entities in the field of electrical engineering, EESoc acts to bridge the gap between the department and the industry. 

 
The annual flagship event ‘Round Table Conference’ provides a unique podium for academics and industry experts to unfold remarks on a prevailing issue which has a relevance to the power sector of Sri Lanka. A panel of professionals examines and exchanges views on a matter impartially to deliver explanations and solutions to all stakeholders. Since the power sector is one holding great importance for the nation and is decisive to many other sectors, the concerned parties are large and diverse. As it is a field which is core to the national economy and its fast growth, a platform such as this is critical to Sri Lanka.

The energy scenario of the world is strongly tied with politics and the future of the world. This is because of the role it plays in the world economy, with fast depleting reserves and environmental impacts. Fossil fuel and natural gas resources hold a higher priority in power industry worldwide. 

Hydro power

Sri Lanka is a country highly dependent on hydro power. Despite this, possible sites for hydro power implementation are being saturated and cannot meet the growing energy demands.The macro-scale implementation of renewable energy in the national power sector is a debatable issue, due to practical and technical constraints.   
With current trends in the world, nuclear power will be a possible solution. Yet, is it a feasible solution for a country like ours? Sri Lanka receives an abundant supply of free solar radiation year round. How far can we utilize solar energy to fulfil our demand with its present technical limitations? Even though there is considerable wind energy potential in Sri Lanka, are we harvesting the maximum? How should the distribution network and consumer behaviour change according to possible changes? These are some of the timely issues that need to be addressed and Round Table Conference 2018 is taking extensive steps towards that.   

Sunpower Renewables (Pvt) Ltd has partnered as the Diamond sponsor and LTL Holdings (Pvt) Ltd as the Gold sponsor. LECO, ACL Cables and NSB have joined hands as Silver sponsors while IDP Sri Lanka is a bronze sponsor.   

(The author is attached to Electrical Engineering Department of University of Moratuwa)